Dear Editor,
At the last count, 21 major American companies have pulled their advertisements from Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” in protest over sexual harassment charges that have been made against the show’s host Bill O’Reilly and which he and Fox News paid up to US million to keep out of the courts.
The companies which include big names like BMW, Bayer, Mercedez-Benz, Lexus and Allstate did not need to be persuaded or pressured but made the decision organically because they did not feel that O’Reilly’s alleged misconduct reflected the ethical standards upheld by their respective companies. They did not want their name associated with him in any way.
Businesses in America take their public image seriously. They know that it is a factor that is considered when customers and clients make purchasing decisions.
Rather than losing customers because of their absence from O’Reilly’s popular show, the companies expect to gain from taking a stand against a news leader who is now widely believed to be a sexual predator. It is unlikely that O’Reilly’s show will survive without advertising sponsorship.
It is a telling example of how society can shape the business, cultural and political environment for the better. While Fox News fiddles about axing their headline newsman, the people, through corporate America, are expressing their opinion and forcing the media house to act in the nation’s best interests.
What if there were people and businesses in Guyana who would act in a similar selfless manner in order to uphold exemplary ethical and moral standards within our society?
Just days ago, Freddie Kissoon made a vile and venomous attack on Swami Aksharandanda in his column of April 4, 2017. As usual, the attack can easily be unmasked as being purely mendacious and as fulminations that misconstrue facts for Kissoon’s own ends.
Kissoon has a free hand to attack whomever he chooses probably because his publishers depend on the scurrilous sensationalism of his yellow journalism to sell their newspaper.
Yellow journalism is the type of reporting that presents readers with little or no legitimate researched news and uses instead sensational headlines, exaggerations, scandal-mongering and gossipy name-dropping to grab readers. It’s a cheap trick but a very profitable one.
It does appear that the Guyana Press Association views lies, misrepresentations, and scandal-mongering as responsible journalism or else simply doesn’t care about enforcing ethical rules and conduct.
That is no surprise in Guyana where standards of ethics, morality and decency are hardly ever upheld in any sector of Government or society. Kissoon, his publishers, and his enablers are a perfect fit in this corrupt and dysfunctional world where no one expects or demands better.
Whether leaders within the Hindu and the wider religious community will come to Swamiji’s defence and whether the Social Cohesion Minister will view Kissoon’s attacks as damaging to efforts to build national cohesion and consensus remains to be seen.
We, all of us, have the power to do something if we disagree with this kind of attack being sanctioned and promoted by a news organisation.
We can stop buying the newspaper and businesses can withhold their advertising dollar. These are within our power and reach.
Since this letter is not written as a reply to Kissoon, it has not been sent to his publishers “Kaieteur News” for publication.
The matter is not only about the vile attack on Swamiji. The matter is about what kind of society we want to live in. That decision is in our hands.
Sincerely,
Ryhaan Shah
