St. Maarten Private Eye

Government worker, thank you for this revelation, this is what has been going on in the press on St. Maarten. That Guyanese lady was brought in by the new kid on the block management "TODAY" and these people never worked in the newspaper industry in Guyana. This lady would ask the Commissioners for their speech so she could write exactly what they say. The reason they decided to grant her the working documents is that she is now theirs, especially the commissioner responsible for Ports authority and beautification.
Now she is trying to take over the dysfunct journalist association.
People like you locals, government workers have the right to make this public and make sure the new laws are enforced.
You can take her documents and make it public you have that right!

I heard from people around the island that some of these reporters call themselves journalists.
But are they journalists or reporters?
If it is so that they do not have a journalist degree, why did the government grant them working papers to work on St.Maarten? Is there any truth to all of these stories about reporters having kind links to commissioners? Many people say it is because the commissioners can then manipulate the local press and have real nice articles written or have stories written in their favour.
Take for example the story about the final flight of Caribbean Star/Sun, the employees were crying their eyes out. The pilots are still looking to see if they can get work with Liat. One manager is out of a job, the poor girl had gone through the same thing with American Airlines. But the newspaper covered this story as just emotional and that everyhting else is o.k.
How about all those stories about the cruise ships, not one of them bad news.
I think the newspapers should get youngsters to train as reporters instead of bringing in foreigners and having them play along with politics.
Can USM start a journalism course or offer a degree?

It is not a co-incidence that the DH would write such an editorial the very next day, the journalists there live on on people's website for news, why because they just can do it by themselves. They were described as secretaries by one writer and this proves that is what they are.
Of course they have to look for an excuse for their incompetencies, doesn't every cheating husband blames his wife for his infediality? I guess everybody knows that , there is always someone who has to take the blame. Plain and simply some of these people dont know the use of their assholes and how important it is to shit everyday.

You are right about Judy Miller, she went to jail for not revealing sources that committed a crime. It is one thing to keep sources confidential when revealing a crime, another when hiding one.
As I said in the article, SXM journalism is manipulated by policians and their friends, one way or another, go along or pack your bags. When favors are on offer too, then most of them will go along.

I said above, I don't hold to the view that it is 'foriegn' journalists that are the problem. Local journalists are just as susceptable to manipulation and just having a local knowledge is not enough, who would train them, would they be trained to Eddie or Lloyd standards?

For me the problem is not 'foriegn' journalists, it's the system they are caught up in and complicit newspaper owners and managers, they know very well what is going on.

Hady

Hady, it seems like you have the DH team going heads over heels. check out the DH online you will see the big blunder of one story two places about Heinken, either this was intentional because Heinken is pumping money into this media house or its a means of laundering their monies???
Or this is simply gross incompetence.... Every devil has it day!

Hady Journalist have a right to hold their sources, that is international law, the problem in that case is Libby who broke the law by leaking confidential information and the publisher who alwayes have the last call.
I will say this much Lloyd is not a journalist he is a sleezy talk show host.... Its not the same... Eddie Williams is a journalist but guess what he is a DP and was bailed out of Bankruptcy by a DP senator.
There are courses that can be done at USM and other colledges for this profession... The training at media houses can be provided if the media house is willing to build its nation.
The foreign journalist should have had their training before been accepted in the feild... About the owners and publishers, you are 100% right they know what is happening that is no doubt, but the truth is they dont give a damn. That is why this site is needed.

At least not to me and my younger years were spent in a country that has many many foriegners, they play a great part in the progression and evolution of a country and society in all areas. I find your stance comes across as anti foriegner when my argument is against unskilled people, foriegners or not, doing jobs that are so important to the public and community.

Do I think there should be more local journalists? Sure, of course I do, but I would also like them to have experience and training in the wide world, not just this bubble called SXM. And I think having some foriegn journalists, trained, professional and experienced ones, would be good too.

Like I said, you come across as having an anti-foriegner attitude and I think you do diservice to your arguments by doing so.

Hady

OH, About Jusy Miller. She was complicit in a scheme to manipulate public opinion that also resulted in the federal crime of outing an undercover CIA agent, Valerie Plame. Because of that and because those sources were part of that crime, I think the protection of sources becomes questionable to the point of being invalid in her case..

Hady, Judy Miller played her cards just right, sometime, somehow, the Bush Adminstration had to be exposed. Valerie Plaine is in a better place now than before because the same way Libby used a journalist to expose her identity he could have done it by shedding light to some terrorist who would have killed her. I personally beleive that this is not an incidence of co-incidence. Sometimes it take hard balls to protect innocent people. Miller went to jail, which showed she can be trusted and today she is revealing what was happening in the White House.
This is hard to accept, we all dont like how it played out, but think of the worst scenario.

Miller went to jail because she was hiding information on crimes, she used the confidential sources protection principle to make herself look trustworthy. She proved herself trustworthy only to Libby and his schemes, as a journalist she helped advance their agenda. An agenda which leave us with the mess or Iraq we have today.

As far as I am concerned and I think you will find most of the liberal and left leaning blogoshpere is too, Miller is discredited and laughable.

But we can agree to disagree.

