THIS letter is a potpourri of previously published thoughts on what is regrettably called journalism in Guyana.
It is clear that the mass media as the new opposition, invariably, takes an adversarial stance against this government. The stance may be devoid of evidentiary foundation, and indeed, these people consistently refute the charge of adversarialism, and assert that their reporting is objective and responsible. This new opposition is able to get away with this perspective. They project the view that since the masses or ordinary people are myopic and provide poor judgments of their own interests and needs, then these ordinary people, the masses become vulnerable and gullible, enabling the ruling political group to engage in deception against them.
And their only saviour is the new opposition, the mass media, which can manage this deception on their behalf; the mass media convinces the people that they have the necessary wherewithal to deal with the Government on their behalf; for this reason, the mass media as the new opposition maneuver its way, in Chomsky and Herman’s language, to manufacture this consent from the masses. The deception comes from the new opposition. This is what this new opposition does in this country.

For this reason, the mass media as the new opposition dishes up a thin interest within the populace; and its focus is too much on the ‘bull’, but even the bull is without evidence. We need evidenced-based journalism.
Sometimes, I wonder if political wisdom suddenly is the new kid on the block among some unique breed of columnists, editors, and paid letter writers of this country; who seemingly and arrogantly posture themselves as owning and controlling all the solutions to developmental problems here. But on closer introspection, their solutions fail to withstand rigorous testing; their solutions are not grounded in the full breadth of data and information; their solutions are false and gleefully rhetoric.

The bottom line is Guyana unhappily bears the misfortune of accommodating a growing false journalism, a journalism of allegations. Their writings inducing incitement and excitement to the usual suspects expose their permanent obsessions with distinctive governmental figures, an obsession, they fantasize, will catapult them to political stardom.

These pen pushers peddle a false battle cry and an evil battle hymn today, painting Guyana as an elected dictatorship, and a failed state, and indeed, the ad nauseum allegations of corruption, money laundering, and narcotics connections. But then mine eyes see the new emerging election season upon us, and provides me with instructive insights into the minds of these pen pushers; insights that propel this unique breed of so-called journalists to metamorphose into the new irresponsible new political opposition.
Nonetheless, make no mistake about the fact that the new opposition, meaning the mass media and some political derelicts, has a propaganda system. Every time a person writes or speaks in support of the Government’s line, that person receives the label of ‘propagandist’ from the hands of the new and old oppositionists. But whether or not these oppositionists carry the wisdom of God to know that their line of work carries the full course propaganda menu really is a story that needs telling and retelling. You have to constantly keep in mind that the new opposition is ‘the mass media’ to really understand their daily flow of propaganda; for oftentimes, people are apt to believe everything the columnists and news stories say against this Government. I have no doubts that there are flubs, or if you like a better term, ‘bull’, on the governmental side; but if that is all the so-called journalists can see, then they should seek real jobs, rather than parading as journalists. What this country needs is evidence-based journalism, not a journalism of allegations.