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Well-known publicist and producer Ralston Barrett is calling out industry players and entertainers on what he deemed as their "lack of professionalism and disrespect" for traditional media platforms.

"I believe that some things these mangers and artistes do just don't mek no sense and you must treat the media with respect. The media isn't here to do your bidding; I tell them [artistes] all the time that the media is offering you a courtesy when they offer you a space in their newspaper or facilitate a radio or TV interview," he told THE STAR.

Barrett, who has been in the industry for more than three decades, rubbished the notion that traditional media is no longer important.

"When I came in the industry in the early 90s, people were more respectful of how they dealt with the media, because the media can make you or break you. Now, potential clients are telling you, 'Mi nuh waah come inna dat paper, enuh, because it naah gwaan wid nutten', and I asked 'How can you say that?' �Ӱ��԰� houses don't make money from publicising you, [they] are doing you a favour," said Barrett, adding that several times artistes "made excuses about being sick just to avoid performing on shows and attending interviews they did not value".

But music scholar Clyde McKenzie opined that while Jamaican artistes have always had challenges with the traditional media, they've always showed respect to media personnel.

"It might be a little different now because maybe the kind of reverence they had for people on the air, they might not have now because they have alternatives. [Traditional media] can't make or break them the way you used to, so maybe there is that diminished level of appreciation," he told THE STAR. But he also suggested that a certain level of sophistication in management is lacking.

"Sometimes some of the managers can't control the artistes themselves while some of the artistes are very indisciplined. So it's not really that they target the media for disrespect, it's sometimes because there is chaos around them, they are disorganised and they may not have real professional people around them that they respect," McKenzie added.

Despite the evolution of media, Barrett said he tells clients that they have to be on the traditional platforms to be in the mainstream.

"Even when you have a song that is trending on Instagram and TikTok, there is still a large percentage of the population that still have not connected with the songs," he said. McKenzie opined that some of these artistes are neither properly trained nor media savvy for public interviews and they are afraid of making certain utterances.

"So they think they are more in control of the situation when they are doing their [social media] lives and doing things on their own terms, other than being subjected to interviews. So sometimes they have insecurities and fears which is understandable," said McKenzie.

He suggested, however, that while the media outlets might not have the kind of power they did years ago, some have online spaces that gather a lot of audience.

"So they still do have influence and power and we need to be prudent in how we deal with them," he advised.