I received 'several threats to my life' for doing job - JTV's Cathy O. Richards
In a panel discussion with 'Honestly Speaking' radio moderator Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline, along with Reuben J. A. Stoby of Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) and Ronn A. Grant of 284 News, Ms Richards detailed her shocking experience of receiving death threats in the early years of her career in the VI.
Death threats came from men - Ms Richards
She said the threats came mostly from local men.
"I've had several threats to my life, I've had threats to my job, I've had threats in every angle that you can really think of... because of my reporting, and I think I faced a lot of it also because I am a woman," she said on the Tuesday, May 5, 2020, edition of the 'Honestly Speaking' radio show.
Ms Richards noted that while she has grown tough in the industry, moving to the VI as a journalist was definitely a culture shock, but she remains passionate about the job as the industry changes with social media and technology.
VINO's Stoby said he could not recall any instances of personal victimisation; however, he said compared to other places like his home country of Guyana, locals in the VI are very reserved and often reluctant to speak to the media.
Meanwhile, Mr Grant of 284 Media, the only journalist on the panel from the Virgin Islands, says for him, practising journalism in the Territory and already being known in the community, means being held to a different standard.
Locals want local Journalists to treat them differently - Mr Grant
"One of the challenges that I've found being a born and raised BVIslander, [is] because we are such a small knit community and because everyone is so aware of who you are and where you come from," he said persons would reach out to inquire about why he did a certain story.
"You find persons who feel as though because you are a born and raised Virgin Islander that you have some sort of a level or weigh-in and because of that you have to treat them differently," he said.
All the journalists on the panel shared their passion for the job with a consensus that each media house would approach stories differently, while at the same time offering a platform for Virgin Islanders to share their views.
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54 Responses to “I received 'several threats to my life' for doing job - JTV's Cathy O. Richards”
1) Journalism/Broadcaster
2) Nursing
3) Auto mechanic/Technicians
4) Plumbers
5) Police Officers
6) Farmers/Fisher
7) Electricians etc.
8) Teachers
9) Air Traffic controllers
kudos to locals who are already in those types of jobs listed above. The harsh reality is a lot of younger locals aren't taking up the mantle to head in these types of careers. Rewarding careers to booth. Could it be locals think these types of jobs are beneath them? Could it be they don't have interest because they were not educated to see these are good jobs. Could it be parents push their children to think about being just lawyers,Doctors and accountants, when we need more technical persons in the workforce?
Grow up!
The expat community will pray for you. God will cover you
Yep you got that right we expect to be treat different because we’re locals and that’s why you puppet master M**** ain’t the premier because him and his wife not from the BVI
we don’t understand that broken language
News reporters have to look good and speak well when in front of the camera.
You cannot be on line reporting or doing interviews with long nails.
What does that have to do with speaking news out of her mouth. Your eyes are to long , news is news. You jealous of the lady. You are looking at the most irrelevant things. Does her reporting or reading the news cut you with her nails.
Pay close attention to the fact that anything that is said that is not in favor of expats gets a large number of dislikes while anything that is in the best interest of the expat (eg. naturalization) gets a large number of likes. If locals were the main bloggers and out to get the expats, then this should have been the other way around.
Seriously Ms Richards.?
1. BROKEN LANGUAGE WHY U KEEP WORSHIPPING THE FLESH UNGODLY SINNERS ANSWER THIS WHEN THE MOST HIGH COME YOU THINK HE IS GOING TO WORRY ABOUT BROKEN LANGUAGE
2 . With alll the vanity you worship can it save you how does it profit you?
3.WHY U SEE OTHER PEOPLE PROBLEM WHAT ABOUT YOURS
4 .SOMEONE DOING A HONEST JOB YOU HAVE A PROBLEM Y
5.WHY THE LABOUR AND IMMIGRATION GIVE WORK PERMITS YYYYYYYY??????COUNTRIES NORMAL GIVE WORK PERMIT WHY MAJORITY OF THE CITIZENS OF THAT COUNTRY FILL DOES POSITION FOR EXAMPLE CANADA.....BUT ITS JUST NOT THE CASE HERE LAZY LAZY LAZY YYY
