REVIEWS of election coverage in the media by the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) are expected to commence within two weeks, according to Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr. Steve Surujbally.At a news conference yesterday at Cara Lodge, he disclosed that the vacancies for media monitors have been filled by qualified, University of Guyana (UG) graduates.

The operations of the MMU are an added measure in the interest of maintaining the laudable electoral processes of the last few elections.
Funding in the sum of US$100,000 has been secured for the resuscitated MMU and, according to Dr. Surujbally, this is expected to be released to the Commission shortly.
The primary donors, he added, are the European Union (EU) and Canada, via the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Initially established in 2001, the MMU’s operations are expected to span a five-month period, and its activities, according to the project proposal seen exclusively by the Guyana Chronicle, would include the following: Daily monitoring of Guyana’s mainstream print and broadcast media for conformity to best practices associated with professional journalism; Informing media practitioners in a timely manner of instances of breaches; The production of periodic reports on the Unit’s findings on media practitioners’ compliance; Compiling archival information on local media performance for referencing purposes; and Providing informational and other support to GECOM’s Public Relations Department.
These are in addition to other undertakings which are outlined in a work plan for the Unit.
The Media Monitoring Unit was revitalised in 2006 and has since come to be “accepted as an objective and credible arbiter of media practices,” as the document highlighted.
Additionally, over two dozen media corps stakeholders yesterday signed onto a revised media Code of Conduct, by which the MMU’s monitors will be guided. (Vanessa Narine)