Chronicle: Executioner of opposition’s reputation – Ramkarran

Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, has accused the state-owned Guyana Chronicle of continuing to serve as an instrument of public execution.
Referring to two recent reports in which the newspaper “convicted” persons for alleged wrongdoings, the respected attorney says that while it is a norm for police investigations and activities to be reported, the Guyana Chronicle has made it a policy to convict persons based on their involvement or connection with the Opposition or Opposition politics.

Writing in his weekly blog, ‘Conversation Tree,’ the former Speaker alleges that nothing has changed at the newspaper, as it has been a policy of that organ since in the 1960s to malign those whom it feels the State wishes to publicly execute.
Referring to the recent case involving former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who has been charged with larceny of law books, Ramkarran said the newspaper’s report not only lacked impartiality, but also sought to prejudice the trial by quoting what a public servant had said in contradiction to what Nandlall had said.
The newspaper had reported that Melissa Tucker, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, had said that Nandlall’s personal use of the law books was a “flagrant misuse of public funds.”
Referring to another article, Ramkarran said the Guyana Chronicle also “publicly executed” Registrar of Deeds Azeena Baksh, who has recently been accused of financial impropriety.
“Blatantly editorialising with intent to prejudice the outcome of the investigations, the headline screamed: ‘Evidence against the Registrar grows’,” Ramkarran stated.
The former Speaker has said that, from 1968, when the Chronicle was sold to the Government and renamed the Guyana Chronicle, press freedom at that organ has gradually diminished.
“The Guyana Chronicle became a major weapon of public executions in Guyana by way of targeting individuals whom the State wished to intimidate,” he recalled.
While he acknowledged that there was some resistance to this development during the time of the Peoples National Congress (PNC) Administration and after the 1992 election victory of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), he noted that the Guyana Chronicle always reverted to its original form.
President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Neil Marks, has only recently told <<Guyana Times>> that the GPA has placed on record the deterioration of the state media climate in Guyana. He said: “Ministers of the Government continue to dictate content to the state media, with some stories even being vetted by a senior Government minister.”
Marks also said the GPA recently had cause to note what he described as the “frightening development” of Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan reportedly seeking to dictate the agenda of the state media by suggesting what should be the main news item in the Guyana Chronicle.
The GPA, Marks said, remains deeply concerned that, despite the public utterances of President David Granger to the effect that his Administration would not seek to control the public or private press, the Director of Public Information, Imran Khan, continues to serve as Chairman of the Board of the Guyana Chronicle.
“This has to change if the public utterances of the President are to be taken seriously,” Marks has asserted.
Reporters Without Borders (RWB), an entity that campaigns for media freedom and the rights of journalists, has indicated in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index that there have been significant setbacks in Guyana. It has, in this index, ranked Guyana three places lower than it had been rated in the previous index.
Government is, however, contending that that report is deeply flawed. A recent release from the Department of Public Information (DPI) has said that Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo – who has portfolio responsibility for information – is unaware that RWB had conducted any survey or inquiry into press freedom in Guyana, and questions whether its findings were based on credible sources.

http://guyanatimesgy.com/chron...eputation-ramkarran/