By 
Reporters are expected to do research and delve into a story from all angles meaning, seeking out involved parties and reporting all sides to a story. Especially, when the outlet is not personally involved and touts itself as being professional and unbiased in its coverage. However, this was not the case with a story recently broadcasted by HGP Nightly News.
How do I know this? Well, the story featured some ‘protesters’ who were protesting about me with specific allegations and calling for disciplinary action to be taken yet the reporter, editor or station did not even contact me for a comment but went ahead and broadcasted the story. I was not aware of the scope of the incident or of the story being broadcasted until someone mentioned it to me a few days later. I went online and found the video, on viewing it I realised that the entire thing was staged. I have outlined my reasons for this conclusion in the letter below which was sent to some newspapers (three actually) but was not published. In addition, I went to the offices of Kaieteur News and Stabroek News and spoke with reporters about my matter but it was probably seen as too unimportant for them to write about.
Before I got to the stage of writing to the press, I visited HGPTV station and spoke with the editor and the reporter who covered the story. After outlining the flaws of their story and giving my side of it I was told that I would be allowed to refute the allegations. Imagine these people told me that they contacted the Ministry of Education with the allegations the protesters made and asked about disciplinary action yet did not seek a comment from me and did not do research to verify the claims of the ‘protesters’. What is the state of journalism in this place? HGP Nightly News is widely viewed, holds credibility with many persons and is broadcasted every night at 8 pm (prime time position). It is not a personal blog or an amateur production.
So, I was interviewed by the same reporter in their studio and told that my side would be broadcasted that very night. For two nights straight I viewed the news and my side was not aired; not once did the news entity try to contact me. I contacted the station and was told by the reporter that there were technical issues with the video specifically, ‘no sound’. I found it hard to believe that an experienced news outlet would encounter such amateur problems. I was told I could redo the interview however, I chose not to do this because many days had passed since they aired their one-sided broadcast and I was angry with the situation especially, the biased reporting.
I feel the protest was orchestrated by a person(s) who is a part of the staff to ruin my reputation in front of my students, colleagues and the community. Also, to discredit me as a teacher and cause problems between my employer and me. Who knows what goes on in the heads of people who go to such extremes as organising fake protesters. For years, I’ve complained to the education officials about issues at my workplace and my concerns were never addressed nor any investigations done to verify my claims.
This incident was just another attempt, the most creative so far to discredit me. The editor informed me that she chose not to reveal my name during the broadcast although it was mentioned repeatedly by the ‘protesters’ and the ‘anonymous source’. At my workplace, with the community and students; and the education officials my reputation was tainted and my standing as a professional was attacked regardless.
This is the one-sided broadcast by HGP Nightly News.
Letter to the Editor that was not published
Dear Editor,
HGP Nightly News broadcasted a one-sided story with some ‘fake’ protesters at Ann’s Grove Secondary School
On December 9, 2019, HGP Nightly News broadcasted a story entitled, Parents upset with behaviour of teacher at Ann’s Grove School. The broadcast featured about five parents, as can be seen in the video, protesting that the Spanish and HFLE teacher did not prepare End of Term test questions for their children for the Christmas Term 2019, and as a result, they did not receive marks for these subjects, the parents were also calling for disciplinary action to be taken against the teacher by the Ministry of Education.
I was made aware that the protest action was directed at me, ‘The Spanish and HFLE teacher’ and my name was mentioned by the parents and an anonymous source who claimed to be a senior teacher at the school. Without making any effort to contact me and solicit my response Nightly News decided to air this story which is slanderous, ruined my reputation in front of my students, colleagues and the community and unjustly called for disciplinary action to be taken against me. If the HGP Nightly News crew were of high caliber and competency in the world of journalism and wants to be recognised as such then they should know about balanced reporting especially when a person’s reputation and job are at stake. In this modern age where Google, Facebook and phonebooks exist not having someone’s phone number being given to you by their accusers is not a valid excuse for not contacting the person.
To begin with, I’ve been facing some issues at the school which the Department of Education was informed about and it is my belief that the ‘protest’ was organized by a person(s) who is a member of staff of the school in an attempt to discredit me within the profession since several inaccuracies were paraded as facts by the ‘concerned parents’. In addition to the inaccuracies highlighted below, it was claimed that I have been teaching at the school for ten years, this information is incorrect and I wonder where the parents got it from.
