Where are our brave journalists?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Growing up in Jamaica, it was a joy to read the newspapers or watch/listen the news on JBC or RJR – that is, when it was RJR. At that time, Jamaica had journalists who were fearless, asked questions and, most important, were very informed.

I could tell you stories about persons who used to settle bets by walking over to The Gleaner office to have their questions answered, but that would make this letter too long.

Today, I find journalists to be sheepish and uninformed about things that are not readily available on Google.

This morning (yesterday) I read an article published in the over a century old Gleaner where Prime Minister Andrew Holness openly threatened teachers who, for any number of reasons, refused to take the unproven and untested COVID-19 “vaccine”.

“We are not going to make it mandatory for them, but at the same time we would have to consider that teachers who are vaccinated who turn up to work, that they are treated in some preferential way and those who don’t turn up to work, we may have to ask them to be tested, and we may have to be considering what should happen regarding how they are remunerated,” the prime minister said.

I cannot believe that these words were uttered by the prime minister, and I am even more shocked that journalists took it and no one reminded him that we have laws against that kind of discrimination. It’s covered by our labour laws and our Constitution.

What does he mean by: “we may have to be considering what should happen regarding how they are remunerated”? Will “unvaccinated” teachers see a cut in pay or will our salaries be delivered late, or will we NOT be able to get wage increases?

How comes NO journalist took it upon himself to ask those pertinent questions?

As teachers, we want to go back to our classrooms, we want to protect our students and, most important, ourselves. That is why we decide what is best for us to do. I applaud those who took the “vaccine” and I applaud those who exercise their right not to do so.

I wonder, are those teachers at this summer school that is implemented by the Government “vaccinated”, and where have all our brave journalists gone?

BEATRICE GORDON