Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:10 AM
Jan 16, 2017 Sports
By Rawle Welch and Edison Jefford
There seems to be a pattern developing by other media entities where certain reporters are allowing themselves to be manipulated into attacking fellow media operatives, especially those from the Kaieteur News.
This new development has caught the attention of both media operatives who strive to remain uncompromisingly professional in their work as well as those with the universal understanding of journalistic principles.
Recently, there has been professional and analytical focussed articles written by Rawle Welch and Edison Jefford, which sought to expose the dilemma sports in Guyana, finds itself in due to administrators’ continuous poor performances.
The most recent example was in the Sunday Stabroek News of January 15 in an article captioned ‘Hutson says clubs happy with his performance’ written by Emmerson Campbell.
In the article, which was interpreted as an interview done with Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) President, Aubrey Hutson, Campbell in one of his questions to Hutson asked for an opinion of criticisms directed at him by Kaieteur News.
This concentrated emphasis on our professional work only serves to underline the silmultaneous impact it is having on some reporters and administrators.
Though Campbell posed the question, the Sports Editor had the ultimate responsibility to determine if it was ethical for an administrator to refer to fellow journalists as “barking dogs”. The fact that the insult found itself into print undermines the ethical role of other media houses to keep these officials who are responsible for the development of so many lives, accountable.
In fact, when carefully examined, Campbell’s article was nothing short of a public relations stunt aimed at halting any analysis into the tenure of Hutson. It is as though these administrators believe that they are beyond reproach; that they are so beloved and perfect that the media must exempt them from criticism and analysis. In other words they are Guyana’s untouchables.
It is an arrogant position which gives us further insight into why these administrators underperform. We have not attacked any individual personally. We simply focused on their administration of sport, for which the evidence of decline and misadministration are there for all to see. We sincerely hope that other media houses would have been gatekeepers of the sacred role to provide the public with factual information, but unfortunately the profession of journalism and its essential values have been sacrificed on the alter of nepotism and opportunism. It cannot be a good day for journalism in Guyana.
This unfolding pattern to scandalize and insult (again we refer to the barking dogs reference) Kaieteur News for simply following the tenets of investigative journalism is a narrow-minded approach to leadership that does not respect and accept independent and critical thought. Further, it is the emergence of an authoritarian instinct that threatens freedom of speech. These attempts should have been confronted at the level of the Editors of the newspapers in question since we are in the same profession.
We can argue that Campbell attempted to obfuscate his poor interview with bad judgment, which unmistakably illustrates his woeful lack experience. We chose not to publish our version of the insult to barking dogs. Why? We are professional journalists. Campbell should not have been so lured into aggressively condemning (“barking dogs”) his colleagues. Campbell only recently expressed his view on the cycling imbroglio. Are we to conclude then by him doing so he became a “barking dog”? This is where Campbell displayed disdain and disrespect for the Fourth Estate.
He was not alone. His indiscretion comes on the heels of Guyana Chronicle’s Tamica Garnett, who had asked President of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K. A. Juman Yassin a similar question about the Kaieteur News’ analysis of his enduring reign at the helm of the entity without any solid results. Instead of taking the opportunity to tell us what he did, Yassin lashed out at Kaieteur News, stating among other things that we are “disrespectful”.
We have given coverage and credit where due, but have also criticised and analysed when necessary. This is how journalism works. There should be no special sections or privileged quarters. We have none.
Campbell and Garnett would have been better off asking pertinent questions of the two administrators’ performance while in office instead of being preoccupied with the analytical work of the Kaieteur Sports Department.
How could Campbell simply accept the following response from Hutson; “there are many things we can say we are proud of, but let the critics check the records, they will see we have accomplished a whole lot…”
That was simplistic and a diversion from a very serious question, which was “What are some of your (AAG) major accomplishments since you have taken office four years ago?”
Had Campbell armed himself with the facts, he would have known that Hutson cannot take credit for the construction of the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC) at Leonora nor the acquisition of the Fully Automated Timing System (FATS).
The construction of the NTFC began when Colin Boyce was President of the AAG in 2010. The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) acquired FATS and made it clear to the AAG at the handing over ceremony that it will be loaned to them upon request, which suggests that the FATS is still the property of the Olympic association.
Both Campbell and Garnett surprised us with their inexperience combined with ignorance of the facts and palpable lack of research. In addition, their separate acts of imprudence, among other traits outlined here, is what evoked this response. Their Editors cannot be exonerated.
Kaieteur News could pride itself on being a relentless pursuer of good governance, transparency and accountability in sport and while we have entered a New Year, as far as we are aware, the aforementioned tenets have not changed. We are also cognisant of the role we play in ensuring that athletes are properly represented and given the voice they may not otherwise have.
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