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Kaieteur News got this one wrong!

May 24, 2012 Letters

 

 

DEAR EDITOR,
One of the enduring qualities of human beings is their ability to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. All philosophies are built on this fundamental principle. As such, I felt Kaieteur News did a wrong and injustice to itself with its publication of the story “German citizen claims police brutality” which was published on the 13th May, 2012.
The wrong I see here is that Kaieteur News presented Mrs. Hahn’s story only. In the article, no attempt was made to get the views of Mrs. Hahn’s neighbour, who happens to be the parents of the Minister of Housing and Water. Surely, an attempt should have been made to get a comment from the complainant’s neighbour, especially since she has labeled them as ‘power drunk’. If this was not possible then maybe an attempt could have been made to get a comment from some eyewitness.
By presenting the views of the complainant only, the article is subjective rather than objective. It paints a picture rather than present facts. This goes against the principles of journalism. This picture is further exacerbated by the use of the highly irregular verb (in usage) ‘sandwiched’. The suggestion is that Mrs. Hahn is a tiny quantity being squashed together by two enormous forces: that of Minister Ali and his parents.
I may be wrong in my interpretation but that’s not the issue. The fact that I can come to such an interpretation is indicative that the language used is inappropriate. Reading the article, one got the impression that Kaieteur News was more intent on presenting another instance of the excesses of the PPP/C Ministers of Government.  By taking such a slant, the seriousness of Mrs. Hahn’s apparent abuse at the hands of Police Officers is lost.
Through this article, I think Kaieteur News did significant injustice to itself. I believe a more thorough investigation should have been done. This newspaper is known and respected for its thoroughness. One wonders why a more detailed investigation was not undertaken before publication especially if it was going to be a front page article. We need to remember that those who are often cited for excesses can have excesses perpetuated against them.
I feel objective journalism was absent from the article identified. As a reader of this newspaper, I am disappointed by the slant taken, especially since so many other issues are involved, including alleged abuse by members of the Police Force. Rather than slanting this as an excess of another Government Minister, Kaieteur News should have attempted to answer who, what, when, where, how and most importantly why, in relation to the alleged incident.
Mohammed S. Hussain

EDITOR’S NOTE: Subsequent to the publication of Mrs Hahn’s report, a Ms Bibi Hussain submitted a letter which made the same complaints you are making and which was published in the same vein, without double checking with Mrs Hahn.
This is therefore the second critique that we would be publishing and we do so without hesitation.

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