On June 29th 2024, Bobby Stewart, son of the late Gordon “Butch” Stewart, published an open letter to Al Edwards, the Founder and CEO of A.R.E. Media Limited, the publisher of Our Today.

The letter was in response to an article written by Mr Edwards entitled “Butch Stewart’s legacy and ‘House of the Dragon’ similarity’.   Below is the open letter in full.

See Related: Al Edwards’s response to Bobby Stewart’s open letter

29th June, 2024

Dear Al Edwards

I’ve written to you privately before on a similar issue.

Today, as much as I find it distasteful, I am forced to write you openly to challenge your recent story on your social media platform – in which you have propagated, intentionally or otherwise, a number of mistruths about my father and his will and wishes, into a fanciful comparison to a fictional fantasy series, and have inaccurately represented the state of our family matters. Your story, which was also commercially “sponsored” to promote maximum reach and viewership, was the third inaccurate narrative to be launched publicly in the space of about 2 weeks, the other two being YouTube videos posted by others online, which carried very similar themes, structure, and incorrect information. I could not purport to know the source of your incorrect information, or that of the YouTube videos, but a journalist has a duty to always carefully verify their sources and ensure that they are working from the complete facts.

Apart from the reach achieved by these stories, and the appearance of influencing public opinion, another factor that forced me to reply was the veiled threats of physical harm inferred. You write at the start of your piece that “people will get hurt” in this “thrilling show”. One of the YouTube videos also started with this veiled reference, going so far as to imply that family members will meet death. I’m personally struck by the shallow and unmindful nature of your article, which displays no consideration or empathy to those family members who have been deeply affected. Dad passed away in the arms of young children, and the grieving has only been worsened by also having to defend his honour, and his Will and Wishes, from attack.

My father was known as a patriot and a visionary, in the true meaning of the word, and accomplished great good for Jamaica, the Caribbean, and people. He was also known for his kindness and generosity. Having built his success starting from nothing, he related to people and was very mindful and thoughtful, with a sharp mind to the end. Your article, sadly, goes out of its way to cast uneducated insinuations and doubt on his mental faculties and highlight untruths by weaving them into your comparison with a fictional character. Having worked for my father, even if for a short while, you should know better. But such misinformation not only casts a slur on my father, but also presents a threat to the proper execution of his estate. It is said that a dead person cannot defend themselves against slander; but I will choose to defend my father here.

Which of his children would fail to defend the honour of such a man?

I will address a number of errors in your story, as well as a couple from the videos:

1. Dad’s Will and Wishes were very consistent, through multiple versions over the last several years of his life, even before his illness. The most recent Will was signed on May 15th, 2020, the year before his passing. This consistency speaks to his true Will and Wishes being very clear all along. He did not “change his mind” at the end, as recently suggested on YouTube.
2. Nothing in my father’s Will and Wishes changed the day before he passed away. The document that he signed that day simply affirmed the instructions he had previously given during the year before, with the assistance of his trusted professionals and counsel – which includes people of the highest professional integrity. An incorrect narrative on this is not helpful to the process.
3. Your statement that a member of the overseas family “claims that he changed his will” at the very end is false and it would be a lie to promote this claim, if in possession of the truth. I am not a member of that family branch, and so I will leave this for others to address further – however two other statements in the YouTube videos are also blatant falsehoods, first that the overseas family “wants a larger stake of the assets”, as well as another claim that “the will was updated just before” his passing, giving the overseas family “a larger share of the estate”. I will address this further in Item 8, below.
4. The statement was made in one of the YouTube videos that payments to pecuniary legatees were delayed “due to economic challenges”. I would be curious to know the source of this information, as I am not aware of any reason being given at all in the coverage I have seen. Conversely, I note that various media accounts widely state that business is good, and arrivals are up.
5. The most appalling part of your piece is your attempt to insinuate that my father was not of sound mind when he set out his Will and Wishes. To my view, you not only promote a false narrative, but also misinformation. Many people spoke directly with my father during his illness, and knew him to be of sound mind to his last day.
6. Your rather casual inference that he may have been drugged when he set out his Will and Wishes is surely viewed as vulgar and mischievous by any person with normal sensibilities – but in any event, it is also irrelevant, because, as stated, his Wishes were discussed long before he was hospitalized and passed.
7. At the end of the day, if you had availed yourself of the court papers published to date, and perhaps even read them, you might have realized that the Supreme Court granted Probate in the matter in late 2023. It is notable that it was not contested. You might then also not suggest that the battle is over the “succession” or management of what Dad left behind, but notice it is actually about fully effecting his Will and Wishes, which are mostly concerned with the ownership structure he set out in his wisdom, and the proper transparency and accountability to all the family members whom he left as shared owners.
8. You might also have noticed that FIVE (5) of the EIGHT (8) family beneficiaries concerned have clearly expressed their support for my father and what he set out. None of THE FIVE have demanded anything more, or less, than what he had set out. If THE FIVE appear to be united, it is simply because “they”, to include myself, are simply united behind my father, and what he clearly outlined. Please know that any talk in those videos of “defection” or collusion is just another nonsense narrative. HOWEVER, the above being said, you might then realize the significance that THE THREE remaining of the EIGHT, have disputed and cast doubt on what Dad expressed as his wishes. Perhaps this might clarify the situation for you. YouTube narratives casting THE THREE as being the “Irie Family” are just more silly distractions from the above truths.

In closing, I would reiterate that before you spread your accounts you should hear from all sides so as to know the truth of the matter. In my opinion, whether the article was penned by your own hand, or not, either way it reflects just as badly on the credibility of yourself and your blog. You are of course free to tell all the fairy tales that your heart desires – whether they be about Puff the Magic Dragon, Merlin the Magician, or the trials of your fictional unsung hero Joffrey – but your attempt to publish yourself into serious and delicate family matters by publicly spreading false and unchecked information, is not only irresponsible, but a threat to the estate, family members, and the companies.

Sincerely

Bobby