Dear Editor,
So now we have the News Editor of the National Communications Network (NCN) being sent on leave resulting from an altercation at NCN’s newsroom with the Director of the Department of Public Information. The Director, however, remains on the job.
We have no explanation as to why the Director was present in NCN’s newsroom nor what caused him to confront the NCN News Editor, though it is reported that the NCN News Editor objected to an NCN employee who is a political candidate of a contesting political party continuing to present the news.
We also have, it is reported, the NCN-managed community station at Mabaruma being used exclusively to afford political campaign broadcasting time to the governing party. Is this now the purpose of accelerating the establishment of these, otherwise, excellent stations providing a voice for the local communities?
All of these events speak for themselves while our Broadcasting Authority maintains a stony silence on its responsibility to ensure fair and balanced broadcast coverage during the election period particularly with regard to the State owned and operated stations.
Yours faithfully,
Kit Nascimento
