NMI's victim of yellow journalism
This isn’t the first nor the last time that the NMI was dealt a blow by the evil architects of yellow journalism. We’ve seen how ABC’s less than 20/20 vision took the NMI to task on alleged slave labor abuses here while it refuses to zero-in on New York’s and California’s indentured slaves because it didn’t offer the exotic angle that would push its television ratings up a notch. Thus, sensationalism takes precedence over fair and responsible reporting.
Then there’s Robert Collier of the San Francisco Chronicle who not only displayed his shallow view on the history of regurgitated old fodder, but concocted quoted comments from 902 members without the benefit of an actual interview. How weird can one be sitting comfortably in his hotel room as to persuade himself that he talked to the appropriate people. I quiz whether Mr. Collier has imagined himself the de facto representative of the US textile labor unions or the mouth piece of Interior’s OIA as to brave piles of misinformation.
No wonder the national media no longer enjoys the trust of its readers and viewers nationwide. The latest survey said so and evil architects of yellow journalism such as Mr. Collier is part of this group who turns freedom of the press and its accompanying responsibility on its head. I suppose he’s taken for granted the remote geographic location of the NMI as backward, therefore, he can literally brave scribbling piles of lies convinced that we won’t be able to find out his yellowish piece of trash. Well, the NMI is also part of the Information Superhighway and, mind you, you can run, but you can’t hide from the truth.
Censorship at the Saipan Tribune? I’ve been a journalist for over quarter of a century. Be it in the pages of this newspaper or my former alma-mater, I’ve never been ordered not to discuss a certain issue. I’ve dealt with current events and have said my piece with freedom and a sense of responsibility. I may have faltered here and there. But that just confirms that this writer is equally human. Nor have I ordered columnists who write for the Tribune to steer clear of any issue.
If there’s censorship, then I would have scrapped the story we ran on the class action lawsuit filed by a Manhattan law firm. But we did run the story which goes to dispute your hollow accusation of censorship. This exercise doesn’t exist in the Tribune although there’s editing to ensure that our stories are written with clarity, definition, fairness (responsiblity) and depth so our readers understand what is at issue.
Furthermore, it must be understood, Mr. Collier, that Tribune journalists are seasoned professionals in this business. They are people with integrity too and must be treated with respect. I despise the manner with which you described them in such condescending fashion. I work with them daily and often engage in lengthy discussions over such vital matters as monitoring the economic pulse of the NMI in view of the Asian crisis. In short, your scrappy piece never included an overview of conditions here for obvious reasons: You were too lazy to verify your information. I know that this end of any news gathering is tedious work. But it doesn’t absolve you from your responsibility as a journalist to verify your information.
I wouldn’t dispute that I am a Chamolinian with Filipino ancestry. My ancestors must have come from the Pearl of the Orient. But I was never a racist unlike the apparent attitude you’ve demonstrated in the way you described people in the islands. Next time, watch your three accusatory fingers for they often point back at, guess who, you! No worries, Mr. Collier, your types have come and gone convinced they’ve done justice to paradise when in fact they’ve given us another royal screw!
