Fazeer's firing provides opportunity to debate future of state media: Sunity Maharaj

Journalist Sunity Maharaj is not convinced that Fazeer Mohammed was dismissed from state-owned CNMG because the station is trying to cut costs. 

That's the official reason given for the action against the morning talk show host.

"No CEO worth his/her salt would fire a popular current affairs broadcaster who provided a competitive advantage in the crowded morning-show market," she told the Trinidad Express Tuesday, adding her voice to a growing national debate on what really happened at CNMG and the implications.

Maharaj believes there is a measure of confusion between CNMG as a State enterprise operating as a public broadcaster and GISL, the information arm of the Government.

She said with both institutions falling under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister CNMG and GISL have been effectively, if not legally, merged despite the fact that they are separate legal entities with completely different mandates,.

She added that the evidence of this is the ease with which journalist Ken Ali has assumed the role of interim CEO of CNMG after being a government information employee travelling with the Prime Minister. She addded that the same is true with Andy Johnson, who heads GISL being seconded to CNMG as a talk show host.

The veteran journalist said there is something positive in all this. "It gives the people of Trinidad and Tobago a powerful opportunity to discuss and debate the future of the national resource that we own in CNMG, as a state-of-the-art broadcast entity", she told the Express.

She added, "I therefore encourage all interests, especially those in the creative sector—including independent producers, media practitioners, educators, cultural activists and entities and civil society groups—to engage this debate in determining the future of CNMG."

The West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT) has also expressed concern over the dismissal of the morning show host.
 
"It would seem, in some quarters in the media, that if you are critical, you can be chastised. We note with concern the removal of a morning show host on CNMG, who has been very accommodating and has allowed WIGUT to be on the airwaves is no longer there," President of the St Augustine branch of WIGUT, Dr Godfrey Steele, said Tuesday.

He added, "We share with our comrades in the media industry any concern regarding efforts to muzzle the media and to constrain their efforts to be as professional as possible. We share your anxiety at this time and we join you in the many struggles that we share together."