6.LOVE TRY TO FIND OUT EVERY THING ABOUT THAT WORD ITS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD
7 PRIDE AND POSSESSION IS NOT FROM GOD IT FROM THE WORLD YYYY WATS THE VALUE ?
8. WHY THE WHITE MAN GET A FREE PASS ?
9.HEAR JUSTICE AND COMMON SENSE EVERY WERE U HAVE GOOD AND BAD
10.WHY YOU SAY ISLAND PEOPLE ......SORRY THE UNITED KINGDOM OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
11.I AM PLEASE PLEASE ASKING YOU TO CARRY THE LAND AND MONEY AND EVERYTHING WHEN YOU LEAVING EARTH PLEASE
12. HOME WORK FOR ALL ARROGANT AND IGNORANT PEOPLE .....TOPIC HISTORY WHERE DID THE SLAVE SHIPS COME ? WHO WERE ON IT
13. L.O.V.E ....... IT DONT COST MONEY ITS FREE
TRY IT SOMETIMES .....EARTHLY THINGS HAVE NO VALUE TO U(THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD THERE WAS “NO”)
but because this matter involves freedom of the press, alledgedly under ATTACK, the legal team and associates after consultation,try to make meaningful sense of the topic,because its the journalist miss Richards who make the headline. of ["threats to life as a journalist"]
And that is why,honestly I admire the unbiasness of this news site,to publish all what was said,and let we the people,blogg on the topic,mainly,and to agree and disagree with some bloggers..
First of all,there is a criminal definition for what is a threat to one's life,with an imminent danger of death,because we in the bvi,respect fundamental human rights and freedoms and the rule of law.We can be a little lawless at times,but not discriminately violent to others.
Any new comer to the bvi,before arriving from a country outside the bvi,would have been told,that tolians don't like islandman etc etc and foolishness such as that.but quickly,you get a tolian man or tolian woman and sweetness start.
And as soon as,you settle in you will realized that the bvi, on a ratio, has the most loving and embracing people on plannet earth. we all feel the love,even from the government.
Certainly if these threats were so severe,to a point,where the journalist believed that her life was in danger,she would have done two things:-
(1) Make an official report to the CID of the RVIPF or
(2) Call travel wize and book the first flight back to Guyana for her own safety.
Long time ago in the 60's all the way to maybe early 80's, when expat women,use to go out with tolian married-men, the from-here wife,use to threaten the expat woman with "going to immigration or labour etc" LOL.
Putting the joke aside, I am just trying to negate the statement,that my dear peaceful citizens [BOTC] ,belongers and good expat residents threatened to KILL this lady,just for reporting a mellay. We like good news and a little mellay on vino.
Without the written facts, to suppot this claim, Legal team,cannot verify these statements of threat to life.
Here you have brother stoby of vino,who is also a Guyanese,friendly guy,who mingle nicely in the community,in social events etc, and he said,that he never experienced such threats from the good and loving people of the virgin islands.
Stoby is correct, because we are small in popular but powerful with pride,we are indeed reserved on talking to the media, because we are all related,in blood,work or mutual friendship, but to say, we are like the middle-east,where journalists have been beheaded for investigative journalism is a misleading perception of the bvi people..
Politicians, and the Governors, get all their blows from the bloggers on vino.Some support and some against.
No insults and no defamation of persons' character from vino bloggers,we just enjoy blogging..
We are confident that the police will do everything within its statutory powers to ensure that our journalists are protected,because we the people have no intent to harm a journalist for bringing news to us,.
It is a Fundamental Right to life under our BVI Constitution,and that section states:-
[" Every person has a RIGHT to LIFE which SHALL be protected by LAW:-NO person shall be deprived intentionally of his or her life"]
That is what our BVI Constitution gave us as a Fundamental Right.
So madam,if any one threatened you, GO TO THE POLICE. Because right now legal team cannot believe you as being truthful, because you did not present the facts,to allow me to apply it to the law,to determine if any offence was commited,under the law of the BVI.
Good lock,protection and god's guidance to all journalists
OK
Reading the blogs about how some expats think about locals is demeaning but this one take the cake. It leaves me to wonder what did this lady did to the local men that they would want her dead.
The most extremel of undesirable underclass.