MCY&S responds to a Stabroek News article on January 30

In response to an article published in the Stabroek News on 30 January 2021, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCY&S) has stated that “it would like to dispel and dispel any concerns of the Guyana Press Association or the media on the issue, noting that there is no “ban” on the media or any specific media personnel from the Guyana National Stadium.
See the release below.
In fact, a chess tournament is currently being held at the Guyana National Stadium, and the Ministry is advised that the media will be present to cover the event. Although the Ministry’s Ministerial Secretariat has not been able to confirm receipt of a letter (from) the Guyana Press Association, the Ministry would like to note that the Ministry has, and will continue to have, high regard for the media. For the sake of clarity on the matter, the Ministry has sought to establish a simple media reporting procedure on the state of the ground at the Guyana National Stadium; that is, a letter is written to the Ministry to arrange a ground visit by any media personnel / representative for the purpose of reporting its condition. This visit will be expedited quickly, and will be conducted in the presence of a representative of the Ministry.
This simple procedure was set up in response to an unfortunate incident that occurred a few weeks ago, (when) a fake media report on the state of the ground was published at the Guyana National Stadium which the Ministry was forced to refute in public and in the media presence . Upon further investigation by the Ministry, there were contradictory claims that media representatives visited the floor immediately before publication, although staff at the Guyana National Stadium denied observing any such visit, and the cameras did not , when reviewed still hold any such visit.
It is also important to note that the ground state at the Guyana National Stadium is the foundation for Guyana to host international and regional tournaments. This means that the Ministry has a responsibility to protect the facility’s image and reputation. This also means that reporting on ground conditions must be responsible. For these continuing reasons the Ministry has established a simple procedure for media reporting the ground condition of the Guyana National Stadium.
“The Ministry is publicly inviting anyone in the media (who is) interested in reporting on the ground conditions at the Guyana National Stadium, to write to the Ministry to arrange a visit and one will be expedited quickly .
The Ministry would also like to emphasize that, although the simple ground state reporting procedure is in place, any media representative is welcome to visit the Guyana National Stadium at any time.
The Ministry is using this opportunity to remind everyone that the facility was only opened to the public a few months ago for the first time, due to a decision made by the new Irfaan President, Guyana-led Ali Government.