Sometimes it seems that barely a day goes by without Bermuda's Press coming under fire from the Government.

Renee Webb, a big fan of blaming the media, once described Bermuda's Press as "vicious". Last year, Derrick Burgess memorably branded The Royal Gazette "evil". Education Minister Terry Lister accused Bermuda Sun reporter Meredith Ebbin of having a "pet peeve" for persisting with the story that Bermuda College lecturer Abdallah Ahad had false academic credentials. VSB reporter Sherri Simmons was blasted by Health Minister Patrice Minors and others for investigating whether Mrs. Minors had tried to secure preferential treatment for her father from the Bermuda Housing Corporation. In the recent Budget debate on the Department of Communication and Information Premier Alex Scott complained: "We can't get our word out".

It sometimes seems that many Government MPs and their supporters don't understand the role of the Press in a healthy democracy. Not only do the Press have the right to challenge the actions of the Government, they have a responsibility to do so. Rigorous public scrutiny helps a people to keep its politicians honest.

And Bermuda's politicians have it easy. Coming from the UK, it makes me laugh to hear the Press here described as "vicious". Too many of Bermuda's journalists are poodles, too polite and deferential to get a straight answer from an evasive MP. In contrast, the British Press are more like Dobermans: rough, ruthless, unprincipled and unapologetic. Jeremy Paxman, one of the UK's most feared interviewers, once asked Conservative MP Michael Howard the same question 14 times in an attempt to get an answer. I'd love to see how Bermuda's MPs would stand up to him.

Many members of the Government appear unaware that they have the ability to stop many of the uncomplimentary stories that are written about them. No, I'm not talking about Robert Mugabe-style intimidation of journalists or sending the secret police to blow up The Royal Gazette'soffices in the middle of the night. Just answer questions honestly. Cut down on the spin. Admit your mistakes. Act ethically. If you're a Cabinet Minister and you realise you've made a cock-up, offer your resignation immediately. Don't say that the UBP did it too, even if they did. If the Auditor General criticises you, respond with humility and reassure the public that you take his concerns seriously. Deal with issues quickly instead of letting them fester. If you can't, make sure you explain why so the voters doesn't think you're just hoping they'll forget. The British revered Tony Blair for his sincerity and honesty - until he started dissembling about the need to wage war in Iraq.

Surprisingly, however, the day-to-day interactions between Bermuda's journalists and politicians are often considerably less adversarial than the Government's complaints might lead you to believe. "You treat them right and the majority of them will treat you right," said one source. Ewart Brown was singled out as being particularly accessible and candid. The attitudes of Terry Lister, Randy Horton and Dale Butler were also praised.

Although no Government can ever entirely circumvent the traditional media, there are other ways to communicate with the people if the PLP genuinely believes its message is being distorted. Canvassing is the obvious one. The Government's website (www.gov.bm) is another. The Royal Gazette has on a couple of occasions been accused of omitting crucial sentences from Government Press releases. So why isn't the Government publishing these on their website too? The information on many of the pages is thin or non-existent; many of the links do not lead anywhere. It's hard to sympathise with Government complaints about the media while one of their primary information channels remains so woefully under-utilised.

Bermuda's politicians have also been slow to recognise the value of blogs (regularly-updated online journals) as a tool to directly communicate with the electorate.

Several British MPs have blogs, including Labour MPs Tom Watson and Shaun Woodward, Conservative MP Boris Johnson and Liberal MP Richard Allan. Blogging is now so mainstream that it's easy for even someone who does not like computers to set up and run their own blog using a service such as Typepad or Blogger. If any MP wants help to do this I invite them to get in touch with me and I'll be happy to assist.

I can understand the Government's frustration when it feels its message is being misinterpreted or misunderstood, particularly given its longheld belief that some previous editors of The Royal Gazette were biased.

A cycle of mistrust can be difficult to break. But the treatment of the Government that I've seen in the last two years has, I believe, generally been fair. Instead of complaining, perhaps more MPs should adopt Dr. Brown's straightforward approach to dealing with the Press. It would garner them considerably more respect from the media and the public alike.

Phillip Wells

www.limeyinbermuda.com