What the President sees as ‘negative news’ the people see as ‘necessary news’

Jul 29, 2008 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
First, I want to take this opportunity to remind those operatives working in the local free media that they have a vital role to play in bringing the unvarnished news to the people, and to balance executing that role with a sense of responsibility when converting information or data into news.

Second, I wouldn’t sit here and pretend that all media operatives are saints; and so I hope those who know their performances have not been in compliance with the ethics of journalism would step up and do right by this esteemed profession.

And third, I want to encourage them in the face of severe criticisms that have been levelled at them for doing their job.

It is hard to shine at a time when people are raining ridicule on you without recognising that, had it not been for you, a lot of things that have made the news in the last decade would have gone unreported. Guyanese at home and abroad owe you a debt of gratitude for informing us when the state media won’t.

Much has been said and written about the President’s remarks and actions related to the local media, including the decision to ban Mr. Gordon Moseley from covering events at OP and State House.

But all that these bizarre behaviours are telling us is that independent media houses and operatives must stand up to attempts at muzzling them.

They must do so by continually reporting the news, even when the President and/or Government officials think the stories are too negative.

Little do the President, his officials and letter writing apologists know that what they perceive as ‘negative news’ the people see as ‘necessary news’.

With no Freedom of Information law to legally empower media houses to authenticate Government press releases and briefings by going to its departments and agencies for actual documents to peruse, the Government is able to determine what it wants the public to know, while ducking certain information in order to protect its image and its decision makers.

If there’s a Government-related news story and Government is not the source, Government could see this as the basis for negative news.

In addition, when principles of standard investigative journalism are employed to produce in-depth news stories, or when ‘inside sources’ that wish to remain anonymous leak information that Government wants ducked from the public, Government can also see this as the basis for negative news reporting.

The truth is that a comparative analysis of the three major dailies in Guyana will reveal that only the state-run Chronicle deliberately abstains from reporting certain news stories that spotlight the failures and errors of the Government.

This behaviour does not build confidence and trust in the public, which must read about such Government errors and failures in the independent dailies.

Mr. Editor, it is a known fact that governments in developed democracies usually depend on the independent media to help get their messages out and win the public’s trust and confidence for domestic and foreign policy issues.

And because the free media are allowed to report the positive and the negative developments in those countries, the onus is on independent media houses to build and establish a relationship with their target audiences based on reporting the news truthfully, fearlessly and in-depth.

For the free media, winning readers, listeners and viewers is a process that takes lots of time and lots of hard work. Attention to detail and accuracy is paramount.

That is why when the President, his officials and lay apologists criticise the independent media houses for producing ‘negatives news’, they are basically disrespecting, disparaging and reproaching the work ethic of media operatives who have to forage for information that Government ducks from them.

Their target audience is often forced to take a side; either they’re with the President and his Government, or they’re with the free media.

If the people are forced to take a side and find either the President of the free press to be lying or holding back the truth, or one side is unfairly attacking the other, then whichever side is found culpable will lose the people’s trust and confidence.

From where I sit and observe, I can comfortably conclude that Guyanese at home and abroad have more trust and confidence in the free media, despite its shortcomings, than in the Government and its state-run media outlets to bring them the news. It’s a terrible indictment against the authorities when they can’t be trusted with information in their possession.
Emile Mervin

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What the President sees as ‘negative news’ the people see as ‘necessary news’

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