I welcomed warmly the announcement by Television Jamaica (TVJ) a few nights ago that it would no longer broadcast live carnival, in compliance with the Broadcasting Commission, but most important in keeping with their values of being a family station.

I congratulate the management of TVJ for this decision. It takes some amount of courage to do so in a society where morals and values are strongly challenged. As far as I see it, moral principles should not be negotiable.

No doubt, TVJ will lose significant amount of revenue in not airing this programme but money should not be the determinant factor in driving our actions. Although money is important, is not the most important thing. Most important is that of not being a contributor to moral decay.

High standards

While the operators of TVJ are to be congratulated, may it not be that they will commit themselves to uphold high standards of principles only because they were forced to do so but will, in any event, make a concerted effort to be the family station they purported to be. For, in the final analysis, as one speaker said, people or organisations should not just know or conform to rules but the principles behind the rules. In the long run, it is our principles that will drive our actions.

I am making an appeal to other media houses to take a stand in helping to uphold the standards - this newspaper included. The Gleaner is one of my favourite newspapers but there are times when some of the pictures displayed do not belong there - pictures of almost naked men and women in compromising positions.

At a time when there is general lamentation of the breakdown of values in our society, the question to be asked is, am I in anyway contributing to this breakdown? It is a question each person must answer honestly. If I am, then what am I going to do about it?

I am, etc.,

Denise Hunter

NCU PO

Mandeville, Manchester

denesha17@hotmail.com