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Secret Carribean - ITV


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Was it too much for ITV to do a PROPER series about the Caribbean?If Trevor mentioned there were 7 main countries in the Caribbean, why didn't each one have an individual show? You can't breeze through the Caribbean in 3 shows... Plus what was with the focus on the rich white people in the Caribbean? Did anyone see that guy who basically owned 3/4 of Barbados? His wife was grinning ear to ear! How come most of the Black people shown were nearly always as paupers and running shacks?Disgusting.

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i never watched it but i got this message on facebook, made me really really angry

Press ReleaseEmbargoed until 9:00pm Sunday 5 JulyJuly 2009 – LONDON, UKThe Jamaican community in Britain is outraged that a fellow West Indian, Trevor McDonald, should have joined the ranks of foreign journalists who have been content to report on the Caribbean and its peoples in cliché-ridden terms in his programme ‘Trevor McDonald’s Secret Caribbean’ which was aired this evening. (Sunday) The community has sent a strong protest to ITV through their representatives of the Jamaican Diaspora in the UK.In his first Secret Caribbean programme, he was respectful to the plucky Cubans in their poverty; he was deferential to Richard Branson on his luxury island; and of course, the people of his island home Trinidad and Tobago were defined in terms of the joy of their annual carnival.In programme two, he visited Jamaica and it is no surprise that he visited the slums of Kingston and concentrated on social problems, including drugs and crime. This pernicious approach to a complex situation would be reviled if a similar series on Europe celebrated prosperity and cultural joys on mainland Europe in contrast to Britain’s high incidence of child abuse, drug uses and its rising murder rate. It is sad that “Trevor McDonald’s series on the Caribbean continues in the tradition of facile and patronising reporting on the islands and peoples of the Caribbean. What is worse is that McDonald, falls into the trap of fuelling stereotypes of ‘paradise islands’ like Barbados and the Bahamas, and ‘dangerous’, ‘poverty-stricken’ countries embodied by Jamaica. This flies in the face of the facts – rising crime and social problems across the region as the Caribbean becomes more urbanised, and Jamaica continuing to lead the English-speaking Caribbean in tourist arrivals.Jamaica has produced a religion and a distinctive musical tradition which has made an extraordinary impact on the world. It boasts sportsmen and women who have maintained a sixty year tradition of competing and winning at the highest levels in world sports. Its emigrants and their off-springs have become outstanding citizens in many countries throughout the world. Its world renowned culture, warm people, and exquisite natural beauty draws 3 million visitors from around the globe making it one of the few tourist destinations that grew in 2008.Trevor McDonald’s heritage should have made him more determined to produce a series that all Caribbean people, Jamaicans included, would be proud of. As it stands, some of those viewers will feel betrayed that one of their own has followed such a well-trodden path. Celia Grandison-Markey is one of two Jamaican Advisory Board Members of the Jamaican Diaspora UK. She says: “The Jamaican community is now angry and unhappy at the way their island home continues to be portrayed in the British media. They reject the idea of Jamaica being used to embody all that is negative in the Caribbean, while other islands are used to convey the notion of ‘paradise’. In future, these unfair and inaccurate depictions will be vigorously challenged”. For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact: Mrs Patsy Robertson, Jamaican Diaspora PR Group on 07968 854 503/0207 7309 966 or Mr Derek Douglas, Advisory Board Member 07968 064 081NOTE TO EDITORSSecret Caribbean, a new series presented by Sir Trevor McDonald, was launched on ITV on Sunday 28th June. The first episode, which showed Richard Branson’s Necker Island, Cuba and Trinidad, was very positive. However, the trailer for episode two showed Jamaica in a very negative light, which seems to be the pattern for most programmes of this type.ITV’s advance publicity for the series describes Jamaica as a ‘poverty-stricken, drugs capital with 75% unemployment in Kingston’. This is a typically gross exaggeration about a country with unemployment of 9.6% in 2007-8, even if you factor in higher rates for the under 24s at 20.2%. The official poverty rate is 14.3%, falling to 9.6% in Kingston. According to recent reports, Trinidad & Tobago, Sir Trevor’s birthplace has overtaken Jamaica as the "murder capital of the Caribbean". While homicides increased 2% in Jamaica in 2008, murders were up a staggering 38% in Trinidad and Tobago. The U.S. and the UK issued travel advisories warning travellers about increasing violence and the failure of police in Tobago to apprehend and prosecute criminals.We are not suggesting that Trinidad & Tobago’s problems should have been highlighted but the above facts serve to illustrate the unfair contrasts drawn between idyllic Trinidad and ‘violent’ Jamaica, and the selective manner in which the filming has been done. Looking at the series so far, it would be hard for viewers to conclude that Jamaica, with all its challenges, also has its fair share of exclusive resorts, polo matches and vibrant festivals when compared to its neighbours. And yet, Jamaica welcomes as many visitors as Barbados and the Bahamas combined and six times as many as T&T – testament to its resilience and strong cultural appeal. Programmes like ‘Secret Caribbean’, while not travelogues, have the potential to have a significant effect on the tourist industry and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of people reliant on tourism. It is for this reason that we appeal for greater balance when these stories are told in the future. No doubt, the producers will say that the film is a ‘fair representation’ of what they found. However, in light of the facts, a depiction of a ‘paradise’ Bahamas island, the ‘millionaire’s playground’ Barbados and ‘poverty-stricken’ Jamaica hardly seems fair at all.It is time for broadcasters to be more responsible and to produce fair and balanced programming, rather than resort to stereotyping and sensationalism.While Jamaica has social problems with crime and drugs, these problems are not unique to Jamaica – they are found in every Caribbean country. It is sad that the programme makers could not research beneath the clichés to reveal a side to Jamaica that would surprise and delight viewers rather than scare and depress them. There are so many positive stories coming out of Jamaica; why not make a programme about the amazing sporting talent, food or musical heritage that have had such an amazing impact on Britain and the world? For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact: Mrs Patsy Robertson, Jamaican Diaspora PR Group on 07968 854 503/0207 7309 966 or Mr Derek Douglas, Advisory Board Member 07968 064 081PLEASE JOIN US IN CIRCULATING THIS INFORMATION, FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ITV DIRECTLY IN ORDER TO EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS.
