9 October, 2014

Dear Sir,

I have written many letters to the RG and I have in the past taken the RG to task. Some of my letters have been over the top and I apologise for that. For the most part my letters have been about good governance — I detest the word ‘politics’ although it is a passion when the time comes every 5 years — and I am unabashedly no friend of the current Opposition. I don’t suggest that the collective group are less than intelligent and that they do not have a perspective but with only 2 choices to run the island ... it is not hard to know who has the best position (flawed at times, no doubt).

But this letter is about the RG. Even when the Mid Ocean and the Bermuda Sun were alive, the RG was really the ONLY paper in town. On the basis that the pen is mightier than the sword, you have the ability to sway public opinion almost at your will and whim. You are not only within your right, you are also at the mercy of your Board which clearly sees an advantage to the diversity of opinion on your pages. That’s fine but it can be very, very dangerous when you are the only game in town.

I wish the RG did a better job of challenging letter writers, opinion writers (primarily the regulars, Barritt, Trew and Famous but the one off writers, too). In a one paper town do you not have a heightened responsibility not just to report or publish words but also to ask for the rationale? Everybody is entitled to an opinion but in Bermuda the opinions are almost exclusively politically rooted and often the topic is the economy or some other fairly complex subject.

Fine to let Zane rant on ... but challenge him. Same with Bob Richards and Michael Dunkley ... challenge what they say. When Kevin Comeau and Bob Stewart write their columns, ask them questions. Small matter but a scary one is Craig Simmons ... his positions need to be questioned (one of your writers recently did) because he more than most is considered academically intellectual.

The RG should take a more analytical, questioning position rather than simply reporting the news. And by that, I don’t mean submitting questions to whomever and then making your favourite comment that they haven’t got back to you ... ask them to meet with you, interview them ... I think your readers would be far more appreciative of the RG if they were more balanced and analytical and not just a place for ‘words’.

Sincerely

JOHN F

Hamilton