Dear Editor,
I refer to the story captioned “Dismissed without explanation” in your edition of 28 September 2010.
The general thrust of the story – that three employees of the Pegasus Hotel have been dismissed without any explanation for their termination – is regrettable as it is utterly untrue. The three employees were caught stealing by management on 18 September. They were given a hearing (as even they concede) and after being found culpable were dismissed.
The story further suggests that these employees had hitherto been model employees. This also is far from the truth as the Hotel has had cause to reprimand all of them before in matters concerning performance and honesty.
What is also regrettable is the apparent rush by your newspaper to publication after only the most perfunctory attempt to ascertain the Hotel’s side of the story. As your reporter relates, a call was made to the Human Resources Manager who was unable to give any assistance as she had just returned from vacation.
The reporter apparently also called to speak with me while I was in a meeting. However, rather than call back after a short interval or try my mobile phone number (which your reporters have done before), or give the Human Resources Manager an opportunity to familiarize herself with the matter, your publication instead rushed to publish its story thereby ensuring its coverage was grossly unbalanced, when a slightly less precipitate approach would have allowed your newspaper to ascertain all the facts.
This is very disappointing journalism and one expects much higher standards from the Stabroek News. I trust you will publish this response with the same prominence as the story which necessitated it.
Yours faithfully,
Robert J. Badal,
Chairman,
Pegasus Hotel Limited