The media produced “disproportionate and inequitable” coverage of the government and political parties in October, according to the Guyana Elections Commission’s Media Monitoring Unit (MMU), which also cited the Kaieteur News for printing racially divisive information.
In its report for the period October 1, 2011 to October 31, 2011, which was released yesterday, the MMU said the measurements of “positive, negative and neutral coverage” being given to certain parties by television newscasts and the hard news sections of daily newspapers were “troubling.” The MMU identified two breaches by Kaieteur News and the use of opinion polls as news items in both broadcast and print media as issues to be urgently addressed to bring the media in line with the media code for the November 28 general elections.
“…[T]he trend detected over the past month (or thereabout) is that some newscasts have virtually morphed into veritable propaganda machines for political parties, while, in the print media, the offerings in the news section of two (2) of the dailies, read more like party broadsheets, rather than objective news,” the MMU said. Although a media house has a democratic right to support whichever political party it fancies, it said that in the interest of promoting a level playing field, equitable reporting should not be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.
The MMU did not cite particular TV newscasts or the two daily newspapers but said it hoped that through its highlighting the situation, media houses would show a greater willingness to provide equitable coverage to all four of the political parties cleared to contest this year’s elections—PPP/C, APNU, AFC and TUF—in keeping with the media code.
Meanwhile, MMU cited Kaieteur News for breaching provisions of the code related to the dissemination of racially divisive information, over the contents of a letter, “Blacks are responsible for their failing” and a Freddie Kissoon column, “Sempiternal light versus eternal evil: Memories of Diwali” published by the paper. It said the breaches point to the need for owners, managers and editors in both the broadcast and print media to be on guard about information being disseminated through talk- shows and commentaries as well as in editorials, columns and letters-to-the-editor. “The history of past elections in this country (1992 to 2001) out of which parallels were drawn and correlations made about the media’s negative role/impact on race-relations in this country should never be forgotten, especially at this time, with another elections due in another two weeks,” it said, while warning of potential consequences of letting down of the editorial guard.
The MMU also sounded its “reservation” about the publishing of opinion polls, while pointing out that this did not conform to the standards laid down by the media code, which warns against their publication without investigation of their accuracy. Section K of the code says the media recognise the need to discover the date, location, financial backing and methodology of such surveys, including the organization or person commissioning the poll and the organisation conducting the survey, the number of persons interviewed, the questions asked and the margin of error. “Only when satisfied with the validity of the poll should it be published giving those facts along with the poll results itself,” the code says.
According to the MMU, it assumes that media houses are verifying poll results before publication. It added that in light of the public’s experience with “dubious polls” during the 2006 elections, it hopes that the same mistakes are not unwittingly repeated or that the media become willing conduits in the political hoodwinking of the electorate.
The coverage shown for the government in the report is for the period up to October 27, 2011, in keeping with the MMU’s decision to forego observations of the media’s coverage of the government after Nomination Day, in order to focus more on the coverage being given to those contesting parties. The political parties/groups covered in the report are: PPP/C, APNU, AFC, TUF, FSG (Fundamental Structure Group), H&S (Horizon and Star), UMP (United Muslim Party), and EBDA (East Berbice Development Association).
Newspapers
The MMU’s analysis of positive and negative coverage by the newspapers considers general news, editorials, letters, opinion columns, cartoons and advertisements.
For the state-owned Guyana Chronicle, it found that the newspaper’s general news section produced a positive to negative ratio of coverage for the government of over 110 to 1, while among political parties the incumbent PPP/C scored a positive to negative ratio of coverage of over 1220 to 1. In positive coverage given by the newspaper, the PPP/C was followed in order by APNU, AFC, TUF, FSG, and H&S, while APNU received the most negative, followed by AFC and JFAP.
APNU, it noted, received measurably more positive than negative coverage; AFC acquired a positive to negative ratio of coverage of over 2 to 1; JFAP gained small amounts of negative and neutral publicity, TUF received moderate amounts of positive and neutral publicity; and FSG and H&S received relatively small amounts of positive coverage only. Comparatively, it added, the PPP/C collected over 8 times more positive coverage than the same coverage given to APNU, AFC, TUF, FSG and H&S, while APNU’s negative coverage was 5 times more than that measured for PPP/C, AFC and JFAP combined.
