‘I’d rather be right than first’ says reporter of new venture

Citing a need for more independent journalism on the island, a local reporter is launching an independent media outlet.

Ayo Johnson, whose journalistic career on the island stretches back to the early 1990s, is poised to launch an online news site, Think Media, in the coming weeks.

“I’m not trying to run the Bermuda Sun or The Royal Gazette or Bernews out of town, but I think Bermudians should have some choice,” Mr Johnson told us.

Mr Johnson has worked for the Bermuda Sun and was last employed as a reporter for The Royal Gazette. He told us he was fired last October but was not told the reason. A human resources representative from Gazette declined to comment on the matter.

Mr Johnson said he ultimately envisions a team of six to eight people working for Think Media, which he named after a news bulletin his father — T.S. Johnson — used to produce in Sierra Leone, where Mr Johnson spent part of his youth. He says the venture will be “data-driven journalism instead of opinion-driven journalism”. He has no plans to be “racing around breaking news” but instead promises “a lot of analysis, a lot of investigation. 

“I’d rather be right than first.”

Mr Johnson declined to outline what sort of business model he would employ or to detail how the project would be financed. He did not say whether the site would always be free or whether he would attempt a paywall or pay-per-story feature. He was non-specific about how he would make money with Think Media; he did mention he had already consulted with the public via surveys and focus groups, which will shape the direction of the venture. 

“I’m going to leave the advertising to you guys. I’ll leave it to the legacy institutions because that’s what defines them,” Mr Johnson said. “The market rests in independent journalism. My client is the readers; the audiences. I’ll be experimenting with different models until we can agree on… value.”

White dominance

His website — www.think.bm — includes a survey that asks respondents to rate the accuracy of local media outlets and the quality and quantity of coverage specific communities on the island receive. One question deals with the value of specific journalists on the island.

Mr Johnson says there is a structural and inherent racism in media coverage of the island: “It doesn’t take much to see the field is dominated by white men in a country that is majority black,” he said.

Asked how he thinks racism is reflected in the news, Mr Johnson said: “It’s not about what’s printed, it’s about what’s not printed. 

“Bermudians for generations have been looking for better representation in the news.”

Often in small island communities such as Bermuda, Mr Johnson said, the political and business elites are one and the same: “How can anyone really, truly demonstrate impartiality when they’re being funded by the same people they’re supposed to be making accountable?” he asked rhetorically.

He points to the lack of complaints submitted to the Media Council of Bermuda as evidence the media is not doing enough to hold decision-makers accountable: “If we were pushing the envelope, p***ing people off, investigating government malfeasance with such vigour, people would complain about our work. We would have complaints.”

Mr Johnson is currently working on a piece about government’s plans to legalize casino gambling in Bermuda: “I think I’ve made a bit of a breakthrough, actually. But you’re going to have to wait until I launch, until I publish.”