The tirade against the independent media continues unabated

Nov 02, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News- In every democracy worth its salt, the press serves as the watchdog, the thorn in the side of those in power—a thorn to which Bharrat Jagdeo seems to be particularly allergic. For more than a quarter-century, including a 12-year presidential tenure and now a second coming as Vice President, Jagdeo’s administrations have been marked by an intricate, persistent, and even ingenious encasement of the state media in a hermetically sealed echo chamber.

The result? A propaganda machine that seldom wavers from the government line, with any semblance of independent critique wholly exorcised. Yet today, we find Jagdeo on his weekly pulpit, brandishing the sword of righteous indignation at Guyana’s independent media, singling out Stabroek News and Kaieteur News, seemingly aghast that they dare to offer a perspective at odds with his own.

A true irony here is that in decrying the “distortions” and “bias” of the private press, Jagdeo wields the power, the reach and the resources to rebalance any narrative he deems inaccurate. Yet rather than engage substantively, he has chosen to conduct his campaign of denunciation through weekly press conferences that increasingly resemble a one-man tribunal. These sessions, ostensibly an exercise in public relations, have become less an informative discourse and more a soapbox from which he lashes out at detractors, whether they be members of the Opposition, outspoken journalists, or media houses with the gall to question official narratives.

The hypocrisy is as blinding as it is banal. The State media, with its potent resources and unparalleled access, operates with impunity in its unabashed bias, serving as a mouthpiece for the administration’s every whim. Through coverage so skewed, it would be laughable if not so dangerous, State outlets amplify government messaging while either silencing dissenting voices or distorting them beyond recognition.

The same State media, curiously, draws not a single word of criticism from Jagdeo, despite the glaring lack of coverage for opposing views. The so-called “balance” that the Vice President demands from private media is entirely absent from the state apparatus, a double standard so palpable, it hangs like a specter over every weekly tirade.

If one is to believe Jagdeo, the independent press is guilty of sabotaging the national narrative with insidious intent. Yet in reality, these publications play an indispensable role in an environment starved of journalistic plurality. If Jagdeo is so profoundly vexed by critical stories, he might look first at his own administration’s policies and actions. The independent press fills the void created by a State media that functions less as a source of information and more as a fortress wall, allowing only a controlled flow of praise and propaganda. It is, in truth, the private outlets that provide Guyana with a semblance of balance by offering narratives beyond the saccharine glorification that passes for State journalism.

That Jagdeo feels the sting of this criticism so keenly speaks volumes. Here is a figure who, after decades in power, seems unable to stomach the notion of criticism. For all his protestations about democracy and transparency, he views independent journalism as an adversary rather than a cornerstone of democracy.

It must be recalled that were it not for the persistence of the private media, the nation would have remained in the dark about the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) and the elusive signing bonus, both quietly signed under the former APNU+AFC administration. These revelations, unearthed through the persistence of the independent media, spotlighted the role that the independent media can play in holding governments accountable.

Yet, Jagdeo—who now decries the private media – was notably unperturbed by these exposes when they targeted his political opponents. In fact, during his tenure in Opposition, he seemingly embraced the independent media’s role in exposing governmental actions, wielding those revelations as ammunition against the previous administration. This selective stance reveals a disconcerting inconsistency: a willingness to champion press freedom only when it serves a convenient narrative.

To condemn the independent media for bias is one thing, but to do so while conveniently ignoring the state media’s systematic exclusion of opposition voices borders on the absurd. Perhaps Jagdeo would be better served by recognizing that a truly balanced media landscape cannot emerge when the state controls half of the narrative. If private media sometimes lean away from government, it is not only predictable but necessary. After all, it is only through the prism of diverse perspectives that the public can see the full picture—something Guyana’s State media is conspicuously ill-equipped to provide.

Rather than railing against journalists who expose flaws in governance, he might ask himself what such scrutiny reveals about his own administration. For a leader who has spent more than 25 years in power, there is little excuse for his continued refusal to tolerate criticism.

Jagdeo’s fixation on a few critical publications serves only to amplify their importance. For if the government’s iron grip on State media is insufficient to stifle dissent, then it is clear that Guyana’s democratic spirit endures in those very quarters he so vehemently opposes. The irony is stark: in his war against the independent media, Jagdeo has inadvertently proven its indispensability.

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

(The tirade against the independent media continues unabated)

Democracy, Jagdeo’s, propaganda machine, Vice President

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