Royal Gazette as disrespectful, misleading and egotistical.

Quinton Edness, a UBP MP for Warwick West for many years, said he was compelled to respond to a speech David White delivered at the Lions Club weekly luncheon meeting last week.

Mr. White, who served as editor of The Royal Gazette for 22 years, told the audience Premier Jennifer Smith was risking her political career by refusing to speak directly with the media.

Earlier this year Ms Smith said a story in The Royal Gazette had taken the paper to a "new low'' of journalism.

And the Premier went on to say Government would use radio broadcasts of the Budget debate to speak directly to the public.

But last week Mr. White said: "I wonder after all the years she's been in the House, if she's ever actually listened to the debate.

"The debates are so bad that quite frankly you can hardly bear to listen to them so I can't imagine that these are going to give her a great deal of service in any political sense.

"I also think that before she begins to complain about the press, she should talk to some of the people in this country that spent a great deal of time being at war with the press.'' According to Mr. White, former Crown Counsel Saul Froomkin, former PLP MP Julian Hall, and former UBP MP Jim Woolridge all suffered from having been at odds with The Royal Gazette .

However, Mr. Edness condemned the speech as "arrogant as well as disrespectful''.

"It is also frightening that Mr. White can say that persons who went to war with The Royal Gazette -- meaning persons who disagreed with him -- resulted in their downfall,'' said Mr. Edness.

"That simply substantiates something that we all knew, that if you disagreed with David White, he was going to get you.

"That's very frightening in a small community such as ours.'' And Mr. Edness said numerous young people had called in to radio talk shows after the speech to express their concern about how they would be treated if they ever voiced a different opinion to that of the press. "It seems to me that when one is asked to speak about the power of the press one could be a little more humble,'' said Mr. Edness. "It is an opportunity to show the real function of an objective press, that is, to report the news factually and fairly, and to be the eyes and ears and protector of the democratic principles for the community.

"That is the legitimate power of the press, not to issue veiled threats to the Premier to respond more frequently to the press or be doomed, or to brag about what happened to those politicians in the past who happen to have had differing views to you on issues when you were the editor.

"What a twisted view of the power of the press and what a waste of an opportunity.'' Mr. Edness also rejected Mr. White's claim that The Royal Gazette had "taken the lead on a tremendous number of social causes'' and "sets the agenda'' for the Island.

"To be fair, there have been times when an editorial written by Mr. White or others at The Gazette supported a cause or put forth a suggestion of some social significance,'' said Mr. Edness.

"More often than not it supported an idea previously put forward by some person or group from a story that had been covered previously. The credit should go to those persons, not The Gazette .

"However, to say that The Gazette sets the agenda for this country is a gross, egotistical exaggeration.'' Mr. White is currently off the Island and unavailable for comment.

David White: Delivered speech during weekly Lions Club luncheon.