Georgetown: The Guyana Press Association (GPA) joins journalists and media practitioners across the world in observing World Press Freedom Day 2017 on May 3.
The theme of this year’s observance is “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies.”
Below is a statement by the GPA as follows:
We take this opportunity to urge the legal fraternity as well as our colleagues in the media to be cognizant of the various laws and regulations that have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and access to information.
They should also be defenders of those freedoms and guardians against the enactment of more legal stringencies on the press. This is especially so in an era of the proliferation of news content on Social Media.
The GPA takes the firm view that a strong judiciary is an important pillar in the protection and promotion of free media as part of the promotion of a healthy democracy in which ordinary people and decision-makers alike can share competing ideas, constructive criticisms and suggestions for nation- building.
Justice for all as a prerequisite for freedom of expression and sustainable development
The rule of law forms an integral part of a democratic and inclusive society. It protects fundamental freedoms and applies universally to each individual and entity. Weak institutions, a weak judiciary, and lack of access to justice greatly impede sustainable development. Without a well-functioning legal and regulatory environment, the public loses confidence in the democratic process and no longer invests in its sustainable future.
The GPA also uses the opportunity of World Press Freedom Day 2017 to encourage fact-checking and verification of relevant and authentic sources material before dissemination on social media.
If information is replicated without the necessary due diligence, this can essentially result in the peddling of information that may be detrimental and call into question the role of the press.
GPA, therefore, calls on media houses to ensure their editors and reporters alike take advantage of the various training activities and professional development events as we seek to dismantle existing barriers and reduce or eliminate historical tensions.
As we observe World Press Freedom Day, we pledge our unwavering support to any effort that will improve the level of Digital Literacy, while at the same time be vigilant against hate speech.
Hate communication can take many forms either by commission or omission.
In this regard, the GPA bemoans the Government of Guyana’s increasingly rigid posture against sections of the media and their organisation, the GPA, by refusing to concretely address several concerns.
The GPA has sought an audience with the Prime Minister on various issues but to no avail, though we are grateful to have had at least three meetings with President David Granger, apart from the two events he has held with the media since assuming office.
However, we continue to receive complaints of government / political interference in the work of taxpayers’ funded State-owned media. We continue to condemn the moves by some government ministers to steer the editorial content of the state media. The continued presence of Mr Imran Khan, the Director of Public Information, as the chairman of the Board of the Chronicle newspapers, sends a message of direct state control and runs counter to public statements by the President that his executive will not undermine the professionalism of the state media.
Further, we have received complaints from two of our members that they have been accosted by presidential public affairs personnel and pulled away although President David Granger had expressed a willingness to speak.
These actions taken together clearly send a damning message to the regional and international media community that Guyana and Guyanese media workers need to take decisive action to arrest what could very well be the continuation of media repression by successive political directorates under the guise of repeated public declarations in support of press freedom.
The Guyana Press Association calls on the Government of Guyana to immediately desist from carrying out certain actions that are inimical to press freedom and instead to subscribe to its promise of breaking with the past.
The Guyana Government needs to play a significant role in helping to shape the press freedom environment especially in an era of digital delivery of information on which people are increasingly dependent on, like conventional mass media, to make a wide array of decisions that affect their lives.
Openness is key and critical to sustainability, good governance, transparency and accountability.
In this regard, we call on President David Granger to hold periodic press conferences of no less than one hour. While we do appreciate the fact that he is not averse to speaking with the media on the side lines of public events or during his ‘Public Interest’ programme, the GPA believes that accountability to the Guyanese people will be best served through press conferences at which he can be questioned in detail about his government’s policies and programmes.
The Association also calls on the President to advise the media in advance of his overseas engagements to allow media houses the opportunity to plan or decide whether they would like to cover those visits at our own expense.
Training
The GPA has over the past months held a number of training programmes, thanks to the generous support of any organisations, including the Canadian High Commission, the Pan American Health Organisation, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Scotia Bank, even as we reached out to our members to seek other opportunities.
In the upcoming months, several workshops are planned as we seek to improve the capacity of local journalists to cover key issues in a professional and well-informed manner.
Over the past year, there have been occasions when the GPA has had to upbraid and caution some of our members re their reporting and they consented to our views. We look to continue this excellent relationship with media workers and owners.
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