Dear Editor,
Calls for a boycott of any media are unacceptable unless the boycott is to protest an inequity in coverage of events or some other injustice. There were calls for and actual boycotts of the media in America by Black American leaders to protest “racist” and unequal coverage. In fact, the history of Black-Americans (and minority Americans in general) is a centuries old struggle against white oppression and discrimination, especially as regards the way minorities have been projected in the mass media. The boycotts helped to bring about change and relatively equitable treatment of minorities in the media.
Not long ago, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton launched a boycott (followed by protests and picketing exercises) against ABC Television, and the station responded favourably to their protests granting requests to the Black American community. So a boycott is acceptable if it addresses an injustice. But the injustice must be clearly stated supported by evidence – a pattern of abuse and or discrimination against an entity or a group. The media must be fair and objective in its reporting and commentaries.
The advocates for a media boycott in Guyana have to show a pattern of media injustice or unfair coverage of their activities before calling for a boycott. Otherwise, any boycott will fail just like previous calls for boycotts of selected media. The advocates for a boycott should first meet with the media operatives and express their concerns with evidence. If the alleged pattern of bias does not change, then a boycott would be a just recourse as has been the case in the US especially by Blacks, Hispanics, Asians (including Indians) and indigenous Americans.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