Like its news section, the newspaper’s editorials provided the government with a numerically large amount of positive coverage, an “infinitesimal” amount of negative coverage and a relatively small amount of neutral publicity, accounting for a “significant” positive to negative ratio of 188:1. At the same time, the PPP/C received a large share of positive coverage and a small amount of neutral among political parties, with APNU receiving a moderate amount of negative and a small amount of neutral coverage, and AFC, a small amount of negative coverage only. “The PPP/C was the only party that was apportioned positive coverage by the editorial writers, while APNU and AFC were the recipients of net negative publicity, with APNU being portrayed 3 times more negative than the AFC,” the MMU pointed out.
The newspaper’s op-ed columnists, likewise, gave the government a large amount of positive coverage and a small amount of neutral coverage, while among parties the PPP/C led, trailed by APNU and AFC—the only two parties to attract any negative coverage. The PPP/C gained a large amount of positive coverage and a small amount of neutral, the MMU reported, while APNU got a tiny amount of positive, a large amount of negative and a small amount of neutral coverage, resulting in a negative to positive ratio of coverage of 121 to 1. The AFC was provided with small amounts of positive and negative coverage, but with a larger share of negative, which resulted in a negative to positive ratio of coverage of over 2 to 1, while TUF was awarded a slight amount of neutral coverage only, the MMU added.
The Chronicle’s letter columns also saw the government securing large amounts of positive and neutral coverage, and a small amount of negative, amounting to a positive to negative ratio of over 37 to 1, the MMU found. Among parties, the PPP/C received the largest share of positive coverage, followed “distantly” by the AFC and TUF. APNU, meanwhile, was the recipient of the highest amount of negative coverage, followed by AFC and JFAP. The analysis noted that the PPP/C “did not attract any measurable negative coverage,” while APNU did not get any positive coverage, receiving instead a large amount of negative and a moderate amount of neutral coverage. AFC got a small amount of positive and a large amount of negative coverage, recorded at a ratio of over 8 to 1, while JFAP gained small amounts of negative and neutral coverage, and TUF small amounts of positive and neutral coverage. Comparatively, the MMU said the positive coverage measured for the PPP/C was approximately 14 times the same coverage tallied for AFC and TUF combined, while the negative coverage measured for APNU was almost twice the combined totals of that received by AFC and JFAP.
The newspaper’s cartoons depicted APNU and AFC with small amounts of negative publicity, while the political advertisements only featured the PPP/C in a largely positive light, the MMU said.
The Guyana Times, like the Chronicle, saw general news, editorials, opinion columns, letters, cartoons and advertisements all giving generous positive coverage and negligible negative coverage to the government and PPP/C.
In the newspaper’s general news section, government received generous amounts of positive and neutral coverage, and a small amount of negative, with a positive to negative ratio of 189:1.
For the positive coverage share given to parties, the PPP/C was followed by APNU, AFC, TUF, H&S, FSG, and JFAP, while APNU gained the largest share of negative coverage, followed closely by TUF, AFC, PPP/C and JFAP. The PPP/C gained a positive to negative ratio of coverage of approximately 57 to 1, the MMU observed, while adding that APNU’s positive to negative coverage was 6 to 1 and AFC’s was over 3 to 1. Only JFAP and TUF, with a negative to positive ratio of coverage of 3 to 1 and approximately 2 to 1, respectively, received net negative coverage. Overall, the positive coverage calculated for the PPP/C exceeded the same coverage measured for all the other parties combined, the MMU added.
Guyana Times’ editorials gave the government “moderate amounts of positive and neutral coverage which wasn’t diluted by any measurable input of negative publicity,” according to the MMU. Among the political parties, it noted, only the PPP/C and APNU received positive coverage, with the PPP/C gaining 5 times the amount measured for APNU. The AFC, was given the most negative coverage, closely followed by APNU, then PPP/C, with JFAP obtaining the least. The PPP/C gained a positive to negative ratio of coverage of approximately 8 to 1, the MMU said, adding that APNU received a negative to positive ratio of coverage of over 2 to 1, while AFC came in for small amounts of negative and neutral coverage, and, JFAP, a slight amount of negative only. “Comparatively, the negative coverage that the AFC was given surpassed the same calculated for the PPP/C, APNU and JFAP, combined,” it noted.
The newspaper’s columnists also gave the government small amounts of positive and neutral coverage. Among the political parties, the PPP/C received small amounts of positive and neutral coverage, the MMU added, noting that APNU and AFC attracted almost equal small amounts of negative and neutral coverage and JFAP, a slight amount of neutral only. The PPP/C was the only party that gained positive coverage, it said.
In addition, from the contents of the letters published in the newspaper, the MMU found that the government attracted large amounts of positive and neutral coverage. Further, the PPP/C was the only party that received positive coverage albeit in a moderate amount, with APNU receiving a moderate amount of negative and a small amount of neutral coverage, and the AFC getting a large amount of negative and a small amount of neutral coverage, resulting in each registering overall net negative coverage. The negative coverage received by the AFC, exceeded that calculated for APNU, the MMU noted. In both cartoons and advertisements published by the newspaper, the PPP/C received large amounts of positive publicity, it added.
In the Kaieteur News’ general news section, the MMU said the government was given significant amounts of positive, negative and neutral coverage, accruing to a positive to negative ratio of over 4 to 1. It added that the PPP/C stood out among the political parties with the largest amount of positive coverage, followed by APNU, AFC, TUF and JFAP. The PPP/C’s positive to negative ratio of coverage is recorded at over 3 to 1 in the newspaper, with APNU’s at 11 to 1, AFC’s at 36 to 1, JFAP’s at 4 to 1, and TUF being the only exception, recording a negative to positive ratio of approximately 2 to 1. The PPP/C also led the parties for negative coverage, followed by TUF, APNU, AFC and JFAP. The negative coverage given to the PPP/C, the MMU noted, exceeded the combined totals measured for APNU, AFC, JFAP and TUF.
The newspaper’s editorials, meanwhile, gave the government moderate amounts of positive, negative and neutral coverage, with the negative being measurably larger than the positive, resulting in net negative coverage. The PPP/C, APNU and AFC, were at the same time, recipients of “negligible amounts of negative and neutral coverage,” and the MMU said it did not amount to anything significant to provide the basis for a comparative analysis to be made.
The op-ed columns gave large amounts of positive, negative and neutral coverage to government, with negative coverage being measurably more than the positive. In this section, the AFC received the most positive coverage among parties, followed by APNU, PPP/C, and FSG. At the other end of the spectrum, the PPP/C received the most of the negative coverage, followed by APNU with AFC in the distance. The MMU said the PPP/C was the recipient of almost 3 times more negative coverage than APNU and AFC combined, among Kaieteur News’ columnists, receiving a negative to positive ratio in coverage of exactly 3 to 1, while the AFC received a positive to negative ratio of 33 to 1.
In Kaieteur News’ letters pages, the government received a large amount of positive coverage and substantial amounts of negative and neutral publicity, but negative coverage was greater than positive coverage at a ratio of over 6 to 1. The AFC gained the highest amount of positive coverage from the letter writers, followed by the PPP/C and APNU, while the PPP/C gained the most negative coverage, followed by APNU and AFC. The PPP/C received a negative to positive ratio of coverage of over 8 to 1, the MMU noted, while adding that APNU received a negative to positive of over 2 to 1, while the AFC got measurably more positive than negative and both JFAP and TUF were the recipients of relatively small amounts of neutral coverage only. Overall, negative coverage ascribed to the PPP/C through the letters that were published, exceeded that for APNU and AFC, combined, by a ratio of approximately 3 to 1, it said.
The newspaper’s cartoons depicted the government with moderate amounts of negative and neutral publicity, while the PPP/C was depicted neutrally in a small way and the APNU was depicted negatively in a small amount. The government received a large amount of positive publicity only in the advertisements published in the newspaper, while the PPP/C received large amounts of positive and negative publicity, with the positive being approximately 4 times the negative. APNU got a moderate amount of negative publicity only, while AFC got a large serving of strictly positive publicity.
