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What...on EARTH... is going on in Guyana?
I'm not even there and I'm terrified. Barely three weeks after the Lusignan massacre, there has been another attack and a dozen people (including 3 policemen) are reported to have been murdered in Bartica.
Stabroek News (which has been kept morbidly busy in recent times) reports:
Gunmen last night slaughtered around a dozen persons in a major assault on Bartica reminiscent of the Lusignan massacre and the dead included at least three policemen, reports this morning said.
The hour-long strafing which saw the criminals overrunning the Bartica Police Station and residents locking up in their homes raises major questions about the aims of the gunmen and the ability of the security forces to respond.
While it was difficult to obtain precise information on the chaos that ensued, Stabroek News has been able to confirm as best as possible the names of some of the dead. They are: Edwin Gilkes of Banks DIH/Citizens Bank's premises on First Avenue; Mervin Ferreira, a guard of CBR Mining and Marcus Gonsalves, a teller of Citizen's Bank whose body was found in his car on First Avenue. The surnames of the dead policemen have been given as Osbourne, Zakir and Fredericks.
Also among the dead are five persons who had slung up their hammocks on the wharf reportedly awaiting transportation to go about their business. They were gunned down in the wild firing that occurred as terror gripped the gateway to the interior. The five are believed to be employees of Budhoo's General Store. Two policemen and several other injured persons were to be transported this morning to the Georgetown Hospital via Baganara.
You can read the rest here.
Is anyone in this group on the ground in Guyana? What is going on? Is this another attack by Fineman?
From a journalistic point of view - it brings to mind a whole heap of questions. I have covered a few murders and that is uncomfortable enough, but how on earth do you report on a massacre? I pride myself on never crying over any story (though I cry easily in my private life, I was always able to seperate my emotions at work) but is it even possible to maintain your journalistic cool during something like this?
I admire the tenacity of the Guyanese press in reporting on these tragedies, though some disagree - Cabinet secretary Roger Luncheon has accused some in the Guyanese media of 'justifying' the Lusignan massacre.
Perhaps inevitably in Guyana, there has also been some measure of politicking over the racial undertones in the Lusignan massacre (the alleged perpetrators were black, the victims Indian). President Jagdeo has called on the Opposition Leader to acknowledge that there are murderers in his constituency and saying he will not have dialogue with him until he acknowledges that and others talking about the massacre being a sign of Afro-Guyanese discontent.
How should reporters deal with this? Any thoughts?
Stabroek News (which has been kept morbidly busy in recent times) reports:
Gunmen last night slaughtered around a dozen persons in a major assault on Bartica reminiscent of the Lusignan massacre and the dead included at least three policemen, reports this morning said.
The hour-long strafing which saw the criminals overrunning the Bartica Police Station and residents locking up in their homes raises major questions about the aims of the gunmen and the ability of the security forces to respond.
While it was difficult to obtain precise information on the chaos that ensued, Stabroek News has been able to confirm as best as possible the names of some of the dead. They are: Edwin Gilkes of Banks DIH/Citizens Bank's premises on First Avenue; Mervin Ferreira, a guard of CBR Mining and Marcus Gonsalves, a teller of Citizen's Bank whose body was found in his car on First Avenue. The surnames of the dead policemen have been given as Osbourne, Zakir and Fredericks.
Also among the dead are five persons who had slung up their hammocks on the wharf reportedly awaiting transportation to go about their business. They were gunned down in the wild firing that occurred as terror gripped the gateway to the interior. The five are believed to be employees of Budhoo's General Store. Two policemen and several other injured persons were to be transported this morning to the Georgetown Hospital via Baganara.
You can read the rest here.
Is anyone in this group on the ground in Guyana? What is going on? Is this another attack by Fineman?
From a journalistic point of view - it brings to mind a whole heap of questions. I have covered a few murders and that is uncomfortable enough, but how on earth do you report on a massacre? I pride myself on never crying over any story (though I cry easily in my private life, I was always able to seperate my emotions at work) but is it even possible to maintain your journalistic cool during something like this?
I admire the tenacity of the Guyanese press in reporting on these tragedies, though some disagree - Cabinet secretary Roger Luncheon has accused some in the Guyanese media of 'justifying' the Lusignan massacre.
Perhaps inevitably in Guyana, there has also been some measure of politicking over the racial undertones in the Lusignan massacre (the alleged perpetrators were black, the victims Indian). President Jagdeo has called on the Opposition Leader to acknowledge that there are murderers in his constituency and saying he will not have dialogue with him until he acknowledges that and others talking about the massacre being a sign of Afro-Guyanese discontent.
How should reporters deal with this? Any thoughts?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kim J Young on
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I am curious as to the never-ending issue of race issues in Guyana and whether this has to do with the murders. In my view they are not undertones, while I accept the use of that terminology. Guyana is rife with racism between and among the Indo and Afro-Guyanese. It is not an undertone for me, it is OPEN and BLATANT and BRAZEN. Imagine, when I was in Guyana, people trying to determine what category I belong in because I am bi-racial. Alas, none, I was persona non grata....on the fringes!