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i never watched it but i got this message on facebook, made me really really angry
Press ReleaseEmbargoed until 9:00pm Sunday 5 JulyJuly 2009 – LONDON, UKThe Jamaican community in Britain is outraged that a fellow West Indian, Trevor McDonald, should have joined the ranks of foreign journalists who have been content to report on the Caribbean and its peoples in cliché-ridden terms in his programme ‘Trevor McDonald’s Secret Caribbean’ which was aired this evening. (Sunday) The community has sent a strong protest to ITV through their representatives of the Jamaican Diaspora in the UK.In his first Secret Caribbean programme, he was respectful to the plucky Cubans in their poverty; he was deferential to Richard Branson on his luxury island; and of course, the people of his island home Trinidad and Tobago were defined in terms of the joy of their annual carnival.In programme two, he visited Jamaica and it is no surprise that he visited the slums of Kingston and concentrated on social problems, including drugs and crime. This pernicious approach to a complex situation would be reviled if a similar series on Europe celebrated prosperity and cultural joys on mainland Europe in contrast to Britain’s high incidence of child abuse, drug uses and its rising murder rate. It is sad that “Trevor McDonald’s series on the Caribbean continues in the tradition of facile and patronising reporting on the islands and peoples of the Caribbean. What is worse is that McDonald, falls into the trap of fuelling stereotypes of ‘paradise islands’ like Barbados and the Bahamas, and ‘dangerous’, ‘poverty-stricken’ countries embodied by Jamaica. This flies in the face of the facts – rising crime and social problems across the region as the Caribbean becomes more urbanised, and Jamaica continuing to lead the English-speaking Caribbean in tourist arrivals.Jamaica has produced a religion and a distinctive musical tradition which has made an extraordinary impact on the world. It boasts sportsmen and women who have maintained a sixty year tradition of competing and winning at the highest levels in world sports. Its emigrants and their off-springs have become outstanding citizens in many countries throughout the world. Its world renowned culture, warm people, and exquisite natural beauty draws 3 million visitors from around the globe making it one of the few tourist destinations that grew in 2008.Trevor McDonald’s heritage should have made him more determined to produce a series that all Caribbean people, Jamaicans included, would be proud of. As it stands, some of those viewers will feel betrayed that one of their own has followed such a well-trodden path. Celia Grandison-Markey is one of two Jamaican Advisory Board Members of the Jamaican Diaspora UK. She says: “The Jamaican community is now angry and unhappy at the way their island home continues to be portrayed in the British media. They reject the idea of Jamaica being used to embody all that is negative in the Caribbean, while other islands are used to convey the notion of ‘paradise’. In future, these unfair and inaccurate depictions will be vigorously challenged”. For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact: Mrs Patsy Robertson, Jamaican Diaspora PR Group on 07968 854 503/0207 7309 966 or Mr Derek Douglas, Advisory Board Member 07968 064 081NOTE TO EDITORSSecret Caribbean, a new series presented by Sir Trevor McDonald, was launched on ITV on Sunday 28th June. The first episode, which showed Richard Branson’s Necker Island, Cuba and Trinidad, was very positive. However, the trailer for episode two showed Jamaica in a very negative light, which seems to be the pattern for most programmes of this type.ITV’s advance publicity for the series describes Jamaica as a ‘poverty-stricken, drugs capital with 75% unemployment in Kingston’. This is a typically gross exaggeration about a country with unemployment of 9.6% in 2007-8, even if you factor in higher rates for the under 24s at 20.2%. The official poverty rate is 14.3%, falling to 9.6% in Kingston. According to recent reports, Trinidad & Tobago, Sir Trevor’s birthplace has overtaken Jamaica as the "murder capital of the Caribbean". While homicides increased 2% in Jamaica in 2008, murders were up a staggering 38% in Trinidad and Tobago. The U.S. and the UK issued travel advisories warning travellers about increasing violence and the failure of police in Tobago to apprehend and prosecute criminals.We are not suggesting that Trinidad & Tobago’s problems should have been highlighted but the above facts serve to illustrate the unfair contrasts drawn between idyllic Trinidad and ‘violent’ Jamaica, and the selective manner in which the filming has been done. Looking at the series so far, it would be hard for viewers to conclude that Jamaica, with all its challenges, also has its fair share of exclusive resorts, polo matches and vibrant festivals when compared to its neighbours. And yet, Jamaica welcomes as many visitors as Barbados and the Bahamas combined and six times as many