NCN Staff lied about identity to access APNU meetings – Party frowns at “lopsided reporting”

[www.inewsguyana.com] – The main Opposition Parliamentary Party – a Partnership for National Unity  (APNU) says it finds the recent press release by the National Communication Network (NCN), accusing the Partnership of harassment, to be ludicrous, disingenuous and mendacious.

In a release today the Party said “APNU recently had cause to ask two reporters to leave a meeting after they intentionally lied about their media affiliation; a cameraman claiming to be Dillon Sampson from Capitol News and a reporter who identified herself as Olivia Rose were asked to leave when it was determined that they were not from Capitol News but from NCN.”

According to the APNU, this incident occurred at a meeting that was not open to the public and the unethical falsification of credentials by the NCN crew was reported to the management of Capitol News.

Earlier today, NCN issued a release alleging that several of its media operatives [reporters and cameramen] are being constantly harassed by “known operatives and activists” APNU during its ongoing Public Meetings, particularly in Region Four; reasoning that its agenda is to intimidate its journalists and other operatives.

To This end, APNU says it finds the claim by the NCN that “NCN is not aligned to or is an organ of any political party” to be a fallacy and laughable.

“It is a fact that NCN operates as an organ (mouth –piece) of the Peoples Progressive party Civic administration.  It is a fact that the NCN has an institutional policy that refuses to give equal time or coverage to opposition parties in Guyana. It is a fact that NCN’s coverage of political and national events is biased,” the statement added.

The Party recalled too that in 2012 the Leader of the Opposition had cause to write to the Speaker of the National Assembly and the President of Guyana to complain about the quality and biased character of reporting by NCN; at that time APNU threatened to exclude NCN unless they were more balanced in their coverage. “In 2013 and 2014 the practice of gutter journalism and disinformation by NCN continues- nothing has changed.”

APNU sees the current accusations being made by NCN as part of the executive war on the legislative branch. APNU affirms too that there is no place in the modern media for the “lopsided reporting.”

APNU say to the National Communications Network “hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye; and then thou shall see more clearly to cast out the speck from someone else’s eye.”