A colleague has informed me that a disturbing situation has developed in media in Guyana. The colleague claims that there are certain reporters who are not averse to taking financial rewards to produce positive news reports on individuals and organizations. I want to believe that this cannot be the case but the colleague insists that the practice is widely known in media circles. Another colleague who I consulted on the matter accepted it to be true.
I have known for some time that the various media houses seem to have no documented policies against journalists accepting gifts. However that reporters are now soliciting and accepting money, actual hard cash, for the explicit reason of producing favourable stories surely must be seen as a most grave, tragic and reprehensible situation.
With the Guyana Press Association presidential elections campaign in full swing I would hope that this is an issue that the presidential contenders, Messers Gordon Moseley and Edison Jefford and their respective slates address with some clarity of thought and proposed action. At the very least the GPA should investigate these claims and if any journalist is found guilty their GPA membership should be permanently revoked and they should suffer public shaming.
Call Names! Let us expose these charletons. Make them examples!
Well i know the phone companies routinely offer cell phones to reporters and certainly the sports departments are deep into this crony journalism. Does the GPA have a position on this? The standard practice is that there should be no acceptance of gifts. Even transportation to an event should be considered carefully. It is not only the issue of being compromised but appearing to be compromised.
As it is there are far too many puff pieces on companies here and it is one of the reasons why readership and viewership is so low.
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