declining visitor figures have the advantage of creating general public concern for the tourism industry. We are appreciative that the Minister is an optimist because we too think that without general public concern and general public help tourism is in for a difficult future.

Tourism should be a national concern because it contributes to everyone's livelihood. We can see no reason for not having general acceptance of the need for public help and the need for public cooperation toward achieving Monitor's suggestions.

What we fear is that solutions to the problem will fall victim to the political divisions in Bermuda. It has not been unusual in the past to oppose constructive change for fear that one grouping or the other will receive credit for improvements. That attitude will not create the togetherness needed to turn tourism around.

A senior member of the Monitor group has been quoted as saying that Bermuda has a "low trust environment with a high defensive'' attitude. That is a valid analysis.

He then went on to blame the Press for fostering the attitude and, in fact, called the Press the "number one culprit''. We have to assume that Monitor has been talking with those politicians and civil servants who usually excuse themselves and their failings by blaming the fact that they get reported.

Monitor should be too smart to swallow that ploy.

He also called the local Press "particularly aggressive''. That does not match the opinion of the many Bermudians who call for more investigative reporting. In fact, compared to many countries, the local media in general is unsensational and responsible.

Saying that the private sector and trades unions have to change, he says, "...the Press has to change. Its style of reportage amplifies and multiplies the dissensions and the negative attributions that these groups have for each other.'' In other words, ignore the problem and it will go away.

Monitor knows that is not true. It also knows the problems had to arise before they could be reported.

The media cannot correct those problems itself. The media's job is to bring problems into the open where they can be examined, discussed and dealt with.

Indeed if the media had not caused public alarm over tourism, Bermuda would probably still be drifting along and Monitor would not have been hired.

We cannot be sure what Monitor's aim is here, but it may think that if it can unify various groupings against the Press then it can begin to unify them in other ways. Let's all take time out from shooting each other and join in shooting the messenger.

We are the first to admit that this newspaper and the Press in general is not perfect, but then, according to a recent book, Monitor is prone to giving bad advice to some of its clients.

Where did Monitor come looking for help to get its message across in Bermuda? This newspaper. Who cooperated out of public concern? This newspaper. And we will continue to cooperate in any way we can to help Bermuda.