I agreed with your point. GRTS is the right place to debate any issue affecting the Gambia. Tombong knows that only few people have access to the internet.
Please Tombong as the MD of GRST, arrange a debate between Maron Jammeh's camp(which you are part of) and the opposition camp.
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Let Us Debate The Issues(GRTS) >Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 08:04:37 EST > >I'd like to suggest we take Tombong up on his proposal. If list members >agree, GRTS sounds like a great place for us to start both for the crucial >role that it plays in reaching the biggest chunk of the population and the >fact that Mr Saidy runs it. As I have said before GRTS is playing a very >destructive role in the way it purports to inform the public. The whole >enterprise is just so blatantly unprofessional that they can't be called a >legitimate information outlet. The reporters come across as propaganda >commissars who make no effort to even appear balanced in the way they present >stories. I have never heard a GRTS story on any issue in which the simple >journalistic ethos of presenting both sides of an issue is observed. The >writing and presentation of even their own skewed broadcasts are so poor that >one can only conclude that GRTS either has no internal standards and >guidelines that can remotely be called professional. Listening to these >reporters is almost akin to having to contend with kindergarten kids >struggling with nursery rhymes. They are flat and amateurish. The overall >programing especially at the TV reflects a galling case of misplaced >priorities. I just don't understand why Mr Saidy flies around the world >buying syndicated shows of soap operas with the very scant resources he has >instead of investing in the training and professionalisation of the small >pool he has at the department to increase their talent to produce better >programming that actually reflect our own realities. With the advent of TV , >Gambians today have no better understanding of their country's economy, >health, environment or any other public policy isuue. If for example the >director of social security administration decides to donate D50,000 of the >tax payers money to Yahya Jammehs foundation as it was dutifully reported by >GRTS, it is only sensible for the same TV cameras to go to politicians who I >am certain vehemently oppose shifting public funds to a dubious private >foundation and the people are entitled to hearing that opinion in that very >same piece. It simply is the right thing to do. The fairness doctrine is what >underlies the practice of journalism everywhere in the world. If you run GRTS >by hounding and threatening the professionals and living the reporting to >incompetent sychophants, you would just be wasting resources in a vane >attempt to run what you believe to be an effective propaganda machine. The >public can easily see through all the stuff you try to peddle in a not so >elaborate bid to prop up a regime that is greatly reviled by most of the >people. I would implore you to at last make an effort to do the right thing. >Try to be professional and cover the news as it is. Organise forums and >invite a cross section of the population to discuss public policy. Stop >trying to ignore the opposition who collectively represent the overwhelming >majority of the people. Bring them into the studio, and cover them on the >road to enable the Gambian people to hear them out.Ask them all the tough >questions you can muster and take them to task but by God let the people hear >and see them. If Yahya or Yankuba are confident of their record in this >country, it is your job to create an enabling environment where they and >their critics can debate those same issues. You have never done what is >called investigative journalism. There is certainly is plenty to investigate. >You have never reached out to the excellent private print reporters and bring >them in to discuss stories they have broken which you choose to ignore. Bring >Dyedah Hydara, Demba Jawo and all the rest and do a round table to review the >news and inform the people. All of this would just serve to enhance GRTS. >But if you continue to cower down and do the gov't's bidding and willingly >act as eager conduits for lies and misinformation, the greater harm is done >to you and the people in your department. Budding reporters who could >otherwise have been molded into real professionals would find themselves so >compromised that they may not be able fit in a reformed GRTS once a new gov't >takes over. Make a break from the past and set an example with the upcoming >by-elections.Cover the races extensively and be scrucupously fair in the >allocation of airtime. Help all the parties to produce their campaign ads in >your broadcast facilities. Call in your reporters and have them be >professional and improve the writing by having editors look and vet text . >Since you lived in the US try to come as close to being PBS as you can. If >the gov't is chagrined by your attempts to do the right thing and fires you, >it would been the least you can do for a people you have contributed in >inflicting great harm. >Karamba > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] >if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. >----------------------------------------------------------------------------