Minister sets the record straight: “I’ve never been on any state boards…”

Minister of Public Administration and Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Senator Allyson West, is refuting claims made in a newspaper article about her over the weekend, that she was a member of a state board.

Minister of Public Administration and Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Senator Allyson West, is refuting claims made in a newspaper article about her over the weekend, that she was a member of a state board.

Minister West responded to the article today, seeking to what she says is erroneous information in the Sunday Express article published on Sunday 19 April 2020.

According to the Minister, a simple verification exercise could have avoided the error, which leaves the wrong impression in the minds of the public.

The full text of the statement from the Public Administration Minister, follows…

Erroneous Information in Sunday Express Article

On Sunday April 19, 2020, an article titled ‘Moonilal: PM should have brought in Opposition’ was written by Ria Taitt and published in the Sunday Express which stated that, “Gerry Brooks and Allyson West resigned (from the National Gas Company and the Port Authority respectively) key positions in the Government in the aftermath of controversial developments”.

I would like to correct the error in this statement by clearly stating that I have never been a member of any State Board, The Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago or otherwise. Proper research or verification of information would have indicated such.

It is always unfortunate when members of the media report inaccurate information to the public, especially where a simple verification exercise would have uncovered the inaccuracy. Fact-checking before publishing is crucial as members of the public, more often than not, make the assumption that what is written is the truth. There is a duty to provide information that is accurate.

Once again it is left up to the individuals mentioned to correct the misinformation in the hope of reducing the fallout.

CNC3 Editor
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CNC3 Editor

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