This should have been a front page headline, don’t highlight crime all the time

Dear Editor,

You have done it again. Once again you have missed the marvellous opportunity of using your front page to bring joy and hope to your readers.

How wonderful it would have been to have looked at the front page of your paper on Wednesday March 14, and seen the joyous headline ‘We Win’ and the beautiful picture of the first World Cup match that you placed on the back page. Your wonderful coverage of Guyana’s Twenty/20 win a few months ago was also placed on the back page.

Yes I know that your back page is designated for sports, but Guyana winning the Twenty/20, and the West Indies the first World Cup match is much, much more than just sports.

This is the sort of news that gladdens the heart, puts a smile on the face and brings people together in joyful conversation.

Yet, you choose to highlight on your front page on those days, and almost on a daily basis, criminal activity and other bad news that serve to depress the spirit and showcase our country in a very bad light.

Every country has its share of criminals, murders and other horrendous crime, but do the responsible papers consistently splash these on the front pages over and above the other news?

We are hoping to attract a large number of visitors to our country in a few short weeks for the World Cup. However, I wonder how many will have second thoughts while researching our country seeing consistently the bad news that you highlight?

This is a fantastically beautiful country. We are a very hospitable people. Yes, there is a lot of criminal activity, but the honest, decent, hardworking people and the daily good deeds far, far outweigh the bad. Let us showcase this.

In this heady World Cup season, is it too much to ask that you reflect that hope, joy and expectancy in your major headlines?

Yours faithfully,

Joan Collins