President David Granger yesterday pledged money to support the Guyana Press Association so that the organisation could provide training programmes for journalists.
“I would like to pledge hard money in support of the Guyana Press Association in 2016,” Granger told attendees at a brunch he hosted for media workers on the lawns of State House. He said that his administration would not interfere in the programme.
“Once the Guyana Press Association is prepared to mount these seminars, maybe one a quarter, without intervening in the actual programme or the doctrine, the State would assist you to get the journalists together and to look after the logistics,” Granger promised.
“We need strong media and I want to support you to ensure that new entrants into the profession are given the types of exposure and training that would give the State the critical analysis, the critical reporting that it needs to perform its functions,” he said.
The president emphasised the importance of continuous training of journalists as they play an integral role in edifying and notifying the public about currents events of the country. As such, the president said, there should be regular seminars and workshops to provide media workers with an opportunity to develop themselves in their field.
Cautioning reporters on the importance of impartiality and compartmentalization in the execution of their tasks, Granger lamented that sometimes incorrect articles are published. He said the erroneous work is not corrected in some cases as there are editors and supervisors who themselves are untrained about journalism ethics.
“That is the problem of journalism that many people write because they could write…people write because they want to say something but it is not subject to the scrutiny of trained editors, it is not subject to the scrutiny of professionals who could guide them,” he said.
According to the president, he supports journalists who would not compromise themselves. “I am very frequently pleased with journalists who walk from editors who behave in an unprofessional manner. It takes a lot of guts sometimes to walk,” he asserted.
A former media worker himself, who has had training in the United States in journalism, Granger highlighted the training of international journalists saying that mediocrity is not tolerated and trainees had to meet a certain standard. “I regard journalism as profession, not a ‘wuk’ that you do until something better comes along,” he said.
According to Granger, his government is open to constructive criticisms and wants to know the views of citizens so as to plan to cater to their needs. “I would not like to be head of a government which is not subject to criticism. It’s no point going on and on thinking you are doing the right thing because a journalist gives a nod, gives the Chief a good report,” he posited.
“We want to know the truth and when we find out what the truth is, we will correct our performance and as a result of that the country will be all the better but if journalists do not behave in a professional manner I think we are on slippery slope,” he said.
