Dear Editor,
I have read with some interest the issues relating to Stabroek News and the Government. I initially read Stabroek News’ version of events but decided to withhold my comments and views until I read the Government version. I think this was the reasonable and objective thing to do before forming a conclusion since as the cliche goes, a story has three sides- your side, my side and the correct side.
Before I state my observations, please allow me to highlight my experiences with Stabroek News. When under former President Bharrat Jagdeo Stabroek News received no state advertisements in 2006 I was incensed. I saw it as political stifling of the media. I refused to sit idly by and see Stabroek News go down. As a result when Stabroek News introduced annual subscriptions of $100 US, I was one of the first to subscribe. This I did for over a decade. Editor anyone that knows me would tell you that I’m a creature of habit. As it relates to reading the news, I read the Kaieteur News first, followed by the Stabroek and Guyana Chronicle. It is only in 2016 that I added Guyana Chronicle to my list of news sources. My point is that by the time I would have read Kaieteur News, there is no need to read Stabroek News because Guyana as a small country would not have a massive amount of newsworthy material. As a result what is in Kaieteur News would be in Stabroek News. Despite that fact, I continued to pay my annual subscription of $100 US to Stabroek News even though I did not read it.
Now my experiences with Stabroek News. A few years back a doctor in Guyana had a letter published in Stabroek News which was medically incorrect. This doctor wrote of sleep studies to investigate coronary artery disease among other erroneous information. Also this very doctor questioned my patriotism to Guyana since he could not counter my medical arguments published in another news outlet that Stabroek News refused to publish. I respectfully corrected him but Stabroek News under Anand Persaud yet again refused to publish my response. To me it was only fair that Stabroek News provide me a right of reply. I emailed Anand Persaud about my concerns and the following day a significantly edited version of my letter was published. It was so edited that the substance of the message was distorted.
Editor we all know that all Governments do make mistakes and it is imperative that supporters of the Government be objective and not follow blindly. That is the position I held but unfortunately Stabroek News twisted it to give the impression that I was not giving this Government credit where credit was due. Every time I am critical of the Government they would publish my letters but if I am complementary of the Government it is never published. Editor I must clearly state that this was before the now infamous No Confidence Motion.
It is for these reasons that I wrote Stabroek News a long epistle and cancelled my subscription in January 2019, ending over a decade of over $1000 US in subscriptions. A subscription that I did not have to pay since Stabroek News was not providing me anything additional from the other news outlets in Guyana. A subscription that was much higher than internationally highly acclaimed media outlets e.g. The New York Times. A subscription which was introduced to keep the newspaper afloat when state advertisements were removed by the PPP/C but after the state advertisements were restored the exorbitantly high subscription was maintained. Greed!!
After the NCM, Stabroek News took a position which is their right. In my opinion, having taken a position it was important that they were objective and provide Guyanese both sides of the political coin. That is what a respectable newspaper would do. That was not the case. Stabroek News became the biased mouthpiece of the PPP and their cronies. Not only that, Stabroek News on multiple occasions disrespected our President. Has Anand Persaud apologised to Mr. Granger when he wrote that editorial `Temporising?’ After that editorial, many other editorials followed which were equally disrespectful.
What is clear is that the Government was and is fair to this newspaper despite its biased reporting towards it. I agree a Government has responsibility to the media but the media has a greater responsibility to its readers. Be fair. Be balanced. Be objective.
Yours faithfully,
Dr.Mark Devonish
Editor’s note: This letter was riddled with factual errors and was severely edited. It has only been published since it criticised Stabroek News and its Editor-in-Chief.