Hady

We all have our opinion as to what we beleive is right in certain cases, that is why everyone has the right to their opinion. Judy Miller is not the cause of Iraq. Bush and his allies are, According to a report from Plaine Husband Joe Willson, USA did not and still does not have proof that Iraq was producing weapons of mass distruction. Wilson was against and still is against the invasion of Iraq due to lack of evidence, and due to that, political corruption and deceit, Libby decided he had to get after Wilson. How did he do that, he used reporters such as Miller and Novack. It's not that these are not good reporters, I truely believe they are and there must have been a lot said in chit-chats and Miller in MY OPINION did what she had to do to make sure an innocent woman was not killed and her children left without a mother.
What ended up happening is that NYT preferred to let go of Miller to save their name. It will be known when Miller case against NYT comes up for hearing how credible she is and whose fault it really was.
Hady, situations such as this one is not for us to judge and condemn other people, it is meant for us to learn and do better.
Situations such as these help us to reflect on our own situations and pushes us to do what is right. I also agree to disagree with your thoughts. However, discussions such as these are indeed healthy and keeps us all in a sound mind

As an American who has watched this situation, I do agree that the NYT tried to save itself. The Newspaper has totally lost sight of reality. It is downward spiraling of late and complaints, "where have the readers all gone?" More truthful information comes from the Internet, and on St. Maarten, from sites like this....though it is sad to read of all the corruption.

Jon Stewart Explains the Scooter Libby Trial - 1st February 2007

Can you give time and date of John Stward presentation. Jan 31? Dont exist.
February 1st does... I know you made a mistake. Please if you have the time and Channel please post it.
Thanks

Jon Stewart runs The Daily Show which appears on Comedy Central. His show can cynical, satirical and hilariously funny, it has been reported in a study that people watching his show are generally far more informed than those who don't. If you click the link in the comment above, it will take you to a crooksandliars page where you can watch is using either Quicktime or MS media player, just click play where it say's. You can also download it and then watch if you want.

Click here for the Daily Show Website.

We also have a big collection of plinks to past clips in the Comedy Video section of the SXM PE Internet Library.

Caribdude

Everyone, you can check out the backlash NYT is now receiving after they dumped Miller, Americans find them out already and soon enough the world with.
I hope DH team is taking heed as to what it can cause to be in bed with corrupt politicans.

HADY, I have absolutley nothing against foreigners, we are all foreigners at some point in time. Let me clarify in the days of ages St. Maarten people went to places like Santo Domingo, Haiti,Aruba to work because there were no work on SXM for them. I said that the local students have to start somewhere, in High schools, USM and then colledges abroad. The foreign journalists that are now serving SXM should have had their trainings before working in the media Industry on SXM. Maybe it was not clear enough to you, hope this brings clarity.
Everyone who are working in the media should know what is required of them, and reading the Editorial of the DH today concering comfortable stance shows how bare face these people are, since they are the ones who sealed deals and are doing many hanky-panky stuff for politicians this election time.

I carry the same opinion. it is time to expose these papers and start looking around for people to invest in a paper which we can trust.

The idea is not to look for investors to start a new newspaper' Listen here guys to do that you need a business license to operate and they will not grant it you.
There was this guy who was selling herbal suppliments and a qualified technician for a new scanning which can do early detection in cancers and so on. Guess what the orthodox doctors and pahramacies gang up on the prosecutors office and MOOJI had the man locked upguy and locked him saying they would deport him even though he had a 10-year residency to live on the French side.
The man "Stanley Odle made his application, paid all the fees and went all the way to Curacao to have his products tested and they even issue him a letter from Sector Health giving him permission to operate his business. Then suddenly they did a "LABEL TESTING" and found his suppliments to medicinal and what they did was trying ton deport him, then they released him and said you will jailed for the business he was conducting... He got scared and ran back to his country....
Why do you think they will give us a license

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Because I really don't know enough about the case I can't really say eithr way what the real story is with Odle. However, just as we get these frauds who put small ads in the papers promising to solve problems for the witless, we also have herbal medicine frauds in the world too. Also, whilst I beleive some herbal medicines are genuine, I do not beleive they go through the same testing as other medicines. Lavender oil sounds nice and innocent doesnt it.

Lavender oil 'may have led to boys developing breasts' - 2nd February 2007

I think you get my point about herbals, also Odle was apparently selling out of date products and poorly labeled. Not good with suppliments and medicines.

Anyway, the case is still ongoing according to the last report. More clips from the case below.

Odle Health R Us case ongoing - 16th September 2006

Health R Us investigation ongoing - 26th August 2006

Pills seized from Health Clinic - 10th August 2006

Flipper

Flipper you are right there are all types of Fraud, alcohol, expired food on supermarket shelves are only a few.
Everybody is looking at making money somehow, with the Odle case, if Sector Heath was doing their job properly, they would not have given Odle a letter permitting him to stock these suppliments which ended up being expired because all of it was not sold out... Secondly, the EXCO who approved his license application would have asked to have the proper expertise before approving the granting of a license to the man. Those of you who dont know, Odle was operating on a small level on Canigitter Street at the Small Business Association Office underneath Duncan and Brandon Law firm, he did the chain business for Vitacorp for 4 years and then applied for his business licence for his Sucker-Garden Clinic where he had a local partner. This man paid all the required fees before he was raided and eventually stopped.
I think if there was sufficient controllers and if Sector Health did what theyn had to do in the first place nothing like this would have happened.