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Stabroek News at 25: Oh what a society Guyanese live in!

Nov 23, 2011 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

I say sorry to my readers for departing from the election campaign currently capturing the attention of the entire land. I couldn’t and would not have wanted to miss offering an analysis of a 32-page supplement published by the Stabroek News in its Monday edition to celebrate its 25 year of existence.
The role of an analyst is to be extremely perceptive. Relentless perceptiveness is the characteristic with which an analyst must be possessed.
Every word that comes out of the mouth of a nationally important actor, every gesticulation must be noticed because behind each, there is a subliminal meaning. Nothing must miss the eyes of an analyst. I took this 32-page supplement and I worked it over with a fine teeth comb. It tells the tragic story of the hypocrisy and double standards that have drowned this sad nation. You have to look hard to come up with a corner of truth and integrity in Guyana.
This 32-page supplement consists of three areas–past photographs of well known people in conversation with Stabroek News personnel; past stories that made the news in Stabroek News; and a few commentaries on the anniversary itself.
It hardly needs explaining that the supplement would be the work of the senior editors directed by the editor-in chief. In analyzing that publication, it offers a huge portrait of the morally corrugated society the Guyanese people have inhabited.
For some strange reason, there is a photograph of Joey Jagan and Mr. David De Caires. I have been in journalism a long time and have experience in participating in such supplements with both the Kaieteur News and Catholic Standard.
I can see no logic for including Joey Jagan for one simple, journalistic reason; Joey Jagan has not been a major actor of national importance and has no outstanding achievement to his name that would warrant his inclusion as against dozens of eminent citizens that have been photographed alongside David De Caires.
Was there ever a still frame taken with De Caires that included a major journalistic figure like Adam Harris? Is there one with Bert Wilkinson, one of Guyana’s most outstanding journalists who did great work at the Stabroek News? They are left out but there is another frame with De Caires and Sharief Khan, the same Khan who spent 17 years propagandizing for the regime that tried to close down the Stabroek News.
The pressure on the Stabroek News with the withdrawal of state advertisement was a decision by Mr. Jagdeo himself. So there are two photographs with De Caires and his editors and journalists protesting outside the CARICOM Secretariat over the withdrawal of the ads.
But here this; among the photographs is one with then Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo and David De Caires. There is a snap with Andre Subryan teaching President Jagan how to dance. Why the editor selected that is for the inscrutable minds at Stabroek News to tell us.
When it comes to the reprint of stories, the largest one is the first Budget presentation of Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo with a large photograph of a smiling Jagdeo. Interestingly that reprint is the largest of the lot and that photograph with Jagdeo, the biggest among the others. Jagdeo is again in the reprints when he opened up the National Stadium. Poor Desmond Hoyte who gave the Stabroek News its existence is in just one frame during the Guyana Prize ceremony.
Amazingly, there was no place among the reprints for a young activist charged with treason and an 11-to one jury that prevented him from being acquitted. I am referring to Mark Benschop. Varshnie Singh’s accusations against President Jagdeo were overlooked. So was Ronald Waddell’s assassination. Those were really big stories that the supplement creators chose to ignore.
The reprints tell a strange tale about journalism at our sister paper. Included is the drama of the 2005 floods and of all the photographs the editor found useful to accompany the item is a white VSO snapping away at the deluge at Cyril Potter College of Education. Why was this man’s photo chosen when there were thousands of other frames about Guyanese in action during the flood is an enigma? Was this all the editors could have found about the Great Flood of 2005 – a white European taking a snap at Cyril College Potter of Education?
Do you know in that 32-page supplement there is one face from the then PNC Government? It is Hoyte that I referred to above. Well, what more can I say? This is Guyana where everyone is deceptive and everyone should be careful about everything.

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