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IN DEFENCE OF KAIETEUR NEWS

May 24, 2012 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

 

Who says that a newspaper should not report an unsubstantiated allegation? There is no written or unwritten rule that constrains a media house from publishing an allegation even if this allegation has no basis in fact.
Kaieteur News was recently taken to task for carrying a column, and later a news report, on the claim made by the Alliance for Change that the National Industrial and Commercial Limited (NICIL) was sitting on an estimated fifty billion dollars.
The Kaieteur News cannot be faulted for carrying this allegation or contention which was made by a political party. In the absence of evidence that the numbers were not fudged, the newspaper is not constrained by any media ethics from carrying this allegation.
The basis for the publication of any story is the public interest. Once an allegation is in the public interest and once it is not defamatory, or intended to incite violence or hatred, or in bad taste or against public morals, there are no holds to the allegation being published. The litmus test for the publication is whether the allegation is in the public interest.
Obviously, if a newspaper has reason to question the accuracy of an allegation, it has an obligation to state its reservations. If it has information that is contrary to what is alleged, it also has an obligation to so indicate. But once the story is deemed to be a matter of public interest, then the allegation may be carried.
An allegation made by a political party with the standing of the AFC must be deemed to be a matter of public interest, and even if unverified may be published.
The newspaper or media house would of course be advised in the interest of fairness to seek a comment from those to whom the allegation is targeted. In the case of the allegation by the AFC that NICIL is sitting on fifty billion dollars, it was incumbent for the editors and reporters to seek a comment from NICIL.
But it is well known within the country that Kaieteur News has long been regarded as persona non grata when it comes to obtaining comments from NICIL and other government functionaries. So there was always going to be very little chance of Kaieteur News obtaining a confirmation about whether NICIL was sitting on fifty billion dollars.
In fact, the initial reaction after the story broke was that the fifty billion figure was way off mark and then later, it was said that some $700 million was in hand.
Therefore, in so far as the Kaieteur News is concerned NICIL has not been forthcoming and there was always going to be a lack of confidence that they would even speak to this newspaper much less confirm how much money they had in their possession.
Instead of trying to address the concerns about the proceeds and actual takings over the years and providing details about what has been spent and what has been invested, NICIL along with the government is deflecting its shortcomings onto Kaieteur News accusing the newspaper of reckless journalism by publishing speculative allegations.
But as mentioned earlier there is nothing unusual about a newspaper doing this. When APNU indicated that it had found irregularities in the statements of polls for the November 28 elections and that the results of the presidency could be affected, these charges were not substantiated by APNU with any hard facts. But the charges were made by the main parliamentary grouping and therefore were in the public domain and were matters of public interest.
A matter does not have to be accurate to be of public interest.  The Kaieteur News was entitled to carry the allegation made by APNU which it is doubtful was ever taken seriously by anyone.
The President made his own allegation about connivance between APNU and certain polling officials. There was substantiation. But coming from the President, this allegation, whether true or not, was a matter of public interest and therefore had to be carried.
Kaieteur News did the right thing in carrying the allegation made by the AFC about NICIL. Kaieteur News never asserted definitively that NICIL was sitting on great wealth. The AFC may have done this. Kaieteur News simply reported what the politicians said.
In the context of the animus between the government and this newspaper and the unwillingness of certain officials to speak to this newspaper on NICIL, Kaieteur News’s publication of what the AFC said, even if it is bogus arithmetic, cannot be deemed as reckless journalism. It is definitely no more reckless than the reports about irregularities about the elections results.

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