FREDDIE Kissoon’s poor journalism is becoming more and more transparent these days. His yellow journalism is flamboyantly showcased in his very many journalistic ‘mistakes’, for which he takes no responsibility.
He is as arrogant now as he ever was. It is clear that Freddie Kissoon does not respect the principle of responsible journalism in which a journalist employs research as a means of verification, to ensure that what he presents to the public is true and factual.
In the Freddie column of April 7, 2011, ‘An apology to Stella’, Freddie confessed that in a previous column, he published misinformation that was potentially damaging to the career and reputation of Magistrate Beharry. In his column, he condemned the Magistrate’s verdict of charging a defendant $85,000 bail for stealing $4,000. This was completely false, and it was only after the Magistrate made her concerns known, that Freddie recanted in his column (yesterday’s). In actuality, the amount stolen was $84,000, and bail was set at $4,000. According to Kissoon, he is completely faultless; he cannot be chastised for this, since he got that information from the Stabroek News.
As an afterthought, at the end of his April 7 column, Freddie writes: “I am told that Magistrate Beharry is discomforted by an article of mine that criticized her for placing bail of $85,000 on an accused who stole $4000. I got that figure from the published version of Stabroek News.
It turned out that the alleged stolen amount was $84, 000. I couldn’t know that from what I read. In this context, the magistrate can see the fault was not mine.” Of course, all Guyanese understand this completely. It is absolutely not Freddie Kissoon’s responsibility as a journalist to verify his information before he writes and publishes it.
Freddie was also caught lying in the case of the squatters that reside opposite the Caricom Secretariat.
This premeditated lie was the focus of his column: ‘I know why the Government did away with Prescriptive Rights’, March 16, 2011. He conjured up that entire story, and knowingly allowed Kaieteur News to publish and circulate it countrywide.
Freddie Kissoon is truly a dangerous man whose hatred for this government knows no bounds. He sinks his venom into anyone who finds themselves on the sinister side of his anger.