Media houses must fact-check Freddie Kissoon

Dear Editor,

The consistent diet of inaccuracies and erroneous and even malicious information in Freddie Kissoon`s daily column, in Kaieteur News, has motivated the penning of the suggestion, to follow. May I, however, preface my suggestion by reminding your readership that I have personally, in Letters to the Editor, highlighted numerous instances of Freddie`s irresponsible journalism. He has never challenged my evidence of his crass misrepresentations. However, he continues these acts and as recent as December 31, 2020 wrote: “Of all the people that attended that meeting, one is still in the news – Vincent Alexander”. Apparently, he wishes me not to be in the news. In the column of December 31, he was referring to a meeting, supposedly, convened by the then Leader of the PNC.  During the period to which he was referring, 1979 to 1985, I was a student in Moscow, yet Freddie, for reasons best known to himself, seeks to convey to the public that I was present in Georgetown, Guyana at some top-level meeting, at that time.

I am therefore suggesting that the media houses and publishers be mandated to conduct a fact-check before publishing columns that are intended to share information and shape public opinion. This tool is employed in the administration of the American Presidential debates. There is too much evidence of this malfeasance in publications, like Freddie`s, for the matter not to attract attention at the level of public policy, since it is of public interest.

Yours truly,
Vincent Alexander