From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
Hon. Fred Mitchell Responds to Nassau Guardian Article on Release of Two Cubans
By Elcott Coleby, Bahamas Information Services
Aug 22, 2016 - 1:32:00 PM
Nassau, Bahamas - The following statement has been approved by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in response to the 15th August 2016 Nassau Guardian opinion piece by Candia Dames:
The journalist made certain assertions about the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the conduct of this matter based on supposedly leaked documents from a Cabinet meeting. Whether or not the content of allegedly purloined documents is fact, the meetings of Cabinet are conducted in confidentiality, and at no time ever were the deliberations on the Cuban men approved for public information.
It is unworthy of good journalism to accept uncritically views invoked by any party on this matter in the absence of proper investigation, which the newspaper could not have conducted in the absence of directly confirmed source(s) being any members of Cabinet among other untainted sources; and there is no confirmation that this was obtained. Yet the piece went to press with the support of a supposedly purloined cabinet paper.
The piece therefore lacked the probative considerations that were a part of the serious efforts involved in this matter. Also, errors on facts and uninformed assertions were made in the absence of seeking to inform the public of the country’s policies, challenges and goals on Statelessness. Statelessness is the global issue that was at the centre of deliberations concerning the men.
In this instance it would therefore be helpful if the newspaper would simply record this objection in principle to the piece.
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