Latest update April 8th, 2025 7:13 AM
Stand Up, oppose those who seek to restrict freedom of expression – GPA urges on World Press Freedom Day
GPA President, Nazima Raghubir
The Guyana Press Association (GPA) has joined with journalists across the globe in observing today as World Press Freedom Day today under the theme “Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and the Rule of Law”.
According to the GPA, the theme transcends all influential actors in government, business and civil society, although when one speaks of “power” one readily thinks about political actors.
“The GPA is cognisant that in our society, lines of power, authority and decision-making in the media are blurred by shared interests, goals and objectives. In this regard, the Association is of the firm position that editors and other media managers need to stand up to those in authority and influence who seek to impose restrictions on freedom of expression because of their dislike of the opinions of others.”
Over the months, the GPA pointed to reports of Government officials calling media houses to demand sources from reporters, to demand that media outlets refrain from providing coverage to other public officials and threatening to call the police to remove reporters from public meetings.
“These actions are not much different from the days when journalists were banned from the Office of the President or State House and media houses found their economic viability threatened over the withdrawals of state advertisement,” the GPA noted.
Further, the GPA highlighted the decision by the state-owned and government controlled Guyana Chronicle to discontinue the contributions by columnists Professor David Hinds and trade unionist, Lincoln Lewis.
Similarly, the GPA said it has observed the increasing frequency among certain media houses of deliberately slanting their stories to fit certain political frames of reference more often in keeping with their owners’ political preference.
“None of this does the public we serve any good because, instead of keeping power in check, the public is provided information that amounts to half-baked truths that in the final analysis make them less informed and educated to arrive at rational conclusions or decisions,” the GPA noted.
The Association urged the Government and the Opposition to discuss and arrive at a consensus to delete from the proposed Cybercrime legislation provisions that will amount to institutionalisation of criminal defamation.
Those provisions, the GPA contended, must be removed because they are not in accordance with the global shift towards the removal of criminal defamation from the law books of several countries including a number of them in the Caribbean.
“Guyana will be retrogressing instead of progressing by entrenching the criminalisation of freedom of expression if certain sections in the Cybercrime Bill are enacted into law,” the GPA stated.
High Representative, Federica Mogherini, on behalf of the European Union noted that World Press Freedom Day is being celebrated in a difficult context for journalism. According to the EU, Freedom of expression and Freedom of the Press are threatened around the world.
The EU said it will continue funding targeted projects in third countries enhancing quality of journalism, access to public information and freedom of expression.
“We will consistently condemn violence against journalists and oppose – in bilateral contacts with third countries as well as in multilateral and regional fora – any legislation, regulation or political pressure that limits freedom of expression and will take concrete steps to prevent and respond to attacks against journalists and bloggers, including emergency assistance to protect human rights defenders at high risk, sometimes by means of relocation,” Mogherini noted.
He stated that the EU’s determination to keep protecting and promoting freedom of opinion and of expression as rights to be exercised by everyone everywhere, based on the principles of equality, non-discrimination and universality, through any media, within the EU and beyond.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
AI machines at the gate
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News-The call center was once the second chance for the school-leaver who never got past CXC.... more
The U.S. “Joining” the Commonwealth: an unreasonable expectation
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- Recent media stories have suggested that King Charles III could “invite” the United... more
Weekend Cartoon