as T&T – testament to its resilience and strong cultural appeal. Programmes like ‘Secret Caribbean’, while not travelogues, have the potential to have a significant effect on the tourist industry and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of people reliant on tourism. It is for this reason that we appeal for greater balance when these stories are told in the future. No doubt, the producers will say that the film is a ‘fair representation’ of what they found. However, in light of the facts, a depiction of a ‘paradise’ Bahamas island, the ‘millionaire’s playground’ Barbados and ‘poverty-stricken’ Jamaica hardly seems fair at all.It is time for broadcasters to be more responsible and to produce fair and balanced programming, rather than resort to stereotyping and sensationalism.While Jamaica has social problems with crime and drugs, these problems are not unique to Jamaica – they are found in every Caribbean country. It is sad that the programme makers could not research beneath the clichés to reveal a side to Jamaica that would surprise and delight viewers rather than scare and depress them. There are so many positive stories coming out of Jamaica; why not make a programme about the amazing sporting talent, food or musical heritage that have had such an amazing impact on Britain and the world? For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact: Mrs Patsy Robertson, Jamaican Diaspora PR Group on 07968 854 503/0207 7309 966 or Mr Derek Douglas, Advisory Board Member 07968 064 081PLEASE JOIN US IN CIRCULATING THIS INFORMATION, FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ITV DIRECTLY IN ORDER TO EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS.
i'd be pissed off if someone sent me a message that long and expected me to read it as well.
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Meh... at least they showed the GOOD part.Tell me how often you see the GOOD part of Africa shown on tv kmt. All you see is oxfam adverts.
In his first Secret Caribbean programme, he was respectful to the plucky Cubans in their poverty; he was deferential to Richard Branson on his luxury island; and of course, the people of his island home Trinidad and Tobago were defined in terms of the joy of their annual carnival.In programme two, he visited Jamaica and it is no surprise that he visited the slums of Kingston and concentrated on social problems, including drugs and crime. This pernicious approach to a complex situation would be reviled if a similar series on Europe celebrated prosperity and cultural joys on mainland Europe in contrast to Britain’s high incidence of child abuse, drug uses and its rising murder rate. It is sad that “Trevor McDonald’s series on the Caribbean continues in the tradition of facile and patronising reporting on the islands and peoples of the Caribbean. What is worse is that McDonald, falls into the trap of fuelling stereotypes of ‘paradise islands’ like Barbados and the Bahamas, and ‘dangerous’, ‘poverty-stricken’ countries embodied by Jamaica. This flies in the face of the facts – rising crime and social problems across the region as the Caribbean becomes more urbanised, and Jamaica continuing to lead the English-speaking Caribbean in tourist arrivals.
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Guest Esquilax
Meh... at least they showed the GOOD part.Tell me how often you see the GOOD part of Africa shown on tv kmt. All you see is oxfam adverts.
In his first Secret Caribbean programme, he was respectful to the plucky Cubans in their poverty; he was deferential to Richard Branson on his luxury island; and of course, the people of his island home Trinidad and Tobago were defined in terms of the joy of their annual carnival.In programme two, he visited Jamaica and it is no surprise that he visited the slums of Kingston and concentrated on social problems, including drugs and crime. This pernicious approach to a complex situation would be reviled if a similar series on Europe celebrated prosperity and cultural joys on mainland Europe in contrast to Britain’s high incidence of child abuse, drug uses and its rising murder rate. It is sad that “Trevor McDonald’s series on the Caribbean continues in the tradition of facile and patronising reporting on the islands and peoples of the Caribbean. What is worse is that McDonald, falls into the trap of fuelling stereotypes of ‘paradise islands’ like Barbados and the Bahamas, and ‘dangerous’, ‘poverty-stricken’ countries embodied by Jamaica. This flies in the face of the facts – rising crime and social problems across the region as the Caribbean becomes more urbanised, and Jamaica continuing to lead the English-speaking Caribbean in tourist arrivals.
we do enough of that on our own, i doubt if any other outside sources described uk as the sesspit that it is the outrage would be in equal measuresthere would be some outrage, but the same amount that there is for this sort of thing and old people complaining about penis shaped carrots on masterchef or whatever
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