KAIETEUR News today (20th September, 2013) reports on a comprehensive 30- minute power point presentation updating the country on the progress of the Marriott Hotel development at a Press Conference held yesterday (Thursday 19th September, 2013) by Mr. Winston Brassington. The Kaieteur News claimed in its headline “Moderator limits media on

questions”,

KIT  NASCIMENTO, Public Relations Consultant

What the Kaieteur News deliberately omitted to report is that it has become the practice of the Kaieteur News, led on this occasion by its Editor-in-Chief, Adam Harris, to pack into a press conference or press briefing as many reporters as it can, on this occasion 7, counting Harris, 8, he claimed to be reporting for Prime News. This practice is a wholly unprofessional attempt to monopolize the press conference to the exclusion of other media. It’s a practice which would not be tolerated in any other country respecting the practice of a free press. Any newspaper attempting it would be pilloried by the press association of the country, but apparently not here.

It was my determination not to allow it. Mr. Harris then threatened “to break up the press conference” which is, of course, exactly what he would have liked to have done.

I, therefore, determined to limit each reporter, in the first instance, to one question and a follow-up, before moving to the next reporter, to ensure that Kaieteur News did not monopolise the press conference.

In fact, the first reporter I recognised was from Kaieteur News who asked three questions at one time , each quite different from the other.  He was not, therefore, allowed a follow-up. The second reporter I recognised was Mr. Harris who asked one question and was allowed a follow-up.

Altogether, if I remember correctly, somewhere in the region of 10 questions were asked, five of which were asked between three Kaieteur News reporters, counting Mr. Harris as one of them.

Kaieteur News claims to take pride in unearthing and challenging corruption in our society, but the Kaieteur News, far from doing so, has become part of the problem, in that its unfair, unbalanced, more often than not, inaccurate and, almost always, biased reporting and headlining of the news to satisfy the political agenda of its publisher, has, in fact, corrupted the practice of journalism in our country.

It pains me that its Editor-in-Chief, Adam Harris, long a professional colleague of mine and certainly one of the most experienced journalists in our country, has permitted himself to descend to this level. He knows much better. It pains me too that Mr. Harris, hiding behind the thinly disguised pseudo name of “Dem boys seh”, thinks it’s fine to almost every day libel someone or some organisation, knowing the libel laws of our country to be so inadequately prosecuted, that he can get away with it

As for the Kaieteur News report on Mr. Brassington’s press conference, a casual visitor to Guyana, listening to the full, unedited, broadcast of the press conference, or reading the reports of the three other newspapers and other TV stations present, would wonder whether the Kaieteur News attended the same press conference.

As  has now become the norm, the Kaieteur News went to the press conference, not to present to its readers a fair and balanced report of what was presented, but, instead, to report only  in the context of its own agenda.

I urge the readers of my letter to take the time off to listen to the full broadcast providing the facts on this very critical and, in my view, absolutely essential development of a highly respected and internationally recognised first-class hotel for our country. I understand that the press conference will be broadcast on:

** Channel 6(CNS) Sunday Sept 22 from 8:30-9:30 PM Friday Sept 27th from 9:00- 10:00 PM