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May 03, 2017 News

– Govt. says in World Press Freedom Day message

With World Press Freedom Day being celebrated today, the Government of Guyana has said it embraces media workers but warned them to be responsible.
The following is the full statement:
A free and unfettered press is a mandatory hallmark of any democracy.
In Guyana, no longer are journalists and media workers subject to physical and verbal attacks by government officials; journalists are not imprisoned in pursuit of their profession; journalists are not killed or maimed because what they print or broadcast do not meet the approval of political or other forces; media houses do not suffer from government imposed advertising blackouts, are not targeted or shut down; state media are not used for vulgar propaganda or ethnic and political attacks; media workers are not subject to threats, bullyism, intimidation, victimization or other forms of abuses.
Simply put, media in Guyana are not curtailed or under attack as they used to be a few short years ago. The press in Guyana has the freedom and latitude to pursue, publish and broadcast whatever it wishes without fear of hindrance or harassment. The enabling environment for journalists has undergone progressive change in the past two years to allow for a strengthening of the conditions under which they operate.
It is against this background, of a vibrant, liberal and free press that the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana embraces all media workers in the observation of World Press Freedom Day.
The Coalition Government reiterates its commitment to protecting the constitutionally enshrined rights of the people of Guyana to freedom of expression and information along with acting in accordance with the Declaration of Chapultepec to which our nation is a signatory.
Being observed under the theme ‘Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies’, World Press Freedom Day 2017 comes, indeed at a critical time. The world has witnessed and is being inundated by an explosion of fake news and misinformation fueled by ambitions and agendas which do not always align with the interests of the people. Indeed, it may be extended to say that as far as information goes these times may be beyond critical and in fact may be classified as ‘dangerous’.
The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, therefore calls on the media, in the executing their most important mandate to, observe the principles of the Chapultepec Declaration and be responsible and to eschew being lured into propagating narrow and partisan agendas which can engender hate, hostility, division and destabilization. Freedom of the press and freedom of information do not permit hate speech, libel, slander or defamation. Indeed a free and independent press is most important in Guyana’s efforts to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
While the free press zealously embraces its freedom, equally must it act responsibly as it seeks to inform, educate and entertain the populace. The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana is proud that once again Guyana can count itself among the world’s truly democratic societies when judged by this and other important hallmarks and standards.

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