Dear Editor,
I was not really surprised while listening to one of the hosts of NCN’s ‘Guyana Today’ during this past week. Not surprised because this has been quite the norm. It was evident throughout the entire show, that the host and co-host were trying unsuccessfully to speak Standard English. A few ‘mishaps’ I made note of include (as a guest was being interviewed), “Who do you think will benefit more from this book, students, parents, society?” Another instance was, “What was your moments of realization?” There were other mispronunciations as well as mechanical mistakes, interestingly made by both host and co-host. Please note that these practices are not only common to NCN; other TV channels make the same (if not worse) mistakes.
I usually telephone the (NCN) Berbice Branch and bring to the attention of management numerous incorrectly-spelt words on graphical advertisements, yet this practice continues unabated.
While being employed as a control operator by a TV station a few years ago, I vividly recall that there was a process in place to eliminate errors of this nature. All graphical ads had to go through spell checks after being prepared and typed by a competent individual. Does this still happen today?
In my humble but honest opinion the state media are expected to set the highest standards – period! Sad to say, what obtains is quite the opposite. Just look at the coverage of Budget 2014; it left quite a lot to be desired. But then, that is another issue!
Yours faithfully,
Leon Suseran
