Set the journalists free
WORD today that the prestigious UK News of the World newspaper will shut down on Sunday, is regretful and worrying. The paper’s owner, News International Ltd., made the shocking call after details of phone hacking by the weekly title were publicized this week leading to the outrage of the British public. While the claims of hacking are indeed disturbing, they have yet to be proven and appear to be part of a gross exaggeration by some. And at this point it is hard to identify who the victims truly are. Worse, no one’s said anything as to what will happen to the 200...
Read MoreEditorial: Bermuda Sun hypocrisy
By Elin Simmons-Francis THE Royal Gazette and the Bermuda Sun have today carried two news stories from Magistrates’ Court in which a local media outlet was hit with fines for identifying defendants accused of sexual crimes in two separate incidents. The Royal Gazette’s story, which is published online, is more fair and straightforward. However, the same cannot be said about the Bermuda Sun’s online article. Sun reporter Mikaela Ian Pearman outright fails to mention how the Sun allegedly breached the same law the other media outlet admitted to, and how the Sun recently...
Read MoreTurks & Caicos Islands: From paradise to apartheid
Life in the Turks and Caicos Islands is a nightmare under British rule, writes one T.C.I. belonger. By John Glasgow EIGHTEEN months ago I was living in the Turks & Caicos Islands a beautiful paradise where the citizens were free and had every human right known to men. People worked hard to support their families, children ate three meals a day and snacks in between. The sound of children’s laughter could be heard through the land. Kids were happy and their only worry was “should I do my homework or tell the teacher the dog ate it”. Families went to the beach for picnics and fun...
Read MoreEnd of an Era: Caribbean reacts to loss of BBC Caribbean news service
Broadcasting since 1939, the BBC Caribbean (news) Service will stop transmitting to radio listeners in Bermuda and the Caribbean on March 25. Budget cuts by the overall BBC World Service is to blame for this, resulting in a loss of 600 jobs. Here, the Editor of the Searchlight Newspaper in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, speaks to the loss of this vital service: The Caribbean has had more long-lasting relations with Britain than any other country. These relations have not always been beneficial to the region, but the reality is that for four centuries, our fortunes, or misfortunes, have been...
Read MoreNational heroes: Bermudians Against the Draft
WHETHER you are a supporter of conscription in Bermuda, or you oppose it, credit must be given to the members of Bermudians Against the Draft (B.A.D.). Credit because of the group’s tireless fight for what they believe is right: An end to an outdated practice that violates the Constitution and that discriminates on the basis of sexual origin. Bermuda Wired salutes B.A.D. for its efforts and its commitment to what is just in Bermuda.
Read MoreWikileaks deserves praise for empowering people, not governments
THE arrest this week of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should alarm all real journalists and activists in Bermuda and around the world. His arrest in London at the behest of Swedish officials has more to do with politics than any concern that he may have committed sexual offenses there. The truth is, he has the courage of a thousand men. I wasn’t there when Mr. Assange had intimate relations with those two women. The charges of rape against him are bizarre and manifestly groundless since prosecutors in Sweden initially refused to prosecute him because of a lack of evidence. It is...
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