Even though American journalist Nellie Day has apologised over an article she wrote about how Bahamians live, Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) President Franon Wilson says the damage she caused when the article went online could negatively impact the local real estate industry.
Last week, hundreds of Bahamians were outraged when the freelance journalist wrote an article painting a poverty-stricken picture of living conditions in The Bahamas.
The article entitled “What types of houses do people live in, in The Bahamas”, which was placed on www.travels.com, suggested that many Bahamians make their living as farmers or by selling trinkets at the local straw market and are considered the lower and lower-middle class.
She said that these classes live in small beach shacks and huts and suggested that the poorest Bahamians typically create makeshift homes out of straw and wood.
Ms. Day said these structures are poorly executed and are usually built by the “shack occupants with no professional help.”
The article sent shockwaves through the Bahamian community, who took to Facebook and Twitter to voice their frustrations.
During an interview with the Journal recently, Mr. Wilson also expressed his disappointment.
“It’s unfortunate and I am disappointed that someone would print such misinformation without confirming the facts. Given all that BREA and real estate agents are trying to do for someone just to paint that false image of our country like that is disheartening,” he said.
Recently, BREA formed a partnership with Realtors.com to promote homes in The Bahamas in an effort to revive the country’s struggling real estate industry.
And although the article has since been removed, there is still the fear that all of the association’s efforts could be damaged by the article.
“I found solace in the fact that there was enough pressure put on the webpage so that the persons responsible did remove the article because the article was simply not true. However, the damage was done and so our members will have to work extra hard to ensure that persons know that what she printed is not the case,” Mr. Wilson said.
“Anytime there is misinformation in the public, it causes confusion especially for BREA as we have started a partnership with Realtors.com to have our listing shown in the United States. And so articles like that and misinformation out there – for persons who have never been to The Bahamas, they may say that is a reputable website and take that as gospel. The bottom line is it will definitely hurt The Bahamas because there are people who have never been to The Bahamas. Someone who may be considering buying a home may see that from a friend who forwarded it and therein lays the problem.”
Even though she sent out an apology, Ms. Day insists she did the necessary groundwork to write the article.
On her Twitter feed, the freelancer, who is believed to be based in California, claimed she had visited and researched The Bahamas before she wrote the article.
“For the record, on this Bahamian story, I have travelled to The Bahamas, I did talk to locals and I did research what other agencies had to say,” she said.
