THE work of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) commenced on Sunday, March 1, and a part of the US$100,000 budgeted for the Unit’s functioning has been delivered by the Commission’s developmental partners, according to the GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally.The MMU is expected to produce its first report for March in the first or second week of April.

MEDIA CODE OF CONDUCT
The analyses in the reports to be produced by the MMU will primarily be aimed at providing a complete picture regarding the level of journalistic professionalism employed by all media operatives; the access granted by Media Owners/Managers/Editors to candidates and/or political parties in the mass media; whether the coverage provided by media houses is fair and balanced; the tone of media coverage towards candidates and political parties; and whether the electorate is gaining diverse, comprehensive and impartial information from all media in order to make an informed choice on Election Day. The findings of the MMU reports are also expected to be in line with the recently signed Elections Media Code of Conduct.
The GECOM Chairman added that the European Union (EU), which committed Euro 25,000 to support the revival of the MMU is one of those partners that has delivered.
The funding towards the re-establishment of the MMU comes from the Governance component of the Technical Assistance Facility of the 10th European Development Fund. Funding has also been given by the EU from this instrument to provide two international experts to support GECOM in its capacity-building activities. Total EU funding in support of GECOM-related activities ahead of the forthcoming elections amounts to Euro 300,000. The initiatives were undertaken as a result of requests by GECOM and the Government of Guyana.
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 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.
Dr Surujbally also told the Guyana Chronicle, that other agencies have signalled their desire to commit financing for the Unit, in the interest of ensuring that the current term of the MMU’s operations sees completion.
The EU and Canada, via the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), are the Commission’s primary donors, relative to support for the MMU.
The MMU was revitalised in 2006 and has since come to be “accepted as an objective and credible arbiter of media practices” during election season.(Vanessa Narine)