Rumours reign

George Town politicians among volunteers,
distributing food and water to residents

by Brian Buckley

Friday, September 24, 2004

In the week following Hurricane Ivan’s crushing of Grand Cayman, rumours tore up and down the marl road almost as rapidly as the category five winds tore across the island on 11 and 12 September. From the alleged house arrest of McKeeva Bush to outbreaks of cholera, the rumour-mongers have been hard at work.

Many of the stories flitting about focused on the access given or not, to the international press to Grand Cayman in the immediate aftermath of the storm. After conversations with news organisations and the Chief Information Officer of Government Information Services (GIS), Cayman Net News has, hopefully, clarified the issue of press access once and for all.

One of the stories that built up a head of steam as the week progressed concerned a purported sighting at Owen Roberts International Airport in George Town of a news team and film crew from the Cable News Network (CNN) based in Atlanta being turned away by Cayman authorities.

Pat Ebanks, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) from GIS, strongly refuted these claims.

Mrs Ebanks said: “This report is not true to my knowledge. CNN has my cell number and I’ve been talking to them since the day after the storm and that includes CNN International.”

She added that she has even spoke to Wolf Blitzer, the noted CNN anchor, and that he never once mentioned that CNN was trying to get in to Grand Cayman. A Public Relations Officer for CNN in Atlanta has since confirmed directly to Cayman Net News that the news organisation had not tried to get a news team into Grand Cayman following Hurricane Ivan and, furthermore, has no intention of sending one. Whilst this might be indicative of the attention (or lack of it) paid to the storm’s impact on the Cayman Islands by the overseas media, it also puts to rest the rumours on this particular issue of media access.

Another story, concerning a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reporter being denied permission to enter Grand Cayman to report on the aftermath of Ivan, proved credible. Initially, Mrs Ebanks asked to get back to Cayman Net News to look into the reported refusal of entry to Gavin Hewitt, the BBC reporter.

Within an hour, Wosila Rochester, the News and Features Coordinator for GIS, confirmed that Mr Hewitt was refused entry, though due to a miscommunication. At the request of Mrs Ebanks, Ms Rochester stated: “Mrs Ebanks was able to ascertain that as a result of miscommunication during the early stages of the crisis that Mr Hewitt was refused entry. In fact the position is that the BBC is welcome and encouraged to be present here in the Cayman Islands. Sometimes in crises people are taken unawares and miscommunication sometimes takes place.”

As a result of that response from GIS, the following statement was then put to Ms Rochester by Cayman Net News: “So in looking back at the government’s press release stating that no members of the press have been refused entry to the Cayman Islands, it now appears that at least one reporter was refused entry, albeit due to miscommunication.” Ms Rochester responded, “I would go along with that.”

That some of the immediate stresses from the aftermath of Ivan may have hindered decision-making was conceded by Mrs Ebanks. “Initially there were stresses we had to deal with in regards to the airport’s ability to receive planes and the availability of hotel rooms for visitors wishing to report from here,” she said.

Mrs Ebanks elaborated on the core message that her office wishes to convey to both international and local press. “I have given my cell number on our website so that any press agency can be in touch with us. We are operating an open door policy with the media. We want the media to help us get the status of the Cayman Islands to the outside world,” said Mrs Ebanks. She listed a number of news organisations that have reported from Grand Cayman including: the Associated Press, the BBC, the Sun-Sentinel, and the Miami-Herald.

In conclusion Mrs Ebanks stressed: “There is no ban here. There is no ban on anyone who wants to come into the Cayman Islands to cover the situation. We are now able to accommodate the press who can easily get in touch with me on my cell phone. If they do get in touch with me I will make arrangements for their entry into Grand Cayman.” In emphasizing the open invitation that exists to the international press Mrs Ebanks gave Cayman Net News all the current contact details for GIS and the government website.

Nor have the rumours been confined to the so called international news block, between the house arrest of McKeeva Bush and the outbreaks of killer diseases the rumours are merely making what is a difficult situation worse.

The multitude of prisoners escaping from the Island’s jails has turned out to be two. The fictitious piles of bodies in the island’s morgue have yet to materialise, the death toll in the wake of Ivan remains two dead and one missing and the UN workers that were told to go home never came in the first place. Unfortunately truth and fact appear to have been fatal casualties in the wake of hurricane Ivan.

Contact details for GIS: www.gov.ky. Mrs Ebanks’ cell phone number is (345) 916-0738, for those interested in making possible arrangements to cover the current situation in Grand Cayman.

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