Things were not regular yesterday

Jul 13, 2023 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – When the news broke that the President was finally going to hold a long-overdue press conference there was an air of eager expectation and heightened anticipation. But those feelings were quickly dampened when media houses were told that only one reporter per agency was being allowed at the press conference.

This restriction caught media houses by surprise since all media houses usually have different reporters covering different sectors. Having a limit of only one reporter constrained the scope of questions which could be asked at the press conference.

But this was not the only controversial aspect of the press conference. The media turned up only to be crammed into a small room which was far too tiny even for the one-person per media house. Surely those responsible should have predicted that their actions would have raised concerns as to whether there was an attempt to constrain the media and whether the space available was suitable for hosting a Presidential press conference.

It is not as if the government did not have alternative venues. State House or the Arthur Chung Convention Center could have more than sufficed to provide adequate space for the entirety of the media corps to be present.

The decision to host the press conference where it was hosted was a bad one and the problems encountered should have been predicted. There can be no excuse for what happened. The press is owed an apology.

To make matters worse, every media house was limited to one question and one follow-up question during the first round of questions. And no doubt because of time constraints, there was only one round. Not that the reporters may have been keen on another round in that cramped press room and having listened to the a long-winded presentation by the President.

But the more serious apology should come from the President. He droned on and on like an ever ready battery. Clearly, his advisers ought to have told him that his lengthy and exhaustive opening statement was totally unsuited for a press conference. It was much too long and covered too wide a range of issues. And much of it was not the type of information that the media would find exciting.

The media look for new information. And they got little of this. No wonder in one newscast following the press conference, what was featured about the press conference was a report that that Spanish would be made compulsory from September and that some service commissions would be appointed this week. These were the major takeaways from the almost two-hour press conference.

The President needs to appreciate the purpose of a press conference. This was an opportunity for the President to establish a good rapport with the press. The members of the media were craving to hear from him and to have him in the spotlight. Many were growing tired of the monotonous Thursday Press Conference hosted by the Vice President.

People also wanted to hear from the President on important matters. Having now heard from him, it is not certain many members of the press corps are looking forward to attending another of his press conferences, at least not soon.

A press conference provides the host with an opportunity to provide information and his or her perspective on issues. The President chose to rattle off about the achievements of his government. It was like an early 3rd August celebration. But there were more important issues which should and were not adequately addressed.

And it is not as if the President is incapable of handling himself in front of the media. It was simply as case of him speaking far too long and on issues left for a political rally.

A press conference is an opportunity for public officials to engage the media. It allows the media the opportunity to pose questions and to solicit information from public officials. There was no shortage of information but it was not the type of information the press was seeking. They got in some question during the ‘questions and answer segment’ but by then the mood of the press conference had changed from anticipation to exhaustion.

The President got it all wrong this time. Press conference should be limited to addressing a few subjects, making important announcements or addressing controversial issues. They provide an opportunity for journalists to ask questions and seek clarification on important matters.

The President announced that he will be soon leaving for overseas engagements. Perhaps when he returns, he can host a press conference to tell the media about his trip.

But even this seems to pose challenges for the Head of State. When he returned from India he had hosted a press briefing at State House and every member of the head table was asked to say something, thereby giving a new complexion to press briefings.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

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• houses, journalists, media, Peeping Tom, regular

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