Letters to the Sports Editor: Jefford’s story unnecessary and unfortunate

Jun 08, 2008 Sports

Dear Editor,
Please permit me space to respond to two articles in your Sport Section Sunday June 1 and again Thursday June 5 written by Edison Jefford both of which I find unnecessary and unfortunate.
To make the point let me relate an incident which I experienced and which makes the point for the two stories being “unnecessary” and “unfortunate”.
As part of the Mass Communication programme at the University of Guyana (UG), final year students at the then “Guyana Broadcasting Corporation” (GBC) and on weekends we were placed in the “Newsroom”.
One Sunday one of my clan just didn’t feel like going on the road for his “Beat”, so he took one of the Sunday newspapers and expanded a rather “juicy” article and did a story which was broadcast all weekend.
Early Monday morning all three trainees were called before then Editor, Mr. Clem David. We left the meeting with Mr. David with the foremost of caution: always seek out the source”.
I have given this incident which happened 20+ years ago to bring home the point that had Mr. Jefford gone to the source – The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) he would have had enough facts which would have made his article on Sunday unnecessary.
He compounds his first mistake with yet another by using alleged comments from another media house for his story, “Confidential email confirms Ryan’s selection”, this is indeed unfortunate.
Mr. Jefford claims, “Just days after Claude Blackmore denied the selection of Manhattan College’s Assistant Coach: Joe Ryan as Guyana’s Track and Field Coach for the upcoming Olympic Games, a confidential email seems to confirm the selection … but Blackmore refused to support Ryan’s appointment earlier this week. Instead he told another newspaper, that the AAG has not yet named a Coach to accompany Guyanese athletes to the Olympic Games,” which is utter nonsense.
Apart from the alleged comments the President does not have the authority to refuse/accept any member on an athletics team. That authority is vested in the Executive Council of the Association.
The AAG wishes it to be publicly known that as far back as 2001, Mr. Ryan has been accompanying teams selected by the association and in this regard he was the Coach to our teams which participated in the IAAF World Championships of 2001, Edmonton, 2003 Paris, and 2005 Helsinki.
Last year Mr. Mark Elliot was assigned that role to complement his previous appointments at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. The Association has in all these years a very close and cordial working relationship with Mr. Ryan and he has done nothing to negate the honour which he has received.
Yours sincerely,
Claude Blackmore
President

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Letters to the Sports Editor: Jefford’s story unnecessary and unfortunate

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