Leader of Government Kurt Tibbetts rightfully said last week that newspapers use headlines to sell newspapers.
That is what headlines are supposed to do, sell papers and lure the reader into the story.
But according to The Art of Editing (a journalist’s bible by Floyd K. Baskette and Jack Z. Sissors), the first requirement of a headline is that it be accurate. A good headline tells the reader what the story says, not what the writer thinks the story implies
It’s one thing to sell newspapers and get a reader’s attention drawn to a story.
It’s quite another to incite discontent throughout a community.
Such a headline and a story, which appeared last week in the Cayman Net News, has incited such discontent and has caused the Jamaican Consulate to demand an apology from Work Permit Board David Ritch.
Much of consulate’s demand was based on the Net News headline and incorrect information in the accompanying story.
Mr. Ritch has apologized for any perception that he has insulted the Jamaican community in the Cayman Islands.
Those who attended the 6 October meeting at which Mr. Ritch laid out facts and figures about immigration know first-hand what Mr. Ritch said.
Those who weren’t there have gleaned much of their misinformation from erroneous reports and gab on Cayman’s radio talk shows.
We hope this rift between Jamaican Consulate Robert Hamaty and Mr. Ritch can be healed.
Mr. Ritch is correct that there needs to be open, frank dialogue between Government, Immigration and those whose lives are affected by Immigration laws.
That dialogue needs to be transparent so all who have a stake in immigration decisions know up front the challenges and issues Government, Immigration, businesses and individuals face.
Everyone working at any newspaper anywhere in the world is subject to making mistakes in headlines and in articles.
We’re all human; none of us perfect.
But we at the Caymanian Compass will always strive to be accurate and not sensationalistic in our reporting.
It’s for the betterment of all of us and the country as a whole when newspapers act responsibly.
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