THE Guyana Press Association (GPA) has joined media workers across the globe in observing World Press Freedom Day 2015, today.

The theme of this year’s observance is- “Let Journalism Thrive – Towards Better Reporting, Gender Equality, and Media Safety in the Digital Age” – is both opportune and relevant as Guyana prepares for general elections in another eight days.

“In an age of Information Communications Technology (ICT)-driven when gathering and dissemination of pictures, video and text occurs at the click of a finger on our mobile devices, there is an even greater burden on us as practicing media workers to apply rigidly the time-tested rules of high quality journalism,” the GPA said in a message.

It is the application of the basic principles of journalism that ought to and do separate us from Citizen Journalists and those who collect and circulate information on Social Media and the several types of messaging platforms.

The importance of striving for a broad standard of acceptable quality of journalism cannot also be over emphasised at a time when there is a proliferation of Online and conventional media with a diversity of ownership, business, political and cultural interests. One or a combination of these has the potential to set the news agenda.

“Let us never underestimate the analytic capacity of our readers, listeners and viewers: They know fair and balanced journalism. They know if and when we are changing focus, toning down or playing up one interest against the other,” the local press body stated.

The Guyana Press Association, therefore, urges Guyanese of all walks of life not to ignore Social Media but to rely and depend on established media houses for expected quality coverage of the general elections and associated issues and events.

A cursory glance of Guyana’s media landscape shows that there is a significant number of women in the media. They are a vulnerable group who come under intense pressure on an almost daily basis by sources who seek to induce various favours in exchange for information.
The GPA also challenge “our female colleagues to unite in the production of articles, features and documentaries on the successes and challenges of women across our beautiful country.”

In the last five years, the press body noted that there has been an increase in the number of news entities that have established a presence Online to disseminate fast-paced or same-day news. “Within the last five years, we have also seen a number of news websites hacked or slowed down. The experiences speak to the issue of Cyber Security. World Press Free Day 2015 is, therefore, an opportune moment for us to announce that we would be engaging the relevant governmental and non-governmental stakeholders and our regional umbrella Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) to explore how we can contribute to the national and regional discourses on the creation of a cyber security policy,” the GPA said.

The Guyana Press Association also took the opportunity to urge colleagues in the Media to be “extremely careful how you share confidentially acquired pictures because experts do have the technologies to determine the source and the location of such images (and) this can potentially expose your sources and in sensitive instances endanger your lives.”

In closing, the GPA quotes from the United Nations Secretary General, the UNESCO Director-General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in their joint statement for this year’s World Press Freedom Day: “For peace to be lasting and development to be sustainable, human rights must be respected. Everyone must be free to seek, receive and impart knowledge and information on all media, online and offline. Quality journalism enables citizens to make informed decisions about their society’s development. It also works to expose injustice, corruption, and the abuse of power.”