The state and the media

Jul 30, 2011 Editorial

The government is quick to decry any criticism in the private media. Repeatedly, Government officials have been taking the lead from President Bharrat Jagdeo and have been describing the private media as the ‘new opposition’.
This came about because over time the private media decided that there were aspects of government that needs to be examined and reported on. In any case, they were doing what is done in every democracy—placing the spotlight on and criticizing the government for shortcomings. The government, on the other hand, would prefer if every media entity were kind to it, to the point of ignoring the shortcomings.
Everyone knows that governments do many things that they would wish to hide; they are also keen to avoid questions from the media. In Guyana today, it is expected that media houses, taking their cue from the state media, would sit back and wait on handouts and press releases. But such action does not enthuse readers. The fact that the private media are far more popular than the state-owned ones supports this conclusion.
Further, the private media have been asking many questions about some of the things that the government has been promoting and after getting little or no answers, have done some probing. In cases where there are gaps the media are forced to make deductions and to speculate.
They speculated on the delay in Kellawan Lall being posted to Brazil; they speculated when the police refused to charge people who committed crimes thus allowing them to roam freely; they speculated about the relationship former Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj and some known gunmen. And it went without saying that the government was not happy.
The relationship between the government and the private media is to say the least, rocky. The private media took an interest in President Jagdeo’s homes and reported. The government was not happy and neither was President Jagdeo. Not long after, the Head of State was in the news again, this time over the construction of an even more elaborate home.
This time there was a focus on the land on which the house was constructed. On their credit, the media did not make too much of a fuss because in the end an individual must live somewhere, even though that individual was provided with an unfair advantage. The private media allowed the issue to pass because it needs an accommodation with the government.
However, the government keeps doing things that would attract some harsh response from the private media. When this happens the government enjoys a bout of self-fulfilling prophesy. It then holds up the behaviour of the private media to suggest that the private media is confrontational.
But the very government does things to promote this confrontation. In the wake of a press conference hosted by Education Minister Shaik Baksh and Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, the government-owned media ran a banner that was not only misleading, but also designed to denigrate a private media house. This issue was rebroadcast many times and the same incorrect and misleading banner scrolled across the screen.
The state-owned newspaper screamed a similarly misleading and incorrect headline. Surely, the lines were drawn and the state media had decided that the private media were whipping posts.
It was the same when an electronic media outlet ran a report. Again the government came out strongly against it, sought to link it to other sections of the private media and then incorporated the other private media houses into the fracas as though all were involved by default.
On Thursday, a private media house attended the Toshaos Conference and was unceremoniously ejected. The chairman in the person of Permanent Secretary Colin Croal made it known that the private media were not invited. The state media, however, was duly ensconced.
We can appreciate the discrimination in favour of the state media if it is that edited versions of what transpired would be released. But nothing is. Instead, selected news items are blared across the pages of the state media newspapers and on state radio and television to the exclusion of the private media.
The private media will retaliate and this will send the government to its hobby horse—bashing the private media.
Perhaps there is some method to this madness. Perhaps the entire thing is a ploy to have the private media attract unwanted sanctions that could be both costly and fatal.

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