Ambassador Makandal Daaga chided the media Friday for being unfair in its reporting on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and suggested that reporters should be doing more analytical stories.
Daaga spoke at a news conference at the Parliament at the Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain. He and the other leaders of the People's partnership reported to the media that all is well with the partnership.
"I think that the media has been very unfair to the Prime Minister," Daaga said, adding: "I don't think they have fully appreciated the fact that here is a person who is pulling together five different parties, with different ideological positions."
Daaga agreed that the media must be critical in its reporting. However he said reporters "must also analyse the issues...of the behaviour patterns in a country and put things into perspective."
Persad-Bissessar did not agreed with Daaga that the media have been unfair.
"I don't think you're unfair, it's that sometimes the headlines don't match the stories; it creates an impression. So I don't think you're unfair, you're doing your jobs. You go out there and you write, and because the media is so competitive everybody wants a bigger story than the other one, so you're doing your jobs," she said.
"I would love for you to also do the things that Mr Daaga has talked about. In addition to carrying stories, it would be nice to see some more analytical journalists.
"At the moment, we get a lot of, as I say, headlines, but, the stories themselves are quite good, sometimes I'm quite surprised at some of the stories.
"I was reading an article by Mr Selwyn Ryan recently and I was very surprised at the good things he said about me," Persad-Bissessar said.
Persad-Bissessar has been consistent in her position on the media. She has always encouraged reporters to do their jobs without fear or favour so that citizens could form an informed decision on which they could act.
Daaga spoke at a news conference at the Parliament at the Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain. He and the other leaders of the People's partnership reported to the media that all is well with the partnership.
"I think that the media has been very unfair to the Prime Minister," Daaga said, adding: "I don't think they have fully appreciated the fact that here is a person who is pulling together five different parties, with different ideological positions."
Daaga agreed that the media must be critical in its reporting. However he said reporters "must also analyse the issues...of the behaviour patterns in a country and put things into perspective."
Persad-Bissessar did not agreed with Daaga that the media have been unfair.
"I don't think you're unfair, it's that sometimes the headlines don't match the stories; it creates an impression. So I don't think you're unfair, you're doing your jobs. You go out there and you write, and because the media is so competitive everybody wants a bigger story than the other one, so you're doing your jobs," she said.
"I would love for you to also do the things that Mr Daaga has talked about. In addition to carrying stories, it would be nice to see some more analytical journalists.
"At the moment, we get a lot of, as I say, headlines, but, the stories themselves are quite good, sometimes I'm quite surprised at some of the stories.
"I was reading an article by Mr Selwyn Ryan recently and I was very surprised at the good things he said about me," Persad-Bissessar said.
Persad-Bissessar has been consistent in her position on the media. She has always encouraged reporters to do their jobs without fear or favour so that citizens could form an informed decision on which they could act.
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| File: From a speech in January 2010 accepting the leadership of the United National Congress (UNC) |
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