Gordon blames governments for poor media standards

Media icon Ken Gordon has blamed successive governments in Trinidad and Tobago for what he calls "the appalling standards in electronic media". He said governments created the problems by granting licences without establishing monitoring standards.

The retired Chairman of Caribbean Communications Network (CCN) was commenting on the proposed Code of Conduct during a luncheon Wendesday hosted by the Rotary Club of Maraval.

He said while he welcomes such a code he believes it should be properly tailored to deal with the decline in standards, especially in the electronic media.

“The canons of good taste do not appear to be understood, racism is promoted; excesses dominate; pronunciation is abominable, green verbs are the order of the day and standards have fallen on every side.," Gordon lamented. He added, “There is a terrible weakness in the electronic media. No efforts have been made to make people accountable for standards.”

He said successive governments must bear the blame, starting with the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), that opened up the airways and granted licences without enforcing standards.

On the code of conduct he said, “It is inconceivable 37 radio stations can be effectively monitored across the board in a fair and equitable manner for the myriad offences which have been identified in the proposed Code.”

He said, “It is an absurdity to expect these 37 radio stations to be effectively monitored.”

Gordon, who is a passionate defender of media freedom, observed that protection of the press is enshrined in the Constitution and therefore it can only be challenged by the courts in such matters as libel and slander.

However he noted that it is different with the broadcast media, which require a licence to operate. He warned that such licences carry conditions "and these can effectively be used to control abuses."

He was highly critical of the proposed Code calling it "impractical in this environment and if disciplinary action were attempted against offending radio stations, the process of judicial review can make the exercise a recipe for confusion.”

Gordon said standards must be introduced into the terms of the licences. “This is eminently possible and can control the excesses without the confusion which will certainly follow the introduction of the proposed Code of Conduct."

He welcomed action against excesses by the electronic media but said, "we must get it right."

The former journalist and broadcaster said there is a need for proper training for media personnel and also a matter of ethical standards in the choice of images of gore and violence and wining women.

The whole issue of media responsibility came up recently when the prime minister went to a radio station to complain about a broadcast by two announcers who were critical of the the government. The two were subsequently suspended for breach of their station's policies.

But it raised an outcry about media freedom.
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