THE Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) will soon allocate a representative to work in collaboration with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) to monitor the local media in light of the coming elections.

On Friday, the GNBA met with GECOM to discuss what sort of collaboration would be needed to create an environment that is peaceful and conducive for citizens before, during and after the upcoming elections.

The two, along with the ERC, will develop and operationalise a collaborative framework to ensure that the proposed tripartite engagement is successful and beneficial to all parties involved.

A release from the broadcasting authority detailed that representing the GNBA were Chairman of the GNBA Board, Leslie Sobers; board member and chair of the Monitoring and Compliance Committee, Jocelyne Josiah; Board Secretary, Violet Boyal; head of the Monitoring and Compliance Department, Christina Bianchini and Public Relations Officer, Joel Ally.

They met with chairman of GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh; Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield and Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward.
There, the GNBA chairman underscored that GECOM has a wider mandate as it relates to monitoring during the elections period and the ERC and GNBA are willing to help.
Similar to the ERC and GECOM, the GNBA monitors for content that may incite racial hatred or crime and public disorder with respect to broadcasting.

In the engagement, it was put forward that the Media Code of Conduct (MMC) for GECOM needs to be reviewed and updated in preparation for the upcoming elections.
In an interview with Guyana Chronicle in October, Ward had agreed on the same, informing that the Guyana Press Association (GPA) had indicated an interest in briefing media operatives about their conduct during the elections period which could see a revision of the 2015 MCC to include certain media progressions.

She had also noted the need for greater incorporation of social media news platforms in GECOM’s Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) as new reportage has moved beyond the traditional media of radio, print and television.

“Social media is trumping all other media. The new convergence of this new media technology is really trumping the traditional media so it means therefore that we cannot say that we’re just going to monitor the traditional media platforms and leave social media out. Social media will be one of our top priorities if and when we have that unit established,” she had said.

The GNBA is in agreeance with the same as GNBA’s PRO, Joel Ally noted that the populace is gradually moving away from the mainstream media and social media is continuously growing.

He added that reporters, in addition to signing on to the MMC, should also reflect those principles stipulated in the Code of Conduct when posting content and opinions on social platforms, being cognisant of the fact that they have influence on their followers.

Altogether, it has long been established that media can significantly influence information and the atmosphere of the coming elections and bear the responsibility of ensuring that there is balanced reporting which provides the electorate with all sides of the issue.