Sunday Observer ‘tun up di ting’
Dear Editor,
Especially since the passing of Ian Boyne, the Sunday Observer has, in my view, generally outperformed the competition in terms of attention-grabbing articles and general readability.
The Sunday Observer of January 20, 2019 “tun up di ting” by several notches. It was virtually impossible to just skim or bypass any major item in the entire first section of the paper. That is, even before getting to The Agenda opinion section.
The front page story, ‘A mother’s nightmare... St Ann woman relates horror of contending with child’s menacing father’ and later ‘China effect’ hits local construction industry’.
On page two, H G Helps’ ‘Sunday Brew’ comprised a tasty mix of history, entertainment, social studies, sports and politics, including ‘Buju and the Garvey comparison’, ‘That Wheatley appointment’, ‘Manchester United, humility and respect’, and ‘John Campbell and the West Indies’.
‘Patterson wants national security commission’ (EAC Model) was the headline on page 3. It was based on a beautifully balanced address to a recent meeting of the Lay Magistrates’ Association, by former Prime Minister P J Patterson.
At a glance, the headline ‘Positive growth for Unique Vacations’ appeared to be covering a seemingly routine business story on pages 6 & 7. But the story was engagingly enhanced with interesting photos of the company’s new headquarters building; Prime Minister Andrew Holness; call centre workers at workstations; and company executives, including Paul Mullings, senior director of call centre operations, and Wedding Manager Alexis Chin Senior. This turned out to be a really exciting story illustrating the range, magnitude, and potential of specialised business process outsourcing for Unique Vacations, Sandals and more.
Other stories and writers included ‘Derrick Smith recalls Troy Caine’s talent as a graphic artist’; ‘Iona High past student passes the baton’; ‘Sandals experience excites reggae Girlz’; Dr Lloyd Barnett dealing with the states of emergency, zones of special operations and the fundamental rights of individuals”; plus ‘Foreign policy principles and consistency’ by former Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
I could go on, but I believe you get the point.
The story I believe everyone should read and think about, however, is found on Page 26 and is written by Jason Mckay. It speaks to what I believe are some necessary, even if uncomfortable “truths” about crime and crime-fighting by some notable members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the role of human rights organisations over the years. The headline is ‘End of an era for ‘Cowboy Knight’. And the story includes pictures and reference to Dr Martin Luther King Jr, “Cowboy Knight”, Keith “Trinity” Gardener, Reneto Adams, Cornwall “Bigga Ford” Ford, and Isaiah Laing. You should read it.