A NEW online newspaper with a weekly printed version edited by former Stabroek News chief, Anand Persaud, is about to be born. There are comical and secret dimensions to this emergence. First, its name is Kiskadee Watch. What contorted mind can come up with such a name?
It just doesn’t gel with journalism. A natural word that is associated with journalism should have been used, like “daily.” In the US, a much patronised online newspaper is titled, The Daily Beast. The Daily Kiskadee would have been more appropriate.
Secondly, with grand fanfare, the names behind the watching kiskadees announced the birth of an independent newspaper. And who are the independent names behind the watching kiskadees? One is GHK Lall. Well, if he is independent, then I suppose Netanyahu is pro-Palestinian.
Another name is Dr. Alissa Trotz. This is a shamelessly biased lady that ran a column in the Stabroek News (SN) for 10 years, and not one article was ever devoted to a positive analysis of any aspect of the Ali presidency. And of course there is the bossman, Anand Persaud, who is to journalism what Aubrey Norton is to politics, meaning their time came and went.
What is not public knowledge is the constant disagreement the DeCaires siblings (Brendon and Isabelle) had with Persaud. The man was ragingly anti-government to the point where the SN was an all-out anti-government signpost. Persaud lost his way and turned SN into an acerbic hater. Some of SN’s editorials were racist and culturally contemptuous of the Indian leadership of the PPP. What could GHK Lall, Trotz and Persaud give to Guyana after the disaster SN became? What dispassionate analysis could these people offer this nation?
Thirdly, secrets abound. A certain well-known name that had incredible leverage in the former SN has given a sizeable amount to the start-up of this entity. This man told me and Leonard Craig that he is wealthy. Here are his own words to me and Craig: “I got capital.” A certain embassy in Guyana has given a large amount for the startup.
Interesting to note is that this money is not directly given to Kiskadee Watch but comes under the rubric of civil society donations. For example, Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) replied to me in the newspapers to say it did not receive funds from this embassy. But here is what happened. Policy Forum of which the GHRA is an integral part, received a huge disbursement from this embassy last year. Remember Watergate – follow the money!
Fourthly, the owners of Kiskadee Watch got rejected when they wanted to use the Stabroek News’ name. For the DeCaires siblings, that would have despoiled the legacy of their father. Imagine what would have happened to that legacy when Kiskadee Watch started watching. Only under the beds of PPP leaders will the Kiskadee watch.
Fifthly, the Kiskadee watchers got rejected again because they wanted the name Stabroek to be in the paper’s title. They played around the idea of Stabroek this and Stabroek that. But it didn’t go down well with the siblings. You can actually start an online paper with the word Stabroek in it. It is only the appellation Stabroek News that is copyrighted. You cannot be sued by for using the title, The Stabroek Post. I am planning an online news outlet titled, Stabroek Phoenix.
Sixthly, the kiskadee watchers are planning to sustain the newspaper through donations to a bank account. But the plan raises questions of accountability. Anand Persaud never practised accountability to readers and the nation when he was SN boss. For an account of his lack of accountability, see my column of last Friday titled, “Anand Persaud formerly of Stabroek News wants explanations.”
What SN’s ownership and Mr. Persaud never told the public when the newspaper was about to be closed was that some of its shareholders were angry at the state of anti-government temperament at the newspaper. The DeCaires siblings had the majority shares but there were other shareholders that felt it was time to pull out because SN no longer had the image that it once had.
So Persaud, Trotz and GHL Lall want you to give money to the upkeep of Kiskadee Watch, but what about accountability? Take Trotz. She is going to revive her column in Kiskadee Watch titled “In The Diaspora” in which she is going to proclaim it is a page for the Guyana diapora to be informed.
But why should members of the Guyana diaspora give money to sustain In The Diaspora and Trotz and only Trotz decides that the column will be an anti-government platform? Aren’t there diaspora members in the thousands that support and admire President Irfaan Ali?
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.