Of News, Curiosityand the Need to Know
It should be a safe statement that curiosityhas gripped all of us as humans at some time or the other, ifnot most of our lives. On those occasions we yearn for, and wheneverpossible seek, information to satisfy that craving.
Curiosity can, however, become more intenseand even graduate to anxiety when the matter that puzzles us,or for which we simply need information, has a direct bearingon our very existence as we know it.
In civilised societies people fall intothe norms while gravitating with consummate ease to creature-comfortsand conveniences that are increased directly in tandem with thegrowing affluence within an economy or state.
We become anxious whenever there is an indication,rumour or speculation that any of those comforts or conveniencesare being threatened or taken away. That anxiety could affectthe very production on which we depend to sustain our affluence- the activity of production.
Worried people are not good corporate citizens.
In the absence of reliable information therumour mill begins to spin and we go down the Marl Road. Speculationleads to baseless conclusions which can then bring on pervasiveanxiety in society.
Herein lies the role of the mass media:to relentlessly pursue the truth and pass it on to the populacequickly to nip that rumour in the bud and take citizens away formthe speculation which leads to anxiety. This is more than therole of a watchdog. It is one of getting the information out amongthe general public so that they can decide for themselves.
But, in order for the media to get thattruth swiftly there is a need for forthrightness on behalf ofpublic officials, the leaders of private industry and anyone elsewhose actions can affect society as we know it for theyare the movers and shakers.
The need for such openness on behalf ofthese persons is more acute in small societies like Cayman wherenews about anything that happens can pass along to almost everyone,word-of-mouth, with embellishments as the information moves fromlips to lips.
This is a most dangerous way for informationto travel. By the time it gets to person number 10, the factsmay be so skewed that the meaning is opposite what the news beganas.
We at Cayman Net News regard ourselves asproducers of a responsible mass medium, through the printed matterand the Internet. In taking that role seriously we perceive anobligation to get all who reside here, visitors, investors in fact the 400 million Internet browsers off the Marl Road asquickly as possible.
More so we feel compelled to act beforepeople begin surmising to the point that such conjecture leadsto anxiety because that symbol in question represents a modernday creature comfort and convenience we call our own.
Recent incidents, which include tourism,the legislature and the national airline were sending people inthis country into the contortions associated with speculation,saw the Cayman Net News bravely stepping forward with informationwhen the same was not being released from the relevant officials.
We stopped the rumour mongering and itsattendant negativity by telling the people what indeed was happening.
Subsequent events have so far proven everyscrap of information put out through the two media of this publication print and cyberspace true.
It is therefore with confidence that wecan say, we undertake our responsibility without fear or favour,and our role fulfilled with pride.