We all have a right to balanced media and news in Turks and Caicos

The media was treated to some interesting news coming out of Turks and Caicos yesterday. "Google subpoenaed to turn over IP addresses of TCI Journal." This headline had me livid. The nerve of being forced to hand over documents or personal information of anyone or any business.

But in this case, there is a difference that I might have to think about. TCI Journal's and Shaun Malcolm's illegal publishing of a court ordered redacted document on Wikileaks, which was unredacted. There was a court order in place preventing the publishing of the redacted text. That is actually the news story that prompted me to start writing about this matter and it has had a lot of interesting twists and turns.

As I was reading through the news stories, I noticed a couple of things. First, I must be vain for a moment, a blogger questioned my intentions because I criticize TCI Journal. I could be wrong, but I think it was me for whom this blogger commented. In innuendo, this blogger intimated that my purpose in writing is to trash TCI Journal and this blogger questioned my affiliations. Well this had me livid too.

I am not the first reporter nor the last to insult TCI Journal's lack of journalistic integrity? Not by a long-shot. In fact, many of my stories about TCI Journal are main stream news strings written by other investigative journalists and reporters. There is a list of well-respected main stream journalists who dislike and have written about TCI Journal and its brand of "media" or lack thereof. It is not even remotely factual to assume that I nor any other (albeit more main stream) reporter has an agenda. That's weak and false.

Hopefully, the main stream media will dig a bit deeper as I have and do their homework about Malcolm. That's my suggestion.

Besides, pointing a finger at me is plain silly because it is entirely safe to say that I have always checked my sources and corroborated my news before I report it. I am a balanced writer but I admit that a couple of issues can really get me scratching. In part, I politically dislike colonialism. Do I blame Shaun Malcolm for this? No. But, I believe that he has an agenda to retake Crown Land in Turks and Caicos and is willing to report any false news to that end. This includes Shaun Malcolm championing UK's take-over when there was already an elected government in place following Misick's corruption scandal. Back to the Google issue, this had me angry.

I've always had a problem with the archive technology in computers and cell phones which allow big brother to, at any time in your life, discover what you were doing or thinking at a certain time. The civil liberty violation possibilities make me very suspicious.

That said, I have more of a problem with illegal leaking as well as anonymity and the Internet when someone uses that anonymity to publish uncorroborated accusations and fail to cite sources. This is the scary side of the Internet. Who is the accuser? It's a civil liberty offered at a basic level to have the right to face your accuser. But who is the accuser and what is the purpose of their accusation?

If Shaun Malcolm is considered an activist, without considering his agenda or his source, then who is to question him? I am confident that there are more people than me out there questioning him now.

It is healthy for everyone to be vigilant with checks and balances when it comes to corruption. That is a given. This is why I question TCI Journal. TCI Journal takes credit for the government take-over of Turks and Caicos. When, in fact, Great Britain's investigation of former Premier Misick was done on a UK governmental scale; and remember, Malcolm's party kicked him out, so he cannot even claim that he is a part of any political organization.