–highlights media’s role in upholding democracy

WITH the rapid shift in Guyana’s political landscape, and its historic background of racially-motivated voting and biases, the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) is working to ensure credible, unbiased reporting during the upcoming elections.
This is according to Minister of Public Affairs within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, who, on Saturday urged members of Guyana’s State media fraternity to pay keen attention to political parties using race and racial incitement as a political tool during the election cycle.
Minister McCoy was at the time speaking at a media training session for State media workers, which saw presentations being made by some of Guyana’s most seasoned journalists. The training session aimed to sensitise and educate State media operatives on correct reporting protocols and ethics, as well as tips on safety and the pivotal role the media plays in upholding democracy and providing credible information in a world where misinformation is more rampant than ever.
Addressing the gathering, Minister McCoy was passionate about upholding media ethics, particularly regarding political parties using race as a tool to create tension or discord, something he says becomes even more critical as September 1 draws nearer.

“The ethnic question or subject becomes very important; it is something that we have been fighting in this country for many years, and at election time, somehow it gets elevated,” he said.
Minister McCoy further added that while political parties and figures have a right to their views and opinions, journalists, particularly those of the State media, have a responsibility to uphold unity, and promote togetherness, both of which are principles of the government’s ‘One Guyana’ concept.
“We have a responsibility as media and particularly the State media, we have a responsibility to ensure that we are always promoting unity; we are always promoting things in keeping with the vision of the government, its programmes and policies, and to assure ourselves that at the end of the day, this is part of our national duty and in the various mediums of the State and not lending to the type of destructive, mischievous, malicious, capricious behaviour around the issue of race in particular,” he stated.

Moreover, the minister emphasised the importance of journalists’ safety in the field, especially around election season, a topic that Saturday’s training session also addressed. Minister McCoy pledged his and the State’s support in ensuring that Guyana’s journalists remain safe, emphasising that although Guyana is a relatively safe country for journalists, tensions may rise with increased incitement by political parties.
“Your safety is paramount; the importance of your being safe cannot be said enough, because at the end of the day, we want to ensure that you can be able to do your work freely, on the Internet…and so, we will, by virtue of the State apparatus and other measures, work to ensure that the safety more or less is assured,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Minister McCoy also acknowledged the major strides being made by Guyana’s journalists, noting the role they continue to play, not only in delivering news to the public, but also in upholding democracy, particularly during the 2020 elections, where credible reporting made a significant impact.
“We have to thank, and I’ve said this more than once, the journalists of our country. Because when one of the most challenging periods was on our hands as a country, not as a government, as a country, in 2020, it was the journalists who helped to highlight the situation around the attempts to rig the elections by the previous government, all of the attempts they were making. And it was the journalists who kept a steady eye on the situation and were reporting.”