In the Stabroek News’ general news section, the government received large amounts of positive and neutral coverage as well as a large amount of negative coverage, according to the MMU, with a positive to negative ratio of 5 to 1. The PPP/C gained the most positive coverage, followed by APNU, AFC, TUF, H&S, JFAP, EBDA and FSG. Of those, PPP/C also got the most negative coverage, followed by APNU, TUF and AFC. Overall, however, the AFC’s positive to negative ratio of coverage was over 19 to 1, followed by the PPP/C and APNU, which gained a positive to negative ratio of coverage of 4 to 1. JFAP received a small amount of positive coverage and a moderate amount of neutral; TUF, a moderate amount of positive and negative coverage and a large amount of neutral coverage, but with measurably more negative than positive; FSG, a small amount of positive only; H&S, small amounts of positive and neutral; and EBDA, a small amount of positive only. Apart from TUF, all the other parties were beneficiaries of net positive coverage of varying levels, the MMU said
The analysis of the newspaper’s editorials found them “largely negative” of the government, despite a small amount of positive and a moderate amount of neutral coverage. As a result, there was a net negative publicity, reflected in a negative to positive ratio of coverage of government at over 21:1. At the same time, the PPP/C received the most positive coverage among parties, followed jointly by APNU and JFAP, with equal but relatively small amounts of similar coverage. The PPP/C also received the most negative coverage and was similarly followed by APNU and JFAP. However, the PPP/C and APNU received overall net negative coverage, the MMU said, with the PPP/C conceding a negative to positive ratio of coverage of over 3 to 1, and APNU at 25 to 1. The MMU said the positive coverage given to the PPP/C was 8 times more than that measured for APNU and JFAP combined, while the negative coverage for it was double the same for APNU and JFAP combined.
The newspaper’s columnists also provided the government with varying but large amounts of positive, negative and neutral coverage, the MMU said, although it noted that the negative was more than the positive by a margin of over 3 to 1. It further said that among the political parties, the AFC gained substantially more positive coverage than TUF, PPP/C, and APNU, while the PPP/C came in for the most negative comments, followed by APNU and TUF. The PPP/C, it noted, received a negative to positive ratio of coverage that was almost 39 to 1, and APNU’s was over 5 to 1. It added that the relatively large amount of positive coverage given to the AFC did not dilute any measurable negative commentaries, while TUF attracted a positive to negative ratio of coverage of exactly 2 to 1. Comparatively, among the newspaper’s columnists the AFC received approximately 5 times more positive coverage than the PPP/C, APNU, and TUF, combined, while the negative coverage tallied for the PPP/C was exactly 5 times more than that calculated for APNU and TUF combined.
Despite large amounts of positive, negative and neutral feelings about the government by the published letter writers, the MMU found the negative to be more than the positive by a margin of over 3 to 1. Among the political parties, meanwhile, it said the PPP/C gained the largest share of positive coverage, closely followed by the AFC, while APNU got the least. The PPP/C also gained the highest amount of negative publicity in the letters section, followed by APNU and AFC. The MMU noted that a closer look at how the parties were perceived by the writers to the column revealed that the negative comments against the PPP/C surpassed the positives by a ratio of over 4 to 1, while APNU also received more negative than positive commentary, which was reflected in a negative to positive ratio of coverage calculated at 2 to 1. The AFC was the only party that gained overall net positive coverage in the section, scoring a positive to negative ratio of coverage calculated at over 4 to 1. “The most striking comparative feature amongst the parties was that the negative coverage scored by the PPP/C was exactly 6 times the same coverage calculated jointly for APNU and the AFC,” the MMU noted.
In the cartoons published in the reporting period, the government and the ruling PPP/C were depicted in largely negative and moderately neutral ways; the APNU in largely negative, but moderately positive and neutral ways; the AFC in moderately neutral and small but equally positive and negative ways; JFAP in a moderately neutral way; and TUF in a moderately negative way. From the political advertisements that were published, the PPP/C gained relatively large amounts of positive and negative publicity, but ended up receiving net negative coverage overall by a margin of over 2:1. APNU and AFC, meanwhile, were portrayed wholly positive in big ways, the MMU found.