When I saw the broadcast, I only recognised one parent. She was one of the only two parents who spoke with the media and on numerous occasions, she visited the school regarding disciplinary matters concerning her child. Furthermore, from September 2, 2019, her child was placed in Grade 9, I confirmed this information with his peers and teachers of the school. I was not time-tabled to teach any Grade 9 classes for this academic year starting from September 2, 2019, and Spanish is not on the Grade 9 students’ timetable and not taught at this level. Why would a parent join a protest action and make allegations against a teacher who does not even teach her child? Also, I have never taught the subject, HFLE and this information can be easily confirmed. However, from my interactions with the HFLE teachers, I gathered that no end-of-term examination is written; students are assigned a coursework grade (A, B, C…) which does not contribute to their overall percentage.
This parent also mentioned an incident where her child called me ‘potato head’ as a joke and she claimed that since this incident I have been ‘vindictive’ towards her son. I can state without fear that the allegation of being ‘vindictive’ against her son was never levied against me and I was never informed of it by my superiors. The first time she made this allegation was to the media and to make such an allegation one needs to provide evidence. Regarding her child calling me names other than my correct name, this incident occurred in Grade 8, during the last academic year and not Grade 7 as alleged by the parent.
No teacher is going to allow a student to call her ‘false names’; students and teachers are not friends. This sort of behaviour is disrespectful, insulting and encourages other students to be disrespectful to the teacher. The child repeatedly called me names other than my real name in and outside of the classroom. Luckily, I took the matter to his class teacher and a senior teacher who requested his parent’s presence. The child’s mother visited the school and was told of his behaviour by the senior teacher. That was the end of the matter and I can name both teachers who know of the sequence of events. At no time after was there any allegation made by this parent that I was vindictive to her son.
The parent whose child is in Grade 9 went further by telling the reporter that I said to her son that I was not going to give a test because ‘I don’t have time for that right now’ and she alleged that I am always on my phone. It is a fact that can be easily confirmed that I was not time-tabled to teach any Grade 9 class during the Christmas Term and had no interaction with this child yet a fictitious conversation is readily accepted as true and no evidence provided. And the statement that I am always on my phone is also not questioned. How would a parent who only visits a school for maybe PTA meetings and when requested concerning disciplinary matters involving her child know that a teacher is always on her phone?
The second parent who spoke to the media made a general comment without providing any evidence or stating how she got the information that the teacher is ‘every day minding the other teacha business and “clicking it” on she phone’. When making such serious charges against someone that is broadcasted to the entire country and beyond one needs to at least provide some evidence.
In September of the Christmas term 2019, an official from the Department of Education visited the school and became aware of the fact that although I was given Spanish to teach in Grades 7 and 8 by the administrative staff I had no formal qualifications to teach it and to the best of my knowledge no teacher at the school has any formal qualifications to teach Spanish. I am a Trained Graduate in another field and subsequently, in October I was assigned two subjects in my field of study to teach. I never taught HFLE at the school.
I choose to call these protesters ‘fake’ because during the entire Christmas term no parent came to me with any concerns or complaints and I was not informed of such by anyone from the administrative staff. It is expected that when all avenues are closed to a parent only then would he/she resort to the media and not the other way around. During the term, the school hosted PTA meetings and parents’ conferences. Also, parents were free to visit the school and speak with teachers in a civilised manner about their complaints and concerns yet none approached me but some ‘parents’ chose to make inaccurate statements and allegations to the media without seeking clarification from me or providing evidence. If the ‘protesting parents’ had visited they would have known how HFLE is assessed by the relevant teachers, the state of the subject, Spanish in the school and in which grades it was done. Also, they would have been able to observe for themselves whether I am ‘always on my phone’ and ‘minding teacha business’.
It is my belief that the person whom the reporter dubbed as the anonymous senior functionary in the school-who confirmed the allegations made by the parents- probably played an integral role in organising the protesters. She would have known that at least one parent there, the only one I recognised, had no legitimate reason to protest since I did not teach her child, did not teach HFLE and knew about the visit by the education officer and subsequent new subjects being assigned to me. Also, the allegations made by the ‘senior functionary’ would require evidence in terms of a paper trail…
Dear Editor, I can provide evidence of what I have stated above and have nothing to fear. I do feel sad though that some persons would allow themselves to be used as pawns and HGP Nightly News as a tool in the personal vendettas of others. Nothing beats good and balanced reporting.
Yours faithfully,
Narissa Deokarran
