A prominent dentist has publicly thrown her support behind the Coalition of Independents (COI) and is rumored to be a major donor of the political party.
Dr. Veronica McIver penned a letter to newspaper editors, accusing the media of failing to give activist groups and alternate political parties fair play and withholding “certain information and details in the story that can present a more accurate, truthful and fact based story.”
“Mr. Lincoln Bain , an activist and party leader has been advocating for natural resources, immigration and human rights to name a few platforms recently, issues that people care about greatly. He has generally been barred from invitations on these networks to educate and enlighten the public,” Dr. McIver wrote.
“Professional journalists know that there are certain standards and ethics they were taught in University training like honesty, objectivity, fairness and fact based information,” she added.
However, a point she missed is that in being taught “honesty” and “fact-based information”, journalists have a duty to the public to report factual information that can be proven instead of unsubstantiated claims.
Though certain statements are good for social media soundbites that tend to get the public riled up, no good journalist is willing to put their career on the line or risk a lawsuit by reporting wild accusations that have not been backed up with concrete evidence.
The respected physician’s strong political opinions and defense of the fringe party, which has become known for its political charades in recent years, came as a surprise to some political observers, who doubt the group’s sincerity or its ability to fulfill certain grandiose promises.
The COI ran candidates in 33 of 39 constituencies in the 2021 General Election.
Overall, the COI received 7,592 votes, outperforming the Democratic National Alliance.