The Guyana Press Association (GPA) says that as media workers join in ushering in a New Year, they must pause to reflect on their state and collectively make an effort enhance the quality of their product and their welfare.
In a statement last evening, the GPA said that though the climate in which Guyana’s media workers operate was better than in some countries, 2008 brings with it the continued responsibility to guard against political, commercial and criminal interference in the content of news and current affairs.
“Being cognizant of and adhering to the basic tenets of fairness, accuracy and the public’s right to know is the only guaranteed guardian against such sometimes lucrative materialistic temptations. The Executive of the GPA, therefore, urges media workers to take stock of ourselves,” the statement said.
It said that in this regard, the GPA’s Executive looks forward to media workers taking maximum and dedicated advantage of costly training opportunities, several of which were provided in 2007.
The association said the Stabroek News-Government ads issue was one on which the GPA will not rest “as we continue to mobilise and sustain local, regional and international engagements to bring about an acceptable solution.”
The association again called on President Bharrat Jagdeo to produce statistical evidence and methodology to prove his claimed hypothesis on circulation.
“The situation regarding Stabroek News continues to be as unacceptable as the obvious reluctance by the administration to end the state’s decades-old monopoly on radio broadcasting, despite repeated electoral promises. It is ironic that on many other legislative matters the government has used its simple majority to pass bills in the Parliament but continues to hold the tabling of broadcast legislation to ransom under the guise of a bi-partisan agreement.
The GPA hopes that the New Year will bring with it the wisdom required by the politicians across the National Assembly to enact a range of laws that are critical for the media to play a greater role in our democracy.
These laws include laws on Broadcasting, Freedom of Information, Copyright and Intellectual Property,” the GPA said.
With regard to the media’s relationship with the security forces, there appears to be a greater realization by the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force that accessibility to senior officers serves to ensure that accurate information is provided to the public, the GPA said. “This, however, has not negated the guardian role that the media have been playing in unearthing discrepancies provided by officialdom not only in the security sector but at levels of the state, government and non-governmental sectors,” the release said.
“As we approach the coverage of Mashramani 2008, let us use it as a dry-run for the coverage of not only the event but the issues between the event so that come Carifesta X scheduled to be held in Guyana, we will collectively take that special pride of place by making this magnificent cultural showcase one of the best covered by the media,” the GPA charged.
