AMBASSADOR of the European Union to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Cantó, has underscored that freedom of the press and media is a key component of preserving democracy and commended Guyana’s press for the role it played in the country’s 2020 elections.
These comments were part of his message for World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated globally on May 3.
In a video statement issued on Sunday, Canto highlighted the EU’s commitment to contributing to the protection and promotion of press freedom, because of the significance it plays in keeping citizens informed. “Freedom of expression and information, as well as freedom of the press, provides the most powerful platform for contributing significantly for the formation of public opinion. This allows people to make informed choices in political decisions, and daily lives,” Canto said.
“These freedoms are therefore essential for democracy, which is one of the fundamental values common to all the EU member states and to most of our partners and those are the very values on which the EU is founded.” World Press Freedom Day was established in 1993 by the UN General Assembly, following a recommendation adopted at the 26th session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991.

Celebration of the day is particularly aimed at reminding governments of the need for commitment to respecting press freedom, and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.This year the day is being celebrated under the theme, “Information as a public good.”
“The title is self-evident. We want to affirm the importance of cherishing information as a public good and exploring what can be done in the production, distribution and reception of content to strengthen journalism to advance transparency and to ensure empowerment, while leaving no one behind,” Canto remarked in his address.
He highlighted that the EU continues to do its part to ensure the preservation of press freedom. “Within the EU legal framework, press freedom is a fundamental right established in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. With its provisions closely resembling that on press freedom in the EU Convention on Human Rights. This is also reflected in other fundamental international provisions,” Canto said. He stressed that the quality of democratic processes is linked to the state of freedom of expression as well as media freedom and pluralism. “On World Press Freedom Day we want to celebrate the essential role of free press, not only as a conveyor or reliable and accurate news, but as a pillar of democracy. There is no democracy without a truly free press,” he said He cited Guyana’s 2020 elections as a leading example of how the free press in Guyana played a critical role in ensuring the preservation of democracy.

“I want to highlight and commend the important role that press and the media in Guyana played in particular during and after the general elections of 2020. This was fundamental and essential in this important process which led finally to the declaration of results,” he noted.
In 2020, the declaration of results for Guyana’s General and Regional Elections dragged on for some five months, following a number of irregularities, court cases, and a recount process. Canto underlined the critical role the free press is playing during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic before noting how important responsible reporting was during this period. “In the pandemic context, the media has also a fundamental responsibility to play. I have to say that if the media is disseminating the right messages, success is almost guaranteed,” he added. Canto pledged the EU’s commitment to continuing to tangibly and significantly contributing to the preservation of press freedom. “The EU continues to promote free and fair media, not only at home, but also globally in relation with partner countries, including by providing funding for targeted projects that enhance quality for journalism. The EU reaffirms its determination to defend press and media freedom within its borders and worldwide,” Canto assured.

IMPORTANT ROLE
Meanwhile, the GPA in its message said this year’s theme ultimately means that state parties have an important role and responsibility, as do the disseminators to ensure that media workers serve the public interest through their content.
“This task has become most important in the period of the pandemic, when the public depends on journalists to provide accurate information to counter not only the anti-vaxers, but also those who churn out misinformation and disinformation”, the statement said.
The association noted that states such as Guyana have a critical role to facilitate this public good to the wider public. In this regard, the GPA urged the Government of Guyana to create a greater public awareness about the access-to-information mechanism, so that not only journalists, but the wider public can maximise its use.
It used the opportunity to urge the media corps to dedicate journalists to research particular topics and utilise the access-to-information mechanism that it believes needs to be revamped and made user-friendly in a simplified manner.

“In an age when some media practitioners are driven merely by a few lines to catch social media eyes, we have to be more aware of the information we put in the public domain. We have to [be] respectful of persons faced with trauma, our treatment of victims of sexual assault, abuse and human trafficking and most importantly, understand our role in the protection of minors and how they are portrayed in the stories we write,” the GPA said.
It noted that the most pressing issue facing journalism is the viability of free and independent media, because advertisers and sponsors believe that they get more returns on their dollars from social media, which, for the most part, is “a minefield of misinformation and disinformation satisfied by how many likes and shares one gets. Worryingly, too, are elected officials who are perpetuating these types of acts under the guise of influencers. Influencers for who and for what? Just for votes?”

In this context, media houses have a larger role to play by constantly educating the public that journalism standing on the pillars of fairness, accuracy, credibility and verification is the basis for informing and educating the public, the statement said.
It added: “We want to take this opportunity to request that the government as well as the opposition review the Cyber Crime Act with the intent to remove any clauses that restrict the freedom of expression. We feel that any restriction on freedom of expression and the freedom to receive and impart information opens the door to abuse by officialdom.” According to the statement, if freedom of expression is to be the source of a meaningful public good, the state, the business community and practitioners must see themselves as being inextricably linked to the cause for the benefit of all.
The GPA in its message saluted all media workers, particularly the journalists and editors who continue to toil beyond hours to bring the news to the public.