Warmington coarse - media groups
Published:Friday | March 11, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Edmond Campbell, Senior Staff Reporter
THE LEADERS of at least two sector groups have decried alleged abusive comments directed at journalists by Everald Warmington, former South West St Catherine member of parliament (MP).
Two media groups, the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) and the Media Association Jamaica Limited (MAJ), recorded their "disgust and dismay" at the treatment of members of the media by Warmington on Tuesday.
"Mr Warmington has displayed a level of coarseness and disrespect in his treatment of members of the media in the past, but he hit a new low during his interviews with the RJR News Centre and CVM Television on Tuesday," the associations said in a joint release.
The PAJ and MAJ said they had also received "extremely disturbing" reports that Warmington's conduct sank to further low levels in a subsequent discussion with the CVM's director of news, Garfield Burford.
Warmington, in an interview with CVM Television on Tuesday night, told news presenters to "go to hell".
Wayne Jones, president of the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA), told The Gleaner that "to the extent that your report is true, it must be highlighted that his remarks were unacceptable".
President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, Joseph Matalon, said: "I regret the kind of attitude that was displayed by Mr Warmington in his interactions with the media."
Warmington has been instructed in the past by Prime Minister Bruce Golding to apologise for disparaging comments he made during a political rally in his constituency in 2007.
Hold him accountable
As Warmington prepares to offer himself as the Jamaica Labour Party's candidate in the upcoming by-election in South West St Catherine, Jones said his conduct should be taken into account.
"It probably is a good time for people to highlight these kinds of behaviour on the part of the elected official and holding him accountable," he said.
Meanwhile, JLP Chairman Mike Henry yesterday apologised to members of the press who were offended by Warmington's behaviour.
Henry said all members of the JLP must at all times show respect and good order to all citizens, including members of the press.
According to the JLP chairman, Warmington shared his views for the need to respect members of the press and their critical role as vanguards of our democracy.
"Mr Warmington indicated that his responses to recent media interviews were borne out of exasperation, especially in light of his principled position on the dual-citizenship matter," Henry said.