THE Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) is disturbed by media reports that are quoting the United States Human Rights Report as stating: “In August, the Prime Minister issued a directive that all headlines in the State-owned print media be first scrutinised and approved by his office before they are published. The directive was a response to a headline criticising the government.”

The Office of the Prime Minister makes it clear that at no time was any directive issued by the Prime Minister, the Office of the Prime Minister, or any other government entity that headlines in any State media be scrutinised or approved before publication or broadcast.
Any such claim is false, baseless, and without any merit whatsoever.

“OPM further notes that:
1: The US State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2014 states as follows:
(i) “The (PPP) government continued to influence print and broadcast media, and to exert heavy control over the content of the National Communications Network (NCN television), giving (PPP) government spokespersons extended coverage while limiting participation of (APNU and AFC) opposition figures.
(ii) “In April (2014) the (PPP) government-run NCN suspended a newsroom producer for broadcasting a parliamentary presentation by a member of an opposition political party. The (PPP) government had instructed the NCN to broadcast presentations by the parliamentary opposition late at night, when viewership is low.”

Citing excerpts from previous reports, the OPM said that, in 2013, the US stated as follows:
(i) “The (PPP) government also influenced print and broadcast media, and continued to exert heavy control over the content of the National Communications Network (television), giving government spokespersons extended coverage while limiting participation of opposition figures.
(ii) “The (PPP) government banned songs that criticised (the PPP) government corruption from the (PPP) government-run National Communications Network.”

Additionally, the US State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2012 states as follows:
(i) “The (PPP) government also influenced print and broadcast media and continued to exert heavy control over the content of the National Communications Network (television), giving (PPP) government spokespersons extended coverage while limiting participation of (APNU and AFC) opposition figures.
(ii) “The NGO Reporters without Borders criticised press freedom in the country, due largely to (the PPP government) radio broadcasting monopolies.”

Again, the US State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2011 states as follows:

(i) “The (PPP) government’s monopoly on radio broadcasting continued throughout most of the year. Observers believed the (PPP) government attempted to censor or restrict content, and sought indirectly to censor the print media by controlling advertising.
(ii) “All radio stations operating on the electromagnetic spectrum are (PPP) government controlled.
(iii) “In 2009, the Court of Appeal ruled that the (PPP) government had an unlawful monopoly on the airwaves and that the National Frequency Management Unit was not adequately considering radio licence applications.
(iv) “The (PPP) government’s monopoly on radio broadcasting continued, limiting the expression of opposition views, even though the National Assembly passed…a new broadcasting bill.”

The OPM has opined that the former regime obviously remains unsettled by the damning indictment by the US State Department of the PPP regime’s authoritarian and Stalinist control of the state media.