APNU yesterday apologised to Guyana Chronicle reporter Tamica Garnett for an expletive-laden volley which was aimed at her by party member Carol Smith Joseph and said that all journalists must be treated with respect.
Earlier in the day, Joseph herself apologised to Garnett.
“As (a) woman to another woman, I wish to apologize for my outburst when Ms. Tamica Garnett called me yesterday on my personal and private phone”, she said.
Garnett, who has been a reporter for many years, made a phone call to Joseph asking her for information relating to which areas the party will be contesting in the upcoming LGE.
However, instead of getting that information, Joseph proceeded to call the state-run Guyana Chronicle, biased, and demanded that the reporter not call her back, while sprinkling her dialogue with expletives as could be heard in a recording.
“Where you say you from Guyana Chronicle? (expletive) Chronicle! Y’all don’t call my phone, y’all are too bias, (expletive) you.” Joseph was heard saying on the line during the phone call.
While apologizing, both A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Joseph assailed the state-owned Guyana Chronicle.
“The APNU wishes to apologize to Ms. Tamica Garnett for the outburst of one of our members against her. We believe that this is not the appropriate way to deal with a journalist. However, we support the view that the Chronicle Newspaper is a political rag that it is controlled by the PPP and is not deserving of being treated as a newspaper since it uses taxpayers’ money to promote PPP partisan interest and is therefore not deserving of respect. We wish to reaffirm our view that all journalists must be treated with respect”, the main opposition grouping said.
After offering her apology, Joseph said “it should be noted that I believe the Chronicle is a political rag that is doing the bidding of the PPP, including supporting trumped up charges against its political opponents and supporting the dictatorial PPP regime. In this regard one can hardly find language to address the egregious behavior of the `Guyana Chronicle’”.
She added: “I wish to state that I respect all women but cannot be respectful to the Chronicle which is a media house that promotes and supports PPP oppression of the people of Guyana”.
The Guyana Press Association had condemned the attack by Joseph on Garnett and had called on APNU to issue an apology.
