media

In an election year, how the media describes what is happening inside political parties matters. Language can shape how the public understands the party.

That issue is now being raised by Opposition Leader Michael Pintard. He argues that when the Free National Movement (FNM) experiences internal disputes, headlines often describe the party as being in “chaos,” “infighting,” or “falling apart.” But when similar tensions emerge within the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), the narrative is not applied.

Political parties everywhere face internal conflict, leadership battles, candidate disputes, and power struggles. But the language used to describe those moments can transform ordinary political tension into a public narrative of “collapse” within the party.

The FNM has often been at the center of that media framing.

In recent years, the party has dealt with former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis’ bid to return as leader, challenging Pintard, as well as a high-profile legal dispute that resulted in a Supreme Court judge ordering Pintard, chairman Dr Duane Sands, and vice-chairman Richard Johnson not to personally attack each other or other FNM members in public until a ruling is delivered.

These developments were widely covered and frequently presented as evidence of the FNM at war with itself. Even some political observers have said the FNM tends to “air its dirty laundry” publicly.

But does that mean other parties do not fight?

Or are their conflicts simply handled, and reported differently?

That question resurfaced following reports of intense confrontation within the PLP over who should be nominated in Southern Shore: Obie Roberts or Clint Watson. Party members were said to be in an uproar, with tensions escalating close to physical confrontation.

Watch here the fight erupt at the Southern Shore candidate selection.

This was not the first sign of internal strain. In 2024, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis publicly urged PLP members to stop infighting, warning that internal squabbles could weaken the party ahead of the next general election. “How can we take on the FNM… if we’re busy fighting ourselves?” he asked.

The admission was clear: the PLP also struggles with internal divisions.

So does similar conflict within the PLP framed differently, as suggested by Pintard?

Journalists do not simply report events. They decide which details to highlight, what words to use, and what tone to set. Terms like “chaos,” “infighting,” and “falling apart” signal instability. They suggest a party cannot govern itself, much less a country. Meanwhile, phrases such as “internal disagreement” or “tensions boiling over” imply politics as usual.

Pintard suggests that this creates an uneven playing field: one party is portrayed as perpetually fractured, while the other is treated as experiencing normal political tension.

For voters, narratives matter. When one party is repeatedly framed as unstable and another as merely divided, the public forms judgments about competence, unity, and readiness to govern, even when the behavior is similar.

CEO of Verizon Media Group, the parent company of Eyewitness News Gershan Major rushed to defend the media house amidst public trust and credibility concerns after its owner Sebas Bastian was nominated to pursue his political ambitions.

Major said Bastian does not have “any direct operational oversight or involvement in the day-to-day operations of the company,” adding that the organisation’s tenets remain based on “facts, accuracy, and balance.”

Why it matters

Even without direct involvement, his ownership still shapes perception, coverage, and credibility.

Journalistic ethics dictate that journalists are expected to be objective and impartial in reporting the news.

Though Major argues that Bastian is not involved in the media house’s decision-making, as an owner of the media house, the question of Bastian’s influence arises.

The big story

Bastian has been ratified as the Progressive Liberal Party’s pick for Fort Charlotte, after rumours that he was entering frontline politics. In the wake of his entrance into politics, another owner of a competing media Wendall Jones spoke out, warning that a media executive mixing in politics should resign.

Bastian is not the only one blurring the lines between journalism and politics this election cycle. Robert Dupuch, president of The Tribune, and Clint Watson, former journalist turned press secretary and now general manager of the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas, are joining Bastian on the PLP ticket.

State of play

Can journalists at Eye Witness News, The Tribune and ZNS stay impartial when their bosses enter the political arena?  And, can Bastian, Dupuch and Watson, if elected, also be trusted as policy makers?

Experts say key ethical safeguards should be followed if a journalist wants to pursue politics: Senior journalists and media executives should step down from their media roles to avoid any appearance of any conflict of interest. And, publicly declare any perceived conflicts of interest related to their political ambition.

Featured pictures: Eye Witness News

Darold Miller, a veteran journalist and radio personality was remembered for his unique on-air presentation and passionate career in broadcast journalism, spending decades at major media houses in the Bahamas.

His last place of employment before official retirement, ZNS, called him “a fixture” and “legend of television and radio in the Bahamas.”

“He was known for mentoring many of the outstanding journalists in our country today. If there was a story to be told, he told it and if there was something to unearth, he brought the shovels and unearthed,” a ZNS statement read.

Miller, 69, was found dead in his home on Minnie Street after neighbors called the police on Sunday to conduct a welfare check after he was not seen in recent days. Police reported that rigor mortis had already set in.

The Nassau Guardian, where Miller spent a few years, reported that he was recently released from hospital due to an illness.

In 2023, the media legend officially retired from ZNS, and not much was heard from him since that time.

Miller was considered a fearless broadcaster, exuding passion while commenting on national issues. His most popular shows, Immediate Response and Darold Miller Live attracted hundreds of listeners, daily. A staple election broadcaster, the public awaited his announcements of votes garnered by prospective candidates.

“Election night in the Bahamas became something special under Darold’s watchful eye,” Prime Minister Davis said, remembering his comedic approach to elections in the country. “His analysis, his passion for democracy, and his ability to make even the most complex issues accessible to everyday Bahamians made watching elections a different experience. Through his coverage, Darold not only informed us but also engaged us in the democratic process. He had a way of making Bahamians feel connected to their country in a profound way, bringing the excitement and gravity of those moments to life.”

The Free National Movement Leader, Michael Pintard called him “uniquely Bahamian, loved by many who “had a profound impact on the entire nation.”

“His invaluable contribution to media and society is etched permanently in our memory,” Pintard said in a press statement.

Tributes poured in from social media as Bahamians paid tribute to a once familiar voice on talk radio.

In 2008, Miller was accused then acquitted of sexual harassment after an eight-month-long trial. A woman employee at GEMS said he sexually harassed her while he served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. It was determined that there was not enough evidence that he had committed the offense.

In 2014, he addressed the matter on his live radio: “The charge of sexual harassment was one that was brought against me, and it is a very nebulous, fleeting thing that has no basis in our law. When it was tried on me, it was the very first time it was tried. It was something that was brought against me there was no basis of truth.”

He said: “Five years was damaged out of my life, but you know what we gotta do, this stupid law of sexual harassment says if you look at a woman in a manner that is offensive to that woman you can be charged with sexual harassment. I never heard nothing so foolish, that is the most stupid law on the books of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

“First of all,” he added, “they’re walking around – I want to look offensive at you so you can put some clothes on your body. What you’re doing is offensive to me. Under the present law, unless you lobby against it, you can be charged with sexual harassment for flirting.”