Responding to The Tribune’s editorial appearing in Monday, January 16 edition entitled, “Crime, tourism and the Press”, the Ministry of Tourism denied that they requested the media to “soft-pedal” negative crime news against tourists during the National Tourism Conference held last week.
The Ministry of Tourism said that its concern about crime in the Bahamas stems from the belief that anti-social behaviour negatively impacts on residents and visitors alike and criminal activity directed at tourists has the potential to adversely impact the industry and lead to undesirable repercussions for many Bahamians.
The Ministry of Tourism said that the message that Vernice Walkine, director general of Tourism, sought to convey at the National Tourism Conference is that it is of vital importance that the Bahamas be perceived by visitors as a safe place, not crime free, and that sensationalized reports of crime can do tremendous damage to that perception and that we look forward to accurate and fair reporting on crime as with all matters.
The Director General also made the point that it is important to make visitors aware of safety issues so they will take the necessary commonsense precautions as they would in their normal everyday life.
However, the editorial acknowledged that the media was urged to be more cautious in reporting because negative reports about the Bahamas are published worldwide and that it was unclear whether they meant that a story involving a tourist should be buried on the back page or whether it should not be published at all and that even still this might have been a plea to drop all crime reports from its columns.
It quoted tourism director general Vernice Walkine as saying: “`People will generally assume we’re safe, and it only changes when something happens and someone tells them otherwise.”
“What we read into this comment is that if the press stopped publishing crime reports – especially those involving tourists – the Bahamas,” reputation as a crime free destination would remain intact.
In other words the press would not have informed them that – like every country in the world today – the Bahamas has its share of crime and that they should take precautions, particularly in certain areas,” the editorial read.
Nevertheless, for the sake of clarity, the Ministry of Tourism advised that it does not support any efforts to muzzle press freedom.
“We state only that the media in seeking to enhance its own reputation should make every effort to ensure that its reports are accurate and resist the temptation to sensationalize.
“We are satisfied that generally we enjoy a cordial relationship with the media. We appreciate the important role they play in keeping us all educated and informed particularly as it relates to safety issues,” the release read.
Source: The Tribune
