The Guyana Press Association (GPA) says that machinations are afoot to entrench division among the local media corps, observing that the country’s political directorate continues to leverage influence in what some journalists print and broadcast.
The press body in a statement to mark World Press Freedom Day today also called on President Bharrat Jagdeo to relinquish the office of Information Minister, noting that the apparent constitutional complications associated with litigation against the President could see him abusing the portfolio. “In this context, we call for a bilateral settlement of the CNS TV 6 issue only for an independent arbiter to re-examine the dispute into the closure of that television station and make a decision that is final and binding on both sides,” the GPA said, urging CNS-TV 6 to pursue that aspect of the litigation dealing with matters against the President all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice.
The press body noted that World Press Freedom Day is being observed across the globe at a time when Guyana’s political directorate continues to leverage influence in what some media workers print and broadcast.
“This situation has undoubtedly seriously compromised the media in Guyana and has affected our role as the ‘watch dog’ of society,” the GPA noted.
It said while the GPA recognizes that we are not all working for the same media entities, it is our firm belief that we must all abide by the sacred principles of journalism.
Equally, media workers must guard against private interests that seek to similarly engage in media manipulation to avoid the publicity of certain issues about themselves or their opponents or competitors.
The body said that media workers should use today to do some serious self-examination both as a fraternity and as individual journalists. “Of particular concern to the GPA is the number of training programmes we have organized during the past months with less than satisfactory responses especially from the younger journalists. At the same time, we continue to receive negative reviews for our work, which points to the need for training,” the press body asserted.
Moreover, the GPA said it is critical that the media fraternity in Guyana and the Caribbean Community understands the importance of its role in shaping societal values and safeguarding the public’s right to know whilst holding fast to the tenets of the profession. “It must be understood that the freedoms – though often threatened – taken for granted in countries such as ours are still non-existent in some jurisdictions.”
The body also noted that United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo has listed the closure of CNS-TV 6 and the withdrawal of advertising among its international concerns. The withdrawal of advertising was applied against Stabroek News for 17 months from November 2006. The boycott ended last month.