If the Indo-Guyanese and the Afro-Guyanese, or as they call them "negroe Guyanese", are still fighting, then this crime will never end.
One has to remember as well, the socio-political issues that have plagued Guyana for ages all the way back to Burnham and before, and absolutely no make over by winning a pageant as was suggested in a BBC report, will help put Guyana's image back together, nor will cricket, lovely cricket.
How do journalists deal with this? I must admit I was taken aback by Dr Roger Luncheon's comments about the media's alleged role in "JUSTIFYING" the muders. If so, then we must look at the demographic within the various media houses. I don't know if one is Indo and the other (and there are more than two) is Afro but the mere fact that the allegation went out make my antennae go up? Even more ridiculous is the idea that the President will not have dialogue until the constitutency representative admits it happened in his (the opposition leader's constituency). That is debase and immature.
How does the media deal with this, I ask again. Covering a massacre is not like covering a murder. I, like you Amanda, do not cry when covering news. I am "immune", the adrenalin is rushing and I do my job BUT I cry at home and weep at NIU killings, problems in our Caribbean, autism killing families, so to speak, the kids dying of starvation in Kenya and Darfur while everyone else super-sizes their food!
It means journalist (without the information I need to make my case solid), need to report on these matters OBJECTIVELY. How can this be done, when as we both know we all have out biases? By standing firm to our ethical responsibilities.
Massacre involves emotion and in a country rife with racism and classism and castes and so on, then this is highly problematic. I must think of this more.
The major consideration too is that journalist must also keep themselves SAFE!
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Permalink Reply by Julie Wilson on -
There is something seriously wrong in Guyana and I think it is time for the RSS to step in and to assist the local police with maintaining law and order there. Reporters need to be sensitive when dealing with this issue and not create a situation where oher people become targets. I know that our business thrives on clarity where ever possible but I think that reporters should get the story but don't identify the source and use a pseudonym where ever possible once the respective media bosses agree on this. I am unclear as to whether or not these killings are racially motivated
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Permalink Reply by Zeeska Lee on -
"I must admit I was taken aback by Dr Roger Luncheon's comments about the media's alleged role in "JUSTIFYING" the muders. If so, then we must look at the demographic within the various media houses. I don't know if one is Indo and the other (and there are more than two) is Afro but the mere fact that the allegation went out make my antennae go up?"
I have to agree it's worth looking into. The coverage of both the Guyana Chronicle and Kaieteur News was quite sedated this time around.
Following the Lugsignan massacre the Kaieteur News reported receiving a telephone call from "Fineman" threatening to continue his rampage until his mate was returned. I took issue with this particular coverage because they appeared to be acting as spokesperson for the guy. Taken together with the then newly setup fund for victims of the massacre sent my antennae up. Pure coincidence, I'm skeptical?
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on -
"Following the Lugsignan massacre the Kaieteur News reported receiving a telephone call from "Fineman" threatening to continue his rampage until his mate was returned. I took issue with this particular coverage because they appeared to be acting as spokesperson for the guy."
This is exactly one of the journalistic dilemmas I'm speaking about. How do you deal with ethical considerations of that as a journalist? If an unprecedented massacre occurs and the person purporting to be behind just ups and calls the newsroom - how do you respond? Because whatever he has to say IS NEWS. Though he is loathsome and may indeed be using the media as a bully pulpit to get his message across, it's still news because it gives insight (however twisted) into something that everyone is trying to understand.
If you were the reporter/editor that got that call (apparently he spoke to two senior editors, one black and one Indian from what I could glean from the two bylines) what do you do? Does the pure news value of it outweigh the moral considerations of giving this psychopath an opportunity to spread more fear?
By that same token - should CNN not have interviewed Bin Laden back when they did? Should Al Jazeera not broadcast the videos they get from extremists claiming to work in the name of Islam? When does it cross the line from being newsworthy to being a spokesperson/promoter for criminals? Governments may have the luxury of choosing not to negotiate with terrorists but can journalists afford to be as squeamish?
What thinks you all?
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Permalink Reply by Zeeska Lee on
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Amanda, is the fact that 11 persons were killed yet the fund set up for victims at the time the article was published stood at $3M plus....irrelevant considerations. Today, it is $12M plus. And, how would you describe today's coverage by the Guyana Chronicle.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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I'm not trying to be obtuse here but I'm not following you. Are you implying that they used the 'interview' with Fineman to draw more attention to the victims' fund and hence their publication? Just guessing, not sure...
As to the coverage in the Chronicle - I will confess, I have been mostly reading the coverage from Stabroek News (it tends to be the first Guyanese publication that came up when I was googling the incidents). Since you mentioned it, I did check out the Chronicle's coverage yesterday and today. Maybe because I'm only just checking it and have no context to put it in, I'm missing something - what is wrong with it?
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Permalink Reply by Zeeska Lee on
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Sorry Amanda, I really need to make a 360 degrees to complete my class assignments. There's a mountain of books to read and I have to convert my 24hrs into 48. One of my assignments is a critical analysis of Barbados media. Any contributions/criticism/suggestions for improvement even historical data would be appreciated.
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