UNLIKE so many other countries of the world, Guyana today could be regarded as having a free and independent media.

The media is free to write on any issue. I am not aware of any journalist that has been harassed or intimidated for writing anything critical of the administration. In fact, an examination of the media outlets would reveal that the anti-government media outnumber by far those that are pro-government which seriously challenge any notion that the media in Guyana is in any way suppressed or prevented from reporting on anything harmful or critical of the current administration.

This, unfortunately, was not always the case. Under the former administration, the ‘opposition’ media was suppressed and starved of newsprint. The Mirror newspaper, more than any other, was harassed by the PNC regime and at one time was forced out of circulation for want of newsprint under the pretext of wanting to conserve on foreign exchange.

The utter hypocrisy of this was demonstrated in the fact that the Mirror was denied permission to import newsprint even when there was no foreign exchange involved since the newsprint were donated free of charge by overseas friends.

This harassment of the independent media lasted for almost the entire period of PNC rule, close to three decades. It was not until the latter days of PNC rule that some opening up of the media took place with the emergence of the Stabroek News. Under the current administration, two additional newspapers appeared on the national scene, the Kaieteur News and the Guyana Times, the latter being the newest kid on the block.

“One important element in any functioning democracy is the media which is often referred to as the ‘watchdog’ of society. That is to say that it is the job of the media to fearlessly expose wrongdoings in society and to put pressure on those who would wish as it were ‘to get away with murder.’ The pen, it is said is mightier than the sword.”

This makes Guyana one of the countries in the world with perhaps the highest in terms of media outlet per head of population especially when consideration is taken of the electronic media. It is quite an uphill task to read all of the newspapers especially on Sundays when the size of the papers are significantly larger when compared to weekdays.

This is indeed a healthy sign. When it comes to the number of media houses, for me the more the merrier. Let a thousand media houses bloom! Let there be free competition of ideas and let the public determine from the wide array of media choices available to them and form opinion on issues based on their own interpretation of what is presented to them.

This is why it is so important for media practitioners to be fair and objective in the manner they present information to the public. The public is entitled to know what is happening and to a large extent such information comes from the media houses.

Just as all living things need oxygen to survive, in like manner, political systems need to have the fresh air of democracy if it is to flourish, grow and develop. Countries that lack democracy and basic freedoms are invariably countries that lag behind in terms of economic and social development. The health of the body-politic is dependent to a large extent on the free expression of its citizens in all facets of national life not least of which is the freedom to elect a government of one’s choice. The media has an important role to play in this regard.

One important element in any functioning democracy is the media which is often referred to as the ‘watchdog’ of society. That is to say that it is the job of the media to fearlessly expose wrongdoings in society and to put pressure on those who would wish as it were ‘to get away with murder.’ The pen, it is said is mightier than the sword.

There is no substitute for a free and independent press. The role of the media in any democracy must be to promote the good and well-being of citizens through accurate and objective reporting of the facts. In this regard, every issue must be well researched and due diligence done before the issue is brought into the public domain, especially with regard to key and sensitive issues.

Regrettably what passes for journalism today is nothing short of sensationalism intended to play on the baser instincts of people rather than educating or enlightening the viewing public. The tendency has been to focus on issues that are sensational and not necessarily those that are developmental. The concept of development support journalism has given way to ‘man bite dog’ journalism intended, as mentioned earlier, to create sensationalism and not for advancing the process of national development.

Newspapers, it is often said, are ‘views papers’. By this is meant that every newspaper has an editorial slant which is reflected not only in its editorial policy but also in the way it manages and packages the news. There is a lot of truth in this saying. This, however, should not be a reason for distorting the facts and providing half-truths to the public.