Latest update May 10th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 08, 2014 Letters
Dear Editor
Please permit me space in your publication to exercise my right of reply against a libelous, scandalous and career threatening publication in the Kaieteur News of August 7, 2014.
In exercising freedom of expression, we cannot propagate views and opinions carte blanche, without resort to that twin tenet of the concept of freedom: responsibility.
We exercise our right to freedom of expression within the ambit of responsible self-leadership. This is why Journalists and public commentators go through intense training to be able to practice their profession as professionals, respecting professional standards, professional ethics and professional conduct.
The media landscape in Guyana lacks this crucial tenet of responsible professionalism in its public practice, with the State media and private newspapers, TV stations and radio stations in absolute neglect of this imperative.
For example, the Kaieteur News headlined a scandalous column – written by a crass public commentator who wantonly insults and maligns public citizens with scant regard for the practice of professional ethics -that accusesmyself of “journalistic deceit”.
That scandalous, libelous headline underlines the sad state of this society.
The crass columnist, who we’ll refuse to name as we do not want to sully this page with his name, propagates his libelous assumptions, unfounded opinion and grotesque imaginings about my work, as fact!
This crass columnist must have forgotten that he’s unwelcomed to write in the pages of any national newspaper, except the Kaieteur News, where his welcome is wearing thin. In fact, Guyana’s great thought-leader, David de Caires, had good reason to eradicate this crass columnist from the outstanding list of columnists who write for the Stabroek News a few years ago.
That acerbic, divisive, hateful columnist got a platform at the Kaieteur News, and given his crassness, uses that platform to malign and libel myself, absolutely disregarding the fact that the Kaieteur newspaper is the brainchild and vision of the very person he seeks to tarnish with his poisonous pen.
I particularly object to the headline labelling my professional work as “journalistic deceit”. The comment, that I am hired by the PPP to do PR work, is so ludicrous and without foundation that it’s only to be ignored. For the record, I am not a politician, and harbour no political ambition. I am a professional Journalist, content producer and knowledge designer. I have no connection or contact with the PPP, or any political party.
The crass columnist mentioned my public praise of Dr Frank Anthony and PriyaManickchand. I would point out to this myopic maniac that my public praise and private friendship extend beyond these two fine human beings, to include KhemrajRamjattan, Moses Nagamootoo and Raphael Trotman, of the AFC, and I am not a member or supporter of the AFC. Rather, I am a Journalist and writer. Period.
It would be prudent to use this opportunity to clarify the delusion of the crass columnist, and to hereby state that my role in Guyana seeks to build bridges, encourage cooperation, foster understanding and engage across spectrums. President Donald Ramotar knows this, and welcomes it.
It is stunning that the Kaieteur News never reported on the role of folks like myself in fostering solutions in this society, like, for example, launching a technology program for persons of the visually-impaired community to self-develop, but would malign us solution generators with wicked maliciousness.
As a Special Correspondent and Content Producer for the Rodney Commission, tasked with writing and publishing a book and writing a video documentary script on the work of this historic Commission, I engaged with President Donald Ramotar, and not the PPP. This is a Presidential Commission, not a Party pet project. President Ramotar told me that it was never discussed within the PPP. I met with Dr Roger Luncheon at the Office of the President before I got on board. I agreed to engage in this task because I met with those gentlemen, and with Attorney General Anil Nandlall, and became convinced that the Government of Guyana’s motive in convening the Commission is altruistic, noble, and, I am satisfied, humane, given the injustice that has been meted out to the Walter Rodney family by this nation, over the past 34 years. This is my personal conviction.
May we also use this opportunity to offer some advice to the powers that be at Kaieteur News: my heart resonates with a love for this newspaper, because I founded the company and the newspaper. I would encourage the newspaper to train its Reporters, Editors and Columnists in that Journalistic imperative of deep, profound respect for professional journalistic ethics, and to respect the role of personal responsibility in exercising the right to distribute one’s opinion.
The newspaper cannot allow this crass columnist to continue to spew his filth across this nation, fuelling continued division, hate, strife and discontent, using the platform of this newspaper, when other media organs refuse to publish or distribute his wicked diatribe.
It is only because I founded the Kaieteur newspaper, and harbor deep professional respect for the Publisher, a brilliant entrepreneur, and the Editor, himself a veteran professional Journalist, that I would not sue the newspaper for libel and causing mischief concerning my career.
I hope the Kaieteur News would monitor and duly exercise responsible professionalism concerning the crass outpourings of this preposterous and pretentious pontificating pundit as he sows division and filth, rather than look to heal our nation of its psychic paralysis.
My goal in Guyana is to carve out a new way of being in this nation, and to engage, not only in rhetoric but in reality, across the divides. For this, I thank the Guyana Chronicle and the Stabroek News and the Government of Guyana for offering me the opportunity to do so through my writings as a professional Journalist.
And I encourage the Kaieteur News to resort to its founding vision, of playing a constructive role in building our nation.
Yours sincerely
Shaun Michael Samaroo
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