[www.inewsguyana.com] – Three reporters – Leana Bradshaw, Whitney Persaud and Sabatini Daniels employed at Guyana Times/Television Guyana (TVG) Channel 28, resigned with immediate effect on Tuesday November 5 over the battle between Glenn Lall and Guyana Times.
The management of Guyana Times in a statement revealed that Leana Bradshaw in an email, expressed fear for her safety in light of a recent series of explosive, investigative articles and stories the publication and the Evening News have been carrying about owner and publisher of the Kaieteur News.
According to the statement, “Two other female reporters also resigned, apparently in sympathy for their colleague’s fear. The resignations were submitted Tuesday to management following an editorial meeting involving reporters and staff.”
The statement noted that on Sunday, Bradshaw had initially met with an editor and explained that she had serious fear and reservations reading a story about Lall on television, as she believed she could be identified and targeted, being one of the news anchors for the television station’s newscast.
“Later that Sunday afternoon, when the reporter was told to read the story, she demurred and subsequently without the knowledge and approval of the editor, proceeded to excise the story about Lall from the newscast for the Sunday Evening News,” the statement said.
Bradshaw in her email to the company’s editor noted, “I am of the view that reading such articles puts my life at risk, as persons can associate the content with me, contrary to the newspaper reports where no by-lines are given or faces shown.”
The company’s statement noted that “So great was her fear of retaliation from Lall that Bradshaw told her editor that she was willing to voice the script once her face was not shown on television. This was confirmed by one of her colleagues who quit in sympathy. Bradshaw’s stance showed she had no substantive problem with the script, but reacted out of fear.”
General Manager of the Company, Daniel Singh said, “It is indeed a sad day when journalists have to operate in fear of certain personalities because they dare to investigate them and make public their findings.”
Singh is of the view that, “Journalists ought to be able to do their jobs without any fear of consequences at the hands of those whom they publish stories about.”
The management of Guyana Times/TVG is in the process of bolstering security for its staff in view of this recent development.
