Dear Editor,
I applaud the editors of Stabroek News for the regrets and apology tendered for misreporting (Editor’s note accompanying the letter from Magistrate Haymant Ramdhani captioned ‘Report on Maxwell jumping into Mahaicony contained errors’ (SN, September 3). The Magistrate was complaining about “inaccurate reporting” in Kaieteur News relating to matters that came before his court.
It is human to err and reporters and editors are humans who sometimes err in their reports. Some commentators err regularly, but refuse to accept their errors.
An elementary principle of journalism is when errors are brought to their attention, editors (reporters, commentators and even letter writers) should make corrections and apologise at once. SN editors heeded this most important principle and deserve the highest praise by owning up to their errors and apologizing to the Magistrate. This is quite unlike other media or attack columnists and letter writers. The public interest is better served when the media are honest and own up to errors and are as accurate as possible in their reports. Apologizing for incorrect reporting demonstrates maturity and professionalism by the editors of that leading independent newspaper and helps to shape how the paper is viewed.
SN has developed a credible reputation for engaging in responsible journalism, not exaggerated reporting or biased commentaries. It has earned its mark through fair and objective reporting with sound logically followed conclusions, not innuendoes and half truths. For the most part, their reporting and editorials are viewed as honest, credible and informative, not entertaining. It does not seem to me that they deal with what is titillating reporting or what will sell papers. The paper has dealt with what people considered to be important to society.
I thank them for taking the lead in the ownership of journalistic errors (responsible journalism) and hope the editors of other papers will follow their example.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
