Dear Editor,
I read the Stabroek News stories on a daily basis on my phone. Over the months I have enjoyed the debates and comments of some of the other users. Yesterday, however it came to my attention that you banned a very vocal member, Berkeley Van Bowen, from using your site, simply for commenting and upsetting other readers. I thought Guyana a democratic country and its newspapers such as yours enjoy healthy debates/comments, however unjust and upsetting they may be. That’s called freedom of speech. As someone living and working in London, I felt compelled to write to let you know how unhappy I am at this decision; it seems very harsh. And more importantly, some of the comments he has made, can come across as offensive, but they stimulate debate, otherwise what’s the point.
I just wanted to let you know that I am unhappy with this decision. I thought your newspaper was for the general public, not a minority few. Controlling freedom of speech can be viewed as despotic by some and a very undemocratic measure.
Yours faithfully,
Patricia Kirkbride
Editor’s note
Mr Berkeley Van Bowen has not been banned from our letters column or our website, but from our Facebook page. Letters sent for publication are edited, and our website comments are moderated, so hate speech and racist statements do not go into the public domain through these portals. We do not have such control over our Facebook page, however, since comments are posted there immediately without mediation. Mr Van Bowen’s Facebook violation of not just the well-publicised norms we apply to comments on our sites, but also in certain instances of provisions of the Racial Hostility Act if not the Constitution of Guyana, caused us to issue him with a warning. He chose to disregard this, and was banned after launching an attack on one of the major faiths of Guyana.
Freedom of speech does not mean the freedom to say anything one pleases about any one or any group one pleases; it is circumscribed by, among other things, the legislation mentioned above, as well as the libel laws.
