Georgetown: Under the theme “Media Freedom for a Better Future: Shaping the post-2015 Development Agenda”, Press Freedom Day is celebrated today worldwide as US Ambassador Brent Hardt noted Guyana’s improvement in Press Freedom but said journalists should press for greater answers
US Ambassador D Brent Hardt said Guyana has shown improvement in Press Freedom but said journalists should press for greater answers. The US Ambassador was speaking at a reception held at his residence to honour media operatives in Guyana in observance of World Press Freedom Day.
The Ambassador said Guyana’s media houses have brought to the forefront human interest stories. Trafficking in persons, violence faced by the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender (LGBT) society and discrimination, in addition to issues of national development, have been brought to the attention of the public through the writings of diligent journalists.
Ambassador Hardt point out that Guyana was ranked 67th worldwide out of 180 countries by Freedom House in its 2014 Press Freedom Index.
This, he said, is a slight improvement from last year. “In Freedom House rankings for 2014, Guyana was classified once again as partly free,” the US Ambassador said while stating that these are indications of the country’s development.
However, the US Ambassador strongly believes more can be done to protect and expand freedom of the press and the free exchange of ideas and perspectives.
These were the concerns raised by the International Press Institute that paid a visit to Guyana last year along with the Association of Caribbean Media Workers. Though some Caribbean countries have ranked higher than those in Latin American, all is not well. IPI and the Association of Caribbean Media Workers have pointed out that journalists in some countries “continue to practise self-censorship”, and “state-owned media continue to serve as propaganda machines for Governments”, Hardt said.
He called on journalists to ask the tough questions when the need arises, telling them not to be afraid or intimidated.
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