Media threats

Sep 23, 2024 Editorial

---

Kaieteur News – Last week our nation witnessed another crass display of unstatesmanlike behaviour when from the mouth of the Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo was an admonition to the private sector to withdraw their advertisements from this newspaper.

His contention is that the Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall has entered the political arena, owing to some spur-of- the moment comment he made in one of the recent editions of his radio programme.

It must be noted that the radio show has been the ultimate forum in exposing the doublespeak of Jagdeo and the corruption taking place in government and this has been a thorn in his side. As was pointed out before, Jagdeo and the government are so afraid of transparency that any opportunity to close down Kaieteur News and any other independent media voice they would seize on. His arguments that Kaieteur News ought not to benefit from State advertising because of Mr. Lall purported journey into politics is nothing but a smokescreen to carry out his dark deeds. We want to put on notice all the democratic forces in this country the evil plot that is unfolding. Last Thursday was not the first time the administration has used someone masquerading as a media professional to ask leading questions regarding State advertising to this newspaper. Last week, the plot thickened and the VP went further by telling the private sector to withdraw their advertisements and also signalled that his government will do likewise.

Jagdeo’s remarks once again raise the issue of the threat to press freedom that has bedeviled this country over the years. We have said in this newspaper before that there are two significant factors affecting press freedom in the country: the lack of objectivity by certain media outlets, particularly those in the State media, and the government’s limited transparency and accessibility and desire to control. Every week at his news conference, Jagdeo spends significant amount of time trying to belittle and intimidate the independent media houses, but never once puts the spotlight the State media. One of the primary impediments to press freedom in Guyana is the lack of objectivity displayed by the State media. The State media’s proclivity to side with the ruling party has undermined its journalistic integrity.

It was no different under the APNU+AFC. All that happened was that the State media switched sides and became the mouthpiece of the ruling Coalition.

The PPP/C elected in 2020 has returned to its old ways of having the State media almost totally blank the Opposition. All day and all night, the State media churns out pro-government pieces with hardly a criticism of the government. The State media in Guyana has been highly partisan and inclined towards the ruling government. This approach has reduced the role of the State media to being the exclusive spokesperson of the government. It should take the example of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), has long served as a commendable model for State media in other countries. Its success lies in its impartiality, objectivity and professional journalistic standards. Unlike State media outlets in some countries that act as puppets for the ruling government, the BBC operates independently and because of its editorial independence is a trusted source of information.

In Guyana, the State media has no such objectivity. But the lack of objectivity is not confined to the State media alone. The private media, has at times, and when addressing certain issues, been equally guilty of being blinkered in their reporting and commentaries. It is not unusual to find issues in which the private media demonstrate a one-sided and jaundiced approach to reporting. One such instance has been the rape allegation against a Minister of the government who has since stepped down.

Some have been known to report on issues without seeking to represent all sides of the story. This has contributed, in no small measure, to a polarized media landscape that further divides the nation along political lines.

The second critical factor affecting press freedom in Guyana is the lack of transparency and responsiveness on the part of the government. However, the government of Guyana has shunned transparency, had adopted an overtly hostile attitude to criticisms and has been selective and generally unresponsive to the private media’s request for specific information, particularly relating to the oil and gas sector. In fact, given recent outbursts by some government officials, the private media should feel threatened.

Both the Stabroek News and the Kaieteur News have fallen prey to the government’s hostile actions, facing unwarranted retaliation simply for taking critical stances on specific governmental matters. Their only “crime” has been their commitment to providing independent and critical coverage, challenging government actions when necessary. Regrettably, these media outlets have become the targets of adverse measures and unwarranted attacks, all in the name of suppressing dissenting voices.

Reports of government ministers being inaccessible to the media are deeply concerning. The government exercises a tight grip on reporting. Requests for information are often met with silence. Many instances, ministers do not take calls from reporters and are extremely evasive when they do. This newspaper has been virtually blacklisted by many Ministers of the PPP/C government.

One government official grants exclusive interviews selectively, looking for a soft landing rather than be exposed to rigorous scrutiny. Selectivity in the granting of interviews and information leaks undermine transparency and breeds suspicions that the government has something to hide.

When the PPP/C was first elected to office in 1992, an experiment was introduced in which the Ministry of Information hosted ministerial press conferences. This experiment did not last too long but during the time it did, it allowed the media greater access to question Ministers on their respective portfolios. This practice has all but disappeared.

The absence of press conferences hosted by government ministers is a notable concern. There is also no post-cabinet media briefing.

If press freedom is going to exist in Guyana, then these two significant challenges must be addressed: the lack of objectivity in the media, particularly State media, and the government’s limited transparency and accessibility.

But that is not likely to happen anytime soon. The state of professional media standards is appalling. Some of the country’s senior reporters are beyond reform. Some of them are even more partisan than their political masters. And our governments – past and present – fear accountability and transparency more than COVID-19.

---

• Bharrat Jagdeo, Editorial, Glenn Lal, Media threats

---