20831: (Chamberlain) re: 20792: Du Tuyau: Re Press, media (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

> would the Jamaican Observer be considered a "mainstream" newspaper, or
just "a little kid from the Caribbean-CARICOM-people"?


Du Tuyau, wise philosophising philosopher at service of all grateful,
graceful (and ungraceful) Corbetteronians, my answerful answer to your
enthusiastical question is yes, it can be called Caribbean mainstream.

The Observer is the second biggest of Jamaica's three daily papers.  It was
founded 11 years ago and is owned by Gordon "Butch" Stewart, a white native
Jamaican who is the country's richest businessman.  His owns 13 Caribbean
tourist resorts, Air Jamaica and the Observer.  His two dozen companies are
together Jamaica's largest private sector group, the country's biggest
foreign exchange earner and its largest non-government employer.

This does not mean, despite the fantastical fantasies of certain
Corbetteerians, that he has anything to do with the editorial line of the
Observer (he is also not the editor).  We are reading various posted news
reports, articles by columnists (some pro-Aristide) and editorials from
that paper.  In all the democratic Caribbean, you will find newspapers
which every day print all kinds of conflicting views on the same editorial
page.

This does not fit in with how "Socialist Worker" says newspapers work (or
should work, so as to prove its theories).  To them, I apologise on behalf
of Mr Stewart, who stresses that he will try harder to obey their
instructions when he has a spare moment.


        Greg Chamberlain