Inhumane reports in the press To the Editor
Guyana Chronicle
January 12, 2002


These days it is very disheartening to read the newspapers or lend an ear to the electronic media. One wonders whether reporters and editors ever give a thought about the psyche of a populace which is being constantly bombarded with the negative and perverse aspects of human awareness.

There is simply too much bad, depressing and inhumane reports in the press. Should these stories be suppressed or censored? The answer is a firm no! News writers (the genuine ones) are not creating the news; they are only reporting it. The "madness" being recounted in the press has become unique Guyanese way of life.

I know I am not the only one who thinks that the powerful media need to play a more meaningful role in guiding our people towards the creation of a more humane, empathic, and socially enlightened environment.

Space must be made in newspaper pages and time in electronic broadcasts to emphasize the rewards of being a productive human being. We must reduce the risk of our young people accepting decadence as a way of life. (And trust me, "licks" in school is not a workable option.) To borrow a phrase, we need "a kinder, gentler" nation.

So how can this be done? It can be started if people like Beverly Conway were asked to write a weekly column on the virtues of kindness and common concern.

I have been following the writings of this School teacher in the letters column and she never fails to impress me with her generosity of spirit and selfless concern about the welfare of others.

Teacher Conway comes over as "a voice crying in the wilderness" of social depravity that is fast becoming Guyana. The media need to amplify such a voice; our young people (and many of the old) need to clearly

hear such a voice. People like Beverly Conway can serve a critically important function in the collective growth of a modern and civil Guyana.

I appeal to editors: Please, with urgency, give teacher Conway a regular column or program slot so

that she may help guide us through the unsettling seas of insanity and debauchery and on to the shores of good sense and common decency.
Lutchman Gossai.