Interviews and photos by Desilon Daniels and Suraj Narine
Ghansham, porter – ‘I would usually read newspapers and every Sunday I buy papers. I hear the radio a lot because I’m a porter and I’m driving but the radio isn’t really for my news because it’s music more than anything else.’
Leonard Kissoon, security guard – ‘I would buy papers every day, all three. For me, it’s easy to get. I get the different papers because I does compare them because all of them have their different versions of stories; for me, I want to know what’s going on. I would watch the TV news a bit.’
Steffie Obermuller, salesgirl – ‘Every day I would buy papers but usually I would watch TV in the nights. I wouldn’t use the online sites because I’m not really one for the internet stuff. I don’t even have a Facebook account so I don’t hear anything from there. If during the day I hear anything on the road, I would wait until I get home and watch the news.’
Christel Evans, tele-clerk – ‘Time is an issue so it’s easier for me to watch news in the night. I would try to catch all of the news but the one I never miss is Nightly News because Travis Chase is funny and knows just how to put things over. For me, it’s entertaining and that’s what I like in news.’
Quincy Britton, mechanic – ‘For me, I would buy papers every day but not all; at most, I would buy two papers a day. I stay away from the online news outlets and I watch a tiny bit of TV because when I sit in front of it I usually just fall asleep. So, I just try to stick to reading the papers in the day when I have the time.’
Rolesha Hanover, social worker – ‘I look at news mainly on the television but I also use the internet. Why? The internet is convenient and the television is available and accessible. I never avoid the news because I want to know what is happening in wider Guyana, especially on sensitive issues.’
Kerese Harrinandan, youth coordinator – ‘My preferred medium for news consumption is the internet. Updates are posted as quickly as events occur so that I am always aware of what’s happening. The internet also makes provision for easy and efficient retrieval of topics and events since the database is electronic. Since I spend most of my work day on the computer, news online proves to be more convenient than print and television. If I’ve missed an event, I don’t have to worry about missing the time of the live broadcast; it just works for me.’
Kester Whyte, customer service representative – ‘When I do get the chance I listen to news on TV. If I have time I read the papers but if I need instant news I use the internet. TV…is a lot more engaging. Internet news is very fast, the best for breaking news and it has databases for old news. I don’t really listen to the radio.’
Vimal Persaud, student – ‘I’m not one for hard news; if I get any news it’s just sports related. I would check online but the sites are international ones and not local ones. I would also dedicate a lot of time to the television broadcasts of any sports news. If I need local news I would just hear it back from friends or something. Maybe if I’m flicking through the channels and it’s on I’ll pause a bit, but it’s not something I actively seek out.’
Abena Lyles, customer services representative – ‘I read newspapers only on the weekends – on Saturdays and Sundays. I keep it to those two days because that’s the only time I’m free from work and I have the time to sit and read the newspapers. I do check some of the online versions for the newspapers as well if I have the time.’
