Following a report on News Source, Management of the National Communications Network has been forced to rescind the suspension of Senior Studio Producer Trevor Persaud. The young man was sent off of the job on Thursday as the state-owned TV station launched an investigation about the airing of the budget speech by AFC Member of Parliament Cathy Hughes.
It was Office of the President Information Liason Kwame McCoy who instructed that the young man be suspended. News Source understands that McCoy had given instructions that Opposition presentations during the budget be aired late at nights and not in the same timeslot with Ministers of the Government.
On Wednesday night just after the airing of the presentation of the Health Minister, the speech by Cathy Hughes was being aired when it was cut off abruptly as management panicked.
NCN Staffers have told News Source that they were at a loss as to why Persaud was suspended since he was not the producer responsible for the airing and was not even in the production studio at the time of the airing. Initially, the NCN management tried to get to the bottom of the story without suspending the young man but a furious McCoy demanded that the young man be sent home when he spotted him at work.
Moments after the story appeared on the News Source website on Friday, several Government officials who were unaware of the suspension began asking questions and demanded to know why the young man was suspended. News Source understands that the issue even reached the desk of the President who holds the portfolio for the Information Ministry. By Friday evening, NCN officials contacted the producer and asked him to return to his job because the suspension was thrown out.
The Opposition parties have been pressing the Government to ensure better coverage of Opposition Members on the state-owned TV network. Opposition Member Cathy Hughes said issues like the suspension is exactly why they have to keep the pressure up on NCN to change its many policies.
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