APNU Chief Scrutineer under fire for cursing out of Chronicle reporter

The Guyana Press Association is demanding that the opposition A Partnership for National Unity issues an apology following the party’s Chief Scrutineer’s expletive laced response to Guyana Chronicle reporter, Tamica Garnett.

In an audio recording of a telephone call that Garnett made to the APNU official, Carol Smith-Joseph, seeking the party’s list of candidates for the Georgetown local elections, Ms. Joseph told the reporter to not call her phone, once she informed her that she was calling from the state-owned newspapers.

“F%&k Chronicle, allya don’t call my phone, allya too bias, F%&k you”, Joseph told the reporter.

The shocked reporter was left just saying “wow”.

In a statement, the Guyana Press Association hammered the Opposition party over the verbal assault on the reporter.

According to the GPA, the attack on the journalist marks a new low in relations between the media and the political directorate in Guyana.

“It is now apparent that the transgressions against the media by the People’s Progressive Party and the PNCR/APNU is the one common feature both political parties share.The GPA calls on Mr Aubrey Norton, who is the PNCR Leader, Chairman of APNU and Guyana’s Opposition Leader to publicly apologise to Ms Garnett and issue a commitment that his party would not subject members of the media to such acrimonious and indecent outbursts by any of his members or supporters more so at the senior level”, the press body said.

The Guyana Press Association has found itself in recent months calling out both Government and Opposition officials over the treatment of journalists and the harassment of journalists. The GPA has indicated that it will continue to raise its voice on the issue and inform its international partners.