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The fourth estate
Editorial…
Kaieteur News- The attacks on the private media by the current government continue unabated despite pushbacks. Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo has been relentless. He has even been using his weekly press conferences to go after his critics and the media is not spared. As observed by one of our columnists on Sunday, his performance, last Thursday, confirmed what many had long suspected, he is uncomfortable with differing opinions. It also was once again proof that the PPP/C has canonized party paramountcy by conflating party with government through the hosting of a weekly press conference that blurs the lines between the two.
In Guyana as in many other countries, the media, especially the print media more than any other institution, including the church, school and the family, exert tremendous power and influence in the socialisation of people. The media is able to wield such power and influence because today more than any other time in human history, people are thirsty for information. People will turn to the media first to find out what is happening in their country and the wider world. The information gathered from the media plays a critical role in molding the perceptions people have of others, places, issues and governance.
The media also shape the national agenda through the issues it brings to the public attention. And while it has remained an integral part of human civilization, it faces many challenges. Considered the Fourth Estate or the Fourth Power, the media comprise print, television, radio and the internet, all of which are playing a vital role in creating and shaping of public opinion and strengthening of society.
Today, technology has given rise to the electronic media which makes much easier for the average person to express views through blogs, website posts, Facebook and Twitter.
However, the media’s role as watchdog against the abuse of power in Guyana is safeguarded. The law, by way of the constitution, guarantees the continued existence of the media. A comparison cannot be drawn with the U.S. because the United States is unique when it comes to empowering the media.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution bars the Congress from passing any law abridging the freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The First Amendment probably was informed by persons who believe in freedom, and who generally place the interest of the nation before self-interest and all other considerations.
Politicians in Guyana have used the defamation law as a tool of intimidation against the print media and with the intent to silence it. It is a form of censorship that should not be tolerated. If politicians are accused of wrongdoing by the media and feel that they were defamed, they can sue the media because the defamation law is plaintiff-friendly.
The law places the onus on the media to prove the defamation and to also show that the media acted without actual malice. There are other laws on the statute books, including the Official Secrets Act, which help politicians and other public officials to avoid scrutiny. It is a form of indirect censorship.
However, this is not the case in American jurisprudence where the burden of proof is on plaintiff to prove their innocence in court. US laws related to the media hold that public officials must be subjected to scrutiny. Not so in Guyana. The media is considered the sword arm of democracy. It has an all-embracing role to act against the injustice, oppression, misdeeds and partiality of society as well as protecting the interest of the public against malpractice and at the same time create public awareness.
Its role is to report on the facts, not on rumours. It acts as the truth detector. Today when politicians are taking full advantage of their positions and are making the life of the common man miserable, the role of the media is to expose them. The media also help to fight corruption, nepotism and cronyism that are evident in institutions. Instead of complaining, Guyanese can assist in bringing about a more media-friendly environment by applying pressure on the authority to institute the necessary legal reforms to safeguard the right of the media. This would lead to a conducive environment for the media to deliver the kind of probing journalism without running the risk of being censored.
(The fourth estate)
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