-Chancellor tells GPA dinner

ACTING Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards on Saturday evening urged media operatives to shun sensational reporting and that they should understand the critical role they play in the development of this country.

She was at the time speaking at the Guyana Press Association (GPA) Awards Ceremony and Dinner held at the Herdmanston Lodge, Queentown, Georgetown. Justice Cummings-Edwards stressed the importance of the media in ensuring inclusivity, transparency and accountability and justice. Moreover, the Chancellor highlighted that in addition to the executive, legislative and the judicial pillars of democracy, the media function as the fourth pillar of democracy, due to its myriad functions. “A democracy without media has been described as a vehicle without wheels,” she said.

Cummings-Edwards stressed that journalists should not take their roles lightly and always ensure that whatever stories they tell are always factual, since the media are pivotal in shaping society. Additionally, she posited that sensational reporting should be stamped out and objective reporting should always be done.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Chronicle swept the awards collecting 14 awards across 10 categories. Guyana Chronicle Senior Reporter, Ravin Singh picked up six of the 14 awards and earned the title of the Young Journalist of the year after his submissions in this

category were deemed to be of the highest calibre. He also scored in the categories of Investigative Journalism, Parliament and Local Government, Environment and Science, Human Rights issues and Business and Finance.

During his brief remarks, Singh stressed, “Being outstanding or being great is not an esoteric feature that is limited to just a few people.” He continued by saying, “It is not limited to a group, or a few people, you can all be great in whatever capacity you serve and you just have to put your mind to your work [and] apply yourself.” He reflected upon the contributions of all of his colleagues towards the development of Guyana, and underscored that his success would not be possible without the contributions of those who helped him along the way.

In addition, Assistant Editor of the Guyana Chronicle Tajeram Mohabir raked in three awards for his pieces in the categories of Parliament and Local Government, Investigative Journalism and Science and the Environment. Chronicle journalists Stephan Sookram, Samuel Maughn, Rabindra Rooplall, Vanessa Braithwaite and Navendra Seoraj also scored awards at the ceremony. Additionally, former Newsroom reporter, Rawle Toney, who now works with the Guyana Chronicle copped two awards.

Cultural Policy Advisor to the Minister of Education and board member of the Guyana Chronicle, Ruel Johnson, lauded the performance of the Guyana Chronicle journalists. “It is an objective measure of the quality of journalism that vindicates that the state media can be involved in high-quality, meaningful journalism.”

He related also that while the performance of the Guyana Chronicle staffers was incredibly remarkable, it is his staunch belief that the newspapers reporters could perform even better by honing their skills in future, especially through the young and upcoming batch of journalists. Several other journalists from different media houses were awarded for their contributions within the field. This award ceremony has returned after a hiatus of several odd years.

This year’s panel of judges included: Reuters Senior Correspondent, Girish Gupta; Reuters Swiss/American journalist, Alexandra Ulmer; internationally recognised News Anchor and Environmental Producer and Presenter, Ugochi Oluigbo; Multimedia journalist and communications professional, Rahul Venkit; Zimbabwean journalist, author and editor, Robert Mukandiwa; Jamiacian journalist, Andrea Downer; Dutch Caribbean journalist, Alita Singh; Philippine journalist, Imelda Abano and President of the Association of Caribbean Media workers, Wesley Gibbings.