Gordon Mosley, the television journalist who was barred from entering Office of the President last year, was elected President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) last evening at the group’s annual general meeting.
Mosley, who was unopposed for the presidential position, has been acting President of the association since former President Dennis Chabrol resigned from the post in July. The Capitol News anchor had launched a vigorous campaign earlier this year.
The meeting was held at the Theatre Guild.
Kwesi Isles, currently attached to the Guyana Times, was elected Vice-President while Kaieteur News’ Neil Marks was unopposed for the position of Secretary. Nazima Raghubir, Prime News anchor, was also unopposed for the position of Treasurer while Charmaine Cornette, attached to the Kaieteur News, is the GPA’s new Assistant Secretary/Treasurer.
Adam Harris, Editor-in-Chief of Kaieteur News; Enrico Woolford, Editor-in-Chief of Capitol News; Nigel Williams, Editor at Guyana Times and former GPA Secretary; and Stabroek News’ Andre Haynes secured the remaining slots for executive members on the GPA committee.
Mosley, speaking to Stabroek News last evening, said that the association aimed to reach out to young journalists since approximately 80 per cent of local journalists were under the age of 30. The GPA President explained that before the end of this year the executive committee would elect an Advisory Committee whose main role would be to provide guidance and target media issues that needed attention.
“We need to find new ways to reach out to them,” Mosley said referring to young journalists,
going on to say that the GPA would also be “reaching across to the government.”. He spoke in the context of the treatment some media houses were subjected to by the current administration and added that the state media would be included in the ‘reaching out’ process.
The state media, Mosley stressed, was very important and had not been active participants in the GPA and its causes. This had to change, he said, adding that they had also been absent from too many workshops denying themselves the opportunity to upgrade their skills.
The newly elected executive committee, the President said, would meet at the end of this week.
