Tweet
Herald defends right to support party of its choice
Tone Middleton
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
THE Sunday Herald newspaper has stopped just short of admitting it has endorsed a political party but defended its right to do so.
While the weekly has so far declined to name its directors — who are widely believed to be People's National Party-linked — the paper insisted it has a right to its own choice.
In an editorial in its latest edition, the financially strapped Herald responded to claims in the Observer newspaper that it has been revived, after being three months off the streets, to fight the elections for the Opposition PNP.
"The Sunday Herald is fully supportive of the right of the publishers of the Observer to back the political party of their choice... This right they would, however, deny us and other media," the editorial said.
It is the closest the Herald has come to admitting that it has taken political sides, although all three issues since its reappearance have carried exclusively anti-government news articles.
In its November 20-26 edition, the paper led off with 'Spending spree at FSL (the state-run Fiscal Services Limited)'; '$102 million to furnish government office'; 'Millions disappear from Ministry of Labour and National Security (Social Security)'; 'Continued denial eroding government's credibility'; 'Another reason for Shaw to be fired' and 'Opposition lambasts Government over JDIP', among others.
At the same time, the newspaper ignored one of the big news of last week, the Trafigura trial which involves key officers of the PNP.
The Herald's editorial did not respond to questions about its tax status after owing the state coffers millions of dollars in unpaid tax and statutory deductions.
Statutory deductions go to agencies such as the National Housing Trust (NHT) to assist low-income contributors to own a home and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) for after-retirement and hardship payments, mostly to the poorest Jamaicans. Non-payment could put obstacles in the way of these benefits accruing to employees when they need to call upon them.
In the past, the Herald has suggested that the tax department's move to get the arrears paid off was aimed at punishing a critic of the Government. In its previous edition, the paper's chairman, Rev Garnett Roper, wrote: "...now that the Sunday Herald has once again hit the streets, the (tax) squad may once again come out."
In the current issue, the editorial added: "... nor do we have friends in high places that can make tax assessments disappear".
The paper also acknowledged it had financial backers without naming them.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1eYTbLQeF
Tone Middleton
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
THE Sunday Herald newspaper has stopped just short of admitting it has endorsed a political party but defended its right to do so.
While the weekly has so far declined to name its directors — who are widely believed to be People's National Party-linked — the paper insisted it has a right to its own choice.
In an editorial in its latest edition, the financially strapped Herald responded to claims in the Observer newspaper that it has been revived, after being three months off the streets, to fight the elections for the Opposition PNP.
"The Sunday Herald is fully supportive of the right of the publishers of the Observer to back the political party of their choice... This right they would, however, deny us and other media," the editorial said.
It is the closest the Herald has come to admitting that it has taken political sides, although all three issues since its reappearance have carried exclusively anti-government news articles.
In its November 20-26 edition, the paper led off with 'Spending spree at FSL (the state-run Fiscal Services Limited)'; '$102 million to furnish government office'; 'Millions disappear from Ministry of Labour and National Security (Social Security)'; 'Continued denial eroding government's credibility'; 'Another reason for Shaw to be fired' and 'Opposition lambasts Government over JDIP', among others.
At the same time, the newspaper ignored one of the big news of last week, the Trafigura trial which involves key officers of the PNP.
The Herald's editorial did not respond to questions about its tax status after owing the state coffers millions of dollars in unpaid tax and statutory deductions.
Statutory deductions go to agencies such as the National Housing Trust (NHT) to assist low-income contributors to own a home and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) for after-retirement and hardship payments, mostly to the poorest Jamaicans. Non-payment could put obstacles in the way of these benefits accruing to employees when they need to call upon them.
In the past, the Herald has suggested that the tax department's move to get the arrears paid off was aimed at punishing a critic of the Government. In its previous edition, the paper's chairman, Rev Garnett Roper, wrote: "...now that the Sunday Herald has once again hit the streets, the (tax) squad may once again come out."
In the current issue, the editorial added: "... nor do we have friends in high places that can make tax assessments disappear".
The paper also acknowledged it had financial backers without naming them.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1eYTbLQeF
Comment