THE recent statement by Reporters Without Borders (RWB) is nothing more than an orchestrated attempt to create smokescreens and manufacture controversy over press freedom in Guyana.
Let me be absolutely clear: the Government of Guyana maintains a healthy, professional and respectful relationship with the media — both traditional and non-traditional. There is no hostility or antagonism toward the free press. There is no need for Reporters Without Borders to ‘help’ foster a more pluralistic media landscape. The government is already fostering its own budding relationship with the media, providing transparency and timely access to the entire press. Journalists and the press corps are treated fairly and are respected by the PPP/C Government.
The president and government follow the Broadcast Act and do not threaten any member of the broadcast body. The government has not revoked any broadcast media licences unless there is sufficient evidence that a broadcaster has breached the terms and conditions of his/her licence.
In other words, the media is not pressured or influenced by the government. Democracy is alive and press freedom is very much alive. Thve RWB is missing the point and seeking to present alternative facts, which are based on the lies and misrepresentations told to it by the Guyana Press Association (GPA).
The GPA under its former and current leadership is hostile to the government. They practise selective outrage about media issues and concerns regarding the treatment the media or an individual media house claims to have received at the hands of the government. There is hardly any formal investigation or probing of the claim. There is no report produced that is presented to the sitting government. There is no room for a rebuttal or setting the record straight.
It is in this very context that the President criticises the media and rightly so over unfair coverage or biased coverage of him and the government. This is in no way an attack on free media or press freedom.
The truth is, in many flourishing democracies the media are criticised when they report false and misleading information about the government, state, and public and private institutions. The media corps is sharply rebuked if they lie to the public and are dragged through the mud to the judiciary to defend itself against libel and slander suits.
It is the same in Guyana. We must be mature and responsible. If the media wants to be treated more professionally and be given much more respect, then it must uphold the tenets of the journalistic profession. It must be practical and accept constructive criticisms. It must report the truth and facts. It must not lie or spread alternative facts. It must show that it is unbiased. It is not beyond reproach, and the President, just like every other member of society, has his constitutional right to reply.
They must have thick skins. If the media can dish it out, then they must be able to take it when it comes. The President, Vice President, Prime Minister, ministers, public officials, and every politician could criticise the media or challenge the narratives set by the media.
No one could stop the President from being critical of journalists and the media. The media is not the law.
Second, the government will never seek to control or intimidate journalists. The government will not try to beat the media into compliance or conformity. Its role is to safeguard the nation and ensure that public information is true, wholesome and factual. The media environment is changing at an alarming pace, thanks to AI and digitisation.
With the great and uncapped power given to the media comes the need to be responsible and honest. The GPA must learn this during its temper tantrums. The media corps must learn this, too. It must not poke the bear. This RWB statement was premature and based on a series of alternative facts and imagined realities. They want to set the narrative, but complain when the president and other public officials are beating them to their game.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.