With the global downturn, many organisations worldwide are taking one, or a combination of the following five actions - reducing the size of their staff, reducing the income of staff, mandating that staff work a four day-week instead of the regular five-day week, work a five-day week for a four-day pay or simply closing down business.

In Jamaica, the current reality of harsh and bitter times has started to surface and has become quite sobering to many in practical terms.

It is important, therefore, that the Government and the private sector should come to grips not only with the impact the recession could have on the economy but, importantly, on the lives of ordinary folks.

Hurricane-like recession

Let's say, for example, most of our media houses were to go under with this sweeping, hurricane-like recession, who would be there to be the watchdogs of the ordinary people? Mass media serve a very crucial role to any society. They help to keep governments in check and sometimes protect them from tripping over their own legs. As a consequence, it is important to preserve not merely the career of the politicians but the future of our nation and its stability.

This is why I deem it highly crucial that every effort should be made by media organisations to do everything humanly possible to remain in business. I would even venture to say that the Government should, where possible, subsidise media organisations that are feeling the crunch so as to maintain the watchdog role for the greater masses.

Some may argue that there are the Internet, blogs, etc., and a host of social websites that can serve the purpose of traditional media. However, their role, mainly, is to proliferate at lightning speed that which the traditional media houses have investigated and made public by wealth of the professional training and experience acquired over many decades.

I am, etc.,

JOSHUA SPENCER

joshuaspencer@rogers.com

Ontario, Canada