National Communications Network (NCN) journalist Natasha Smith is calling for a full probe to be done by the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU), the Guyana Press Association (GPA) and the Ministry of Social Protection to determine why she was relieved of her duties as a news presenter.
“Information circulating on social media may or may not be true but it is my view that only a probe into what transpired in the management meeting where the directive was given to replace me as News Anchor can bring out the truth from all sides,” Smith said in a statement, breaking her silence on the matter.
Smith was reported to have been pulled from presenting the daily “NCN 6 O’ clock News” because of her pregnancy but the management of NCN yesterday denied that it was the reason behind the decision.
“Management wishes to make it publicly known that Natasha Smith was not removed from anchoring because of her expectant condition or marital status, as is erroneously being (peddled),” the company said in a statement issued last evening.
“NCN upholds the rights of all its employees in relation to their private lives and may only be required to address aspects of personal issues if they impede the employee’s performance on the job,” the statement added.
It did not, however, explain the decision to have Smith relieved of anchoring duties.
NCN Chief Executive Officer Lennox Cornette on Sunday had refuted claims that Smith was relieved of her duties as anchor because of her pregnancy.
Meanwhile, GPA President Neil Marks yesterday told Stabroek News that the association would be meeting with the management of NCN today to seek a clear explanation on the matter.
Smith, in her statement yesterday, said while she was informed of a new directive to allow her to continue to read the news until she proceeds on maternity leave, the stress of the situation led her to decide against resuming reading the news.
She explained that on August 8, she was informed by a senior manager of the company that she would relieved of presenting the news.
She said on the following day, she was called by another senior manager, who said he was outraged about what was said in the management meeting and told her he believed that as a woman she had a right to become pregnant and bear a child without it being a hindrance to her job.
She said on the same day, she was called to the office of the Editor-In-Chief (E.I.C), who explained that she would be relieved of reading the news because the CEO did not like what he saw when he looked at the news.
“She told me that she was given a directive to remove me from reading the news in a management meeting on August 8 because the ‘image’ was not looking good for the news,” she said.
Smith said when she enquired if it had anything to do with her pregnancy, the E.I.C did not respond to the question directly but asked her to wear bigger clothes. “She said the directive came from the C.E.O and she is just following instructions,” she added.
Smith noted too that prior to the meeting with the E.I.C, the cameramen told her that a directive was given not to show her belly but to take tight or close-up shots of her while she was reading the news. “…when I enquired about the reason for this they responded by saying that this is a directive that was given to them by the E.I.C,” she noted, while adding that a similar directive was not given for any other anchor.
She noted that in 2011, when she was pregnant with twins, there was never any issue with regards to her anchoring or attire, nor any directive to cameramen to shoot from her bust upwards.
She added that during the meeting with the E.I.C, she was told that the close-up shots would continue.
“At that point I felt hurt and angry,” she said, while adding, “not for myself but for my child who I consider a blessing. Given the fact that I have to hide a part of by body, makes him seem like something unwanted or to be ashamed of.”
As a result, Smith contacted her union representative and sought a meeting with the Human Resources Manager. She said the Human Resources Manager did not deny that the directive was given but insisted that it was not with immediate effect and that the E.I.C was misrepresenting what was said in the management meeting.
She said both she and her union representative met with the CEO and the Human Resources Manager on different occasions afterward and the CEO denied that she was being removed because of her pregnancy.
Smith, who has been working with the company for eight years, said she did not wish to embarrass the company, only to find out what was responsible for the decision to relieve her of her duties as anchorwoman.
Meanwhile, the NCN statement also addressed the suspension of sports editor Jocelle Archibald-Hawk for one month, without pay. “The company wishes to state that due process was followed in arriving at its decision. While the current issue is about disparaging comments made on social media about her colleague’s work and name calling, several other factors and incidents involving Mrs. Archibald-Hawk were considered. NCN will not descend into divulging the details about personnel matters in the public domain,” it added.
The inciting incident for disciplinary action against Archibald-Hawk was a comment on her Facebook page: “Who goes to interview the president… The President and asks about pokemon go…. I’m surrounded by idiots.”
Cornette is quoted in the NCN statement as saying that that it is unfortunate that the issues surrounding the employees have been misunderstood and misrepresented. “In the case of Mrs. Archibald-Hawk, he expressed surprise that, ‘a simple HR matter that was investigated and dealt with, after a report by the aggrieved party, has now elevated itself on social media as a denial of freedom of expression,’” it said.
