Home Letters Was it “Journalist” Travis Chase who was attacked by a gunman, or...
Dear Editor,
Was it ‘journalist’ Travis Chase who was attacked by a gunman, or was it ‘businessman’ Travis Chase?
It is an important distinction, as Mr. Chase, who has featured in the news previously as “Travis Chase, a television reporter”, was convicted in a simple larceny case. In fact, during the now infamous Commission of Inquiry into an alleged plot to kill President David Granger, Chase, who was a witness, reportedly admitted that he pleaded guilty and paid a “hefty” fine in a simple larceny case involving a camera” (Media reports on 29.5.19), and there were many questions raised when it was revealed that Chase was a Director of Adolphus Mining, who were granted a licence to export gold in 2019.
Chase took to social media on 29th May 2019 to suggest that two gold dealers were waging a smear campaign against him. In April 2020, Chase’s company was featured in an armed showdown at a mining camp in the Upper Berbice area (Media reports on 14.4.20). Chase’s car was firebombed in 2020 (Media reports on 30.6.20).
It is not a stretch to suggest there may be motivation to harm Chase from his business dealings rather than from anything he has reported to date.
The Guyana Press Association’s (GPA’s) statement on the attempt on Chase’s life will undoubtedly affect Guyana’s ratings in several international reports, regardless of whether the attempt was unrelated to his work as a journalist. In my opinion, it was premature, given that Chase is not exclusively a journalist. The GPA should have delayed pronouncement until there is clarity on the motivation/s.
Sincerely,
Robin Singh