Dear Editor,
Journalism is not as glamorous a profession as some people might think from the outside looking in. And print journalism is even less so. It doesn’t pay that well, the hours are brutal, and mistakes haunt your dreams.
And yet, I consider myself lucky to have been among those who have contributed to the soon-to-be concluded mission of the Stabroek News.[1] Like many others before and after me, I entered the newspaper’s newsroom with no real world experience and left with an education in most things. Admittedly, I had some great teachers. They include Miranda La Rose, Patrick Denny, Gitanjali Persaud, Cheryl Springer, Anna Benjamin, David de Caires, and, of course, Anand Persaud.
Stabroek News represents a lot of different things to a lot of different people. As heartening as it’s been to read the testimonials of many about the role the newspaper has played in shaping their lives and serving the Guyanese society, I am aware that there are some who are celebrating its impending closure.[2] For me, the “fastest growing economy in the world” is poorer for the loss.
At some point I settled on the idea of Stabroek News as a public service. It’s been the newspaper of record. And a watchdog for public accountability. And, perhaps most importantly, it’s been a space for civic discourse about our national development, often giving a voice to the voiceless. Has it fulfilled these roles perfectly? No but not for a lack of trying.
To give credit where it is due: I have never met anyone with the work ethic of Anand Persaud and an unwavering commitment towards ensuring public accountability and transparency. I may not have always agreed with him but I rarely ever doubted his motivation.
A sad reality of much of our civic discourse is the tendency to dub all interlocutors who may be critical or even question the decisions of the executive as “anti-government.” You could call such framing lazy, or malicious. I’m open to the idea that it could be both or even something else entirely. I am pretty sure all
administrations from the very beginning of Stabroek News to present have branded the newspaper “anti-government,” which is testament to some kind of consistency. But that label doesn’t fit. It’s never been “anti-government” or “anti-development.” It’s “anti-corruption.” It’s “anti-abuse of power.” And I’d add that it’s “pro-democracy,” and “pro-good governance,” and “pro-Guyana.”
Here, like elsewhere around the world, there is a concerted effort to control the narrative of our development as a people. This is why our independent media and independent voices remain crucial. They hold power to account. They ask the uncomfortable questions. They show us who we are, mistakes and all.