Kaieteur News should develop a minimum standard for reporting

Dr. RANDY PERSAUD: I know all is foul and fair in politics, but even so a major publication like Kaieteur News must begin to develop a minimum standard for fair reporting. The columnists can write what they write but when it comes to reporting ‘hard news’ your newspaper must not toy with the facts. Remember acts of omission are also acts of commission.

Your headline yesterday - “Jagdeo defends contracts” (KN 9.19.09) was off the mark. I watched the interview and I thought the President explained the process of awarding contracts. The difference should be obvious to any average reader. Given the insinuations of fraud pushed by Kaieteur News, the word ‘defends’ in your headline is nothing short of intended mischief. Incidentally, is it accidental that there is a huge pile of trash immediately below the President’s name? There is more.

The inset that KN has on page three where the story is carried also does injustice to the totality of the interview. What is the point of highlighting that particular quotation when, in fact, the point about the interview was to demonstrate the integrity of the contract process.

Kaieteur News also did two other things that warrant comment. One of your Peeping Toms wrote a long rambling story and at the end concluded “[i]t is a dread situation” (KN 9.19.09). This peeping tom wasted an entire column beating up on the commissioning of number of landmark projects which she/he sees as signs of no progress. This particular peeper needs help because she/he may be suffering from transient alteration.

Finally, it is obvious that you are letting Hamilton Green off the hook, even though he is a high ranking member of the PNCR. Green is the Mayor of Georgetown and he has the responsibility for the management of the city. The trash is his to clean up.

I understand there was a recent conference in Guyana at which the Guyana Press Association was crying tears about unfairness. I ask the Canadian sponsors to take a look at Kaieteur News’ daily mischief and then decide who needs to be reformed.