With the local news media gaining a greater foothold in the new digital frontier, the Guyana Press Association (GPA) is urging journalists to remain cognisant of political realities while seeking to preserve truth.
In a statement yesterday in observation of World Press Freedom Day, being marked under the theme “21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers,” the GPA said that while access to newer media is welcome, the absence of proper broadcast legislation and the administration’s reluctance to open the electro-magnetic spectrum to private radio stations are throwbacks to era that is believed to have passed. “The sloth to enact the Freedom of Information Bill is hopefully not a harbinger of maximum administrative delay,” