WHEN the bigger, better network, “DIGICEL”, is the major sponsor for any sports event, the least I expect from any journalist of the dailies with their coverage interview is to ask the “bigger and better questions.” To my mind, it goes hand in hand with the slogan of Digicel, and it makes an interview more balanced.
Miss Juanita Hooper, I followed a KN report dated June 6, 2012 and headlined “President/Jefford Classic 111 succeeded on many levels.” It was indeed a great effort on your part, and I welcome the report.
However, don’t view the following as a negative, but rather as an avenue to enable the healthy growth of your journalism career; and this applies to others from the other three dailies.
I believe the brilliant minds would agree that I have a valid point.
It is my respectful opinion that you have failed to ask the hardcore questions of Mr. Edison Jefford, Coordinator of the Linden 2012 Meet, and I believe that a part 2 or a backup interview would be of great interest to me and others who have a passion for sports and would love to see it develop to a much higher level.
I am merely a sports enthusiast who doesn’t believe Mr. Edison Jefford would ever respond to my concerns; but you, being an accredited journalist sharing the same office, he is more or less bound to give some responses, which in turn will be channelled to readers.
The following are questions I need to be educated on, and hopefully, you will undertake the task of asking them through report coverage:
1. Who are the committee members of the President/Jefford’s Track Meet?
2. The current hot topic in Guyana is corruption in many government agencies, and Mr. Christopher Ram went on record and voiced his report about sports associations that are guilty of not producing audited financial reports. Can you (referring to Mr. E. Jefford) say for readers and sports supporters whether, for the past two years, the financial records of the Linden Track Meet — which you suspect is sanctioned by the Ministry of Sports –- have been audited?
3. $1.2 million were awarded in cash prizes to athletes/clubs at the 2012 meet. How much was awarded to the community of Linden for sports (track) development of any kind? And is there a “Fund” that was set up for the aspiring and talented athletes coming out of the Linden community?
Since the office of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) went on record and cleared the air, no one else has followed suit, and I am getting worried that most of what Mr. Christopher Ram said is accurate.