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Today a confidential memo containing sensitive information about a national security threat made it to social media.
More disappointingly, the confidential memo was given wider exposure by members of local media houses.
I’m not saying what was mentioned in the memo wasn’t something that a journalist should look into, but it was something that should have been thought about before it was shared.
The memo suggested a possible threat, but stressed it was one that still needed to be corroborated.
So did the public necessarily need to know about it?
No. Not immediately or rather in the undistilled form at least.
It was a confidential document for a reason, and I can understand why the TTPS should be and are especially concerned about who leaked it.
The still unconfirmed threat, once again raised unease in a country that (if you weren’t aware before) is very much jumpy at this point in time.
Rumors of a major incident have swirled around to the point that, many were ready to believe that Friday’s prison break was connected to a wider, more nefarious plot (again fueled by local journalists).
And as such panic traffic and (thankfully minor) chaos was created in the capital.
Fortunately public skepticism following the rumors of that day, as well as the voice note rumor on Sunday afternoon (I’ll get back to this), meant that the document did not create as much visible panic.
But the seed has been planted, meaning the public psyche has been affected.
Fear and possible discrimination against a specific group of society has been catalyzed by the leak.
This in itself could create wider implications.
The investigations that should have taken place have now been complicated, if not totally stymied by the document becoming public.
If the parties mentioned in document were indeed planning such an event, they have been no doubt been made aware that investigators have interest in them.
Heck, one of the groups referenced even held a press conference acknowledging the document and denying any involvement in such an activity.
Having such knowledge, it would then allow the individuals behind the event to postpone or rework their plans to avoid police interest or suppress them if they so wish.
That aside, my question to pretty much any journalist at this point is: If you got a phone call with such information, would you have put it in the public domain as it was presented in that document?
Or would your editor have?
I doubt it.
The document as presented is libelous, as the actions have not yet been proven (as the last line of the document clearly explains) yet they damage the reputation of a specific group of society.
A very easy lawsuit in the making.
So why share it further?
Did the public need to know about it?
Yes, they needed to know if there is a danger. If there is a danger.
At best, all that should have been said was police are investigating a threat.
Occasionally in this job we are privy to certain things that should not be divulged for various reasons.
On Sunday, another potential threat cycled via social media.
On that occasion it didn’t get any leverage via local journalists, yet it was addressed by the authorities via a press statement.
Why was that not the case today?
We need to be careful about how we run with rumors, because it already seems like the rumors are running us.
Before I wrote this blog, I took some time reading through my previous posts to see if I had ever written a post exclusively about the Soca Warriors before.
I had made references to the team and the TTFF, but never about the team itself.
But last night, this team did something. Something remarkable.
T&T celebrates after emotional draw v Mexico
Something I have not felt about a Trinidad & Tobago team not playing T20 cricket do.
They made me believe.
Let me clarify what I mean by that.
I’m not one of the most pessimistic fans when it comes to Trinidad & Tobago football; I did expect Trinidad & Tobago to make it out of their group in this tournament.
I expected us to at least win one of the games v Guatemala or Cuba.
The Central Americans had been in poor form, struggling to get past Bermuda in qualifying, while Cuba regularly gives us close but winnable games.
Qualification for the quarter finals, and the Copa America Centennial playoffs, for anyone who has followed my twitter has always been.my target for this team.
Then they go, and pull off a game like that.
A game against Mexico.
Not just Mexico,real Mexico.
Not the C squad with a few B squad players we fought well against but still fell to in the 2013 Gold Cup.
Nope, Mexico with Andres Guardado, Carlos Vela, Gio & Jonathan Dos Santos with Guillermo “The Wall” Ochoa in goal.
Mexico playing their preferred 5-3-2 formation.
Mexico that meant business.
And at 2-0, it looked like the status quo.
Marvin Phillip perhaps could have done better, but Paul Aguilar taking the strike early beat him.
We were down after looking OK. Then came the softie. Kenwyne gives up the ball in the middle, Mexico exploits the space, Vela scores.
Game over right?
No, it wasn’t.
I should have looked at the replay which showed me just what this Stephen Hart team has in reserve.
The back line was out of position, but Vela still had to beat a recovering Marshall, once with his cutback and again with his shot as the defender never gave up on the play.
Vela’s goal was exquisite, kissing the inside of the near post to sneak in, the Mexican commentators were not being condescending by claiming, “Golazo.”
A goal and a situation that would deflate teams of even greater international pedigree.
But like Marshall, the team did something I’m not used to seeing in Trinidad & Tobago football teams.
They did not give up.
Kenwyne Jones has been criticised regularly by local fans, even by me, but I was in the process of telling my friends that I hadn’t found his play in the competition to be bad.
His link up play in particular had allowed other players to get in on goal, and as if to illustrate that Jones is set free by Cato and he draws three defenders and slips in Cummings.
2-1.
But the critics will say strikers should score goals.
So the Cardiff City man answered them by scoring a side volley off a low Cato cross.
2-2.
Then to highlight his strength in link up play Jones pulls off another assist via the chest to create an amazing goal from Keron Cummins, a left footed laser that would probably have Ochoa sympathising with Jorge Campos about Latapy’s goal in 2000.
15 minutes of football, 3 goals and a Trinidad & Tobago team that probably hasn’t looked so explosive since that 1999- 2001 team which had Yorke, Latapy, the pre-knee injury Stern John & a mercurial Arnold Dwarika.
Combined with a team with the organisation and grit which matched the not as talented, but battle hardened 2005 team that came from behind to win vs Guatemala in the stadium.
With similar drive to roar back from a goal down v Bahrain at home, to equalise, then win in Manama to qualify for Germany 2006.
I began to believe like I did, when Carlos Edwards recovered from his error to strip Freddie Ljungberg, and Stern had John Terry scrambling to clear the ball off the line.
But the shell shocked Mexicans, probably more bewildered than me by what they were suddenly up against at first, once again remembered they were Mexico.
The attacks came in droves but we relented.
Until the best player on the pitch, scored the goal of the night. Guardado’s scorcher had late swing that would make Wasim Akram proud as it flew past Marvin Phillip.
3-3
Mexico did not stop, and they were rewarded. Jones again the culpable party, as his attempted interception spun into his own net instead.
4-3.
Regular service was restored.
Or was it?
With bottles raining down on him, our standout player in the tournament Joevin Jones seemed either unfazed or motivated by them.
Joevin Jones has shone in Molino’s absence
The cross is over the penalty spot, and Yohance Marshall scores.
Sealing perhaps what is the greatest international football match 2015 will see, perhaps even the greatest Trinidad and Tobago match I ever witnessed.
But where did these Soca Warriors come from?
The foreshadowing had been there, possibly as far back as 2007, when the under 17s qualified with Kevin Molino’s goal in Jamaica.
A potential that was hinted upon with another qualification to a youth world Cup, the 2009 edition of the under 20 tournament.
A false dawn that was presented in 2009, when Francisco Maturana saw the talented youngsters coming into it, but could never get the local fans to buy in once Yorke & Latapy were still available.
Then came a mishandling of our affairs as Jack Warner’s influence disappeared from our football.
The plot was lost for 4 years.
Until Stephen Hart was established as coach.
Unencumbered by a special advisor or a fan base which had developed an over attachment to a particular star player or high expectancy, Hart built his team,
They played his brand, and while they struggled at first, they began to buy into it.
We made the Gold Cup quarters for the first time since 2000 in 2013, then went on a five game unbeaten run, including a friendly tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Our best showing in a Caribbean Cup for 7 years followed, even though a deserving Jamaica won the final on penalties.
The signs had been there, the team could play and get results,
So are we allowed to believe with this team?
It was said after the 1989 heartbreak by an American coach, ‘Trinidad has it in their feet, but not their minds.”
Hart’s team is starting to show mental toughness we’ve lacked.
Centre back Radanfah Abu Bakr said before the tournament that the Warriors would come good.
At long last, I actually believe they have.
Plain Talk, Good English 