Samuel Rose’s letter to the Compass
of Thursday, October 14th, with regard to the Cydonie Mothersill lead photo
speaks to the need for ensuring the highest journalistic standards in these
Cayman Islands. The editorial in the same edition certainly did nothing to
boost my confidence that the explanation given was acceptable.
Prior to the above, a page one
article in the October 8th edition, titled “Red Bull Man Ripped Off”, also
contained the words “the cursing started…” We, the reading public, should be
amazed at these poor judgments or lapses in standards of journalism in what
many regard as our daily newspaper. As much as I may feel sorry for ‘the Red
Bull Man’, I certainly do not expect to read about “the cursing”. That, Madam
Editor, was your choice to include in this article.
As we often sit to watch the 6pm
news on the local channel, surely we as Caymanians should be amazed and
appalled by one commercial business ad that refers to a “cuss-o-meter”. Yet we
would hold our children to a higher standard when this is the example which we
set.
The erosion of standards in
journalism and language can be stopped if we all try a little harder. There is
a need to examine the wording of imported ads. Likewise, our foreign journalists
need to know what is unacceptable in this country. Only then will we maintain
and raise standards in journalism and advertising language.
All Caymanians need to demand
better.
Nyda Flatley
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