THE Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) yesterday expressed alarm at what it called the increasing number of cases of irresponsible journalism, especially aimed at character assignation.

The Chamber said in a press release yesterday that one glaring and recent example occurred on February 24 when the Kaieteur News carried a headline “Muse or Amuse…Sold!!!!”.
The headline according to the release singled out and assaulted in the most cruel and disgusting manner former chairmen of the Private Sector Commission Gerald Gouveia and Ramesh Dookhoo.
The release went on to state that the article was published without securing any concrete evidence to back up the claims which were made.
The major business representative body made it clear that it was and still is grateful for the many years of service given by both of the former executives towards the private sector and in the interest of national development.
In addition the release went on to condemn what it considers the wild accusations made in the article which was published in the February 24 edition of the Kaieteur News.
The Chamber declared also that instead of adhering to reporting the news with the strictest of ethics as the universal hallmark of professional journalism, nearly all of the dailies have descended into an unfortunate predilection for unprofessional practices.
Added to that, the release stated that this is so especially in the rush to make incomplete, ill-considered judgments before the material facts have been fully vetted and verified.
The Chamber said that many unsubstantiated claims are made regarding people, situations, incidents, etc. Moreover, according to the release, the normally rigorous practices of fact checking, clearly seems to have taken a back seat in the prevailing journalism landscape.
“Similarly, many attempt to hide under the guise of satire – or snarking, as it is popularly referred to around the world – while hurling accusations, declarations and insinuations towards individuals and organisations” the GCCI release added.
Media operatives and media outlets have been reminded that they have a primary responsibility to inform and report accurately. It certainly is a disservice to the readers when misinformation arises not only from careless, incomplete reporting or refusal to acknowledge facts and evidence are incomplete but also perhaps more dangerously when the published information relies on extremely poor assumptions that ignore “facts on the ground” about policies and issues.
In conclusion the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce in its release noted it is always ready to engage in discussion with all relevant stakeholders concerning the relationship with the media along with the expectations of ethical responsibility.
Further the release concluded that undoubtedly, the media fraternity in Guyana plays an essential role in the dialogue and debate critical to a vibrant, dynamic society and the GCCI also believe it is important to ensure that the media fraternity is held consistently in the highest esteem throughout the country.