No sports news on VOG on August 23

Dear Editor,

The words of the Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo are worth perusing. He said that “I have now decided to professionalise the public information service, to bring a new model for public information, where journalists working in the public media must be required to exhibit only one quality, which is professionalism.”

Now that is a very lofty ideal, but I am wondering who will be a candid judge of what constitutes ‘professionalism.’ I have no reservation that the Prime Minister is extremely qualified to understand what counts as professionalism.

But I have a bone of contention and this relates to basic professionalism, that is, the areas of standards, absenteeism and relevance.

On Sunday evening, August 23, on the Voice of Guyana, following the six o’ clock news, there was no Sport News and no explanation was given. I wanted to know what happened in Beijing China, with the Usain Bolt-Justin Gatlin 100 metre final, at the 15th IAAF World Championships. I was also keen on the Roger Federer-Novak Djokovic final at the Cincinnati Masters. Sunday’s biggest event did not move VOG’s Sports Department, nor did it matter to their news room. This kind of thing is unprecedented in news reporting in Guyana. VOG has struck a new low.

I hope some kind of reprimand will be given, and that from now on, VOG will do something about what passes for news and sport on this very important radio outlet.

I get the impression that people hardly show up for work on weekends on the national radio station. I will not even comment too much on the quality of their sport news readers; at best they are at the Common Entrance level.

I am hearing all this talk about commissions of inquiry and forensic audits, and all of this may be good. But when a basic thing like attending to normal and routine duties is not in place, it is time to send home some people and simply advertise for a few qualified and hardworking people to fill the gaps. There is nothing political or sinister about this. Put flatly, VOG’s sport coverage is abysmal. Can they start by finding out what happened on Sunday? Then can they invest in a few good people who are sport-oriented and with a keen interest in sports, and who can at least read with some intelligence?

Then Mr Prime Minister, you can go on with your plans: ‘Gov’t to revise, reclaim “illegal” radio, TV licences.’

Yours faithfully,

R A Bacchus (Mrs)