Attacks on media houses and media workers are creating a chilling effect

May 12, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – The PPPC government does not have a favorable record when it comes to press freedom. Despite in opposition being subject to media suppression, the PPPC on assuming office has done very little to ensure free, accountable and transparent government.

Upon assuming office, the PPPC did very little to enhance press freedom. One major household departmental store was approached by a political commissar and urged to pull advertisements from a television station which ran commentaries that were viewed anti-government.

Kaieteur News was established a few years after the return of electoral democracy. For the first ten years of its existence, it was deprived of state ads despite becoming the largest-selling newspaper.

The publisher of this newspaper was approached and told he can get state ads if he dismissed one of his editors. He refused and the paper went without any state ads for one whole decade.

Even after the return to democracy in 1992, significant improvements in press freedom were slow to materialize. State control over radio and television remained entrenched, and the belated liberalization of radio and television attracted its own concerns, criticisms and controversies. Kaieteur News and Stabroek News, the country’s two leading newspapers were both denied radio licenses under the PPPC.

The PPP in government has been a party to attack on press freedom.  In fact of recent, things have gotten worse with certain media houses and reporters facing weekly attacks and abuse.

But even prior to the recent developments, independent media outlets, such as Kaieteur News and Stabroek News, have faced targeted attacks. These attacks take various forms, including the withholding of state advertisements, pressure to dismiss editors and attempts to even encourage private advertisers to withhold ads from media houses. The state media has become increasingly partisan, echoing a troubling trend reminiscent of the authoritarian regime of the past. A television station was taken off the air for one month and a journalist was banned from covering presidential press conference – a ban that was eventually removed.

The media faces a number of challenges presently. Access to senior decision-makers is exceedingly challenging due to a pervasive atmosphere of fear and apprehension among public officials, deterring them from engaging with the press openly. Many officials opt to remain silent or communicate off-the-record to avoid potential repercussions or victimization.

This reluctance to engage with the media severely impedes the flow of information, making it arduous for journalists to obtain critical insights into government policies and decisions. Furthermore, the scarcity of government press conferences, including presidential press conferences, compounds the issue, as these rare opportunities for dialogue are insufficient to meet the public’s demand for transparency and accountability. As a result, the public is left in the dark, deprived of crucial information necessary for informed decision-making in a democratic society.

Despite the promulgation of a Freedom of Information Act in Guyana, the legislation has done little to substantially enhance access to information for local media workers. The FOI Act has done little as a tool for journalists to obtain timely and meaningful information from government sources.  The mere existence of FOI legislation should not serve as a substitute for public officials’ willingness to engage with the press and provide transparent and accountable governance. Rather than relying solely on FOI requests, there is a pressing need for a cultural shift within the government towards greater accessibility and openness.

Instead of fostering greater transparency and accountability, a hostile relationship is brewing between the media and the government. This antagonistic relationship is, hindering the free flow of information and impeding the media’s ability to fulfill its watchdog role effectively.

When media outlets and journalists are subjected to attacks and intimidation, the flow of information is stifled, and citizens are deprived of their right to access diverse perspectives and critical analysis. The targeting of specific media houses for their reporting creates a uneasy atmosphere.

The weekly attacks and abuse faced by media workers of recent have created a chilling effect on journalism; with reporters increasingly hesitant to attend certain press conferences for fear that they will be greeted with a litany of abuse. The hostile environment created by these attacks not only threatens the safety and well-being of journalists but also hampers their ability to fulfill their vital role as watchdogs of society. Without a free and fearless media, democracy is weakened, and the public’s right to information is compromised.

The escalating attacks on media in Guyana demand urgent attention and action from both domestic and international stakeholders. The Guyana Press Association has not said much in recent weeks about the ongoing hostility being shown to media workers. A comprehensive and coordinated response to these attacks is now needed.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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• Freedom, Government, media house, PPPC, years

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