This week we bring you as a public service the first editorial from The Grenadian Voice as we celebrate 40 years in existence.
VOLUME 1 NO. 1 WEEK ENDING JUNE 13, 1981 Price 50¢
THE RIGHT ALONE IS RIGHT * THE WRONG IS ALWAYS WRONG
In its first Editorial, every newspaper should do at least two things – give a reason for its establishment, and set out clearly its policy and principle. We accept this responsibility.
The Grenadian Voice has been born of the express wish of countless citizens, in every stratum of life in our community, for an independent newspaper as a symbol of freedom of expression, as a vehicle dealing with the issues of our time in a frank, free and unbiased (sic) way, and as a medium to champion causes which may not be championed elsewhere.
The policy of this paper is to practice the highest standard of journalism, to encourage and promote freedom of expression in a free Grenada; to raise and ventilate issues which are important to the progress and development of our country, our nation and our people; to assist in creating an informed public opinion; to support those policies and programmes of Government which, in our opinion, are beneficial to the nation and the people as a whole – but to be ready to counsel caution or offer constructive criticism when we differ from Government.
Our principle is to keep our columns open to the widest freedom of expression within the limits of the law and the bounds of good taste while retaining the ancient editorial right to make the final decision regarding articles, letters or any other material which will appear in our newspaper.
Our legal right to exist as a newspaper, and our careful compliance with the requirements of the law, are dealt with on pages 3 and 4. Our moral right is dealt with here.
As declared by the leaders of Government when they assumed power, and frequently since, FREEDOM is what the events of March 13, 1979 are all about. If the appellation “FREE” attached to the important public media owned and controlled by Government – a newspaper, a radio station and a television station – is to mean anything, then it is important that Government shows that freedom is for all the people and not only for certain sections. It is only in this way that all Grenadians can be united to move forward together, for indeed, a united people can never be defeated!!
We wish to state categorically that we have neither the wish nor the intent to sponsor, motivate or support counter-revolution in any form. We reject the perpetuation of the idea of the use of force as a means of changing Government and look to the People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG) to keep its promise of “early, free and fair elections”.
We reject, even at this stage, any potential charge of destabilisation. We do not, in any way, see the publication of a free and independent newspaper, nor even the criticizing of Government, as acts of destabilisation. In fact, we hold firmly to the opinion that a country which does not boast a free press is fundamentally unstable.
More than this, we believe that the PRG, in the absence of a Parliamentary Opposition, should welcome the advent of The Grenadian Voice as a vehicle through which the Administration will have the benefit of a flow of independent ideas.
We have no axe to grind except the axe of the people who want a medium for free expression; of the people who want unity, peace and progress for our country; of the people who want to be free to enjoy the rights and privileges (sic) which, with public support, were demanded by members of the PRG themselves in the turbulent years of 1973/74; of the people who want to be able to participate in a meaningful way in the decision making process in our country.
It is in this context that we have proudly adopted and nailed to our masthead the memorable and inspiring motto which was created so many years ago by that great Grenadian, Theophillus Albert Marryshow, the acknowledged Prince of West Indian journalism, “The right alone is right, the wrong is always wrong!”
