From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
PM Minnis challenges media to ‘press’ public officials for timely and accurate information
By Matt Maura
Nov 20, 2017 - 9:38:00 PM
NASSAU, The Bahamas – The press has an essential role to play in promoting good governance, transparency and accountability, especially on matters of public policy.
Addressing the Third Annual Bahamas Press Club Banquet (held Saturday, November 18 at the British Colonial Hilton) Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Hubert A. Minnis said the aforementioned can be accomplished by “pressing public officials for accurate and timely information.”
Prime Minister Minnis was named the Bahamas Press Club’s Person of The Year for 2017.
“By pressing public officials for accurate and timely information, the press helps citizens to learn about the decisions being made by a government on their behalf,” Prime Minister Minnis said.
“But in addition to the sometimes heated moments or events of the day, there is much more that the press may report on, especially on matters of public policy. There has been a tendency by political journalists to mostly report on the clashes and drama of politics. Such reporting is fairly easy and exciting. Still, while there is news in such events, there is considerably more, much more when reporting on politics and the working of government.
“Some in the press often miss important and more consequential stories on important public policy questions,” Prime Minister Minnis added.
Prime Minister Minnis said while drama “undeniably excites viewers are readers” the media has an obligation to report on policy matters that will have greater impact than some stories that are less substantial.
“The Government of the day is committed to creating a new culture when it comes to official corruption. We are instituting a number of measures to promote cleaner government and to stem corruption,” Prime Minister Minnis said.
“This would be a good moment for the media and certainly for an enterprising reporter to research and report on the clean government and anti-corruption regimes of other jurisdictions.
“Likewise, on other matters of public policy, it would be useful for the media to give their readers and viewers a more global perspective – in both senses of the word – on issues being debated in The Bahamas.
“Good journalists, like good public servants, have a broader, more global horizon,” Prime Minister Minnis said, “the best journalism criticizes, celebrates and inspires. I believe that it is the great task and wonderful responsibility of all of us in the public domain – including political leaders and journalists – to build hope and not merely to criticize the status quo. May we use our platform in journalism and government to nurture imagination.”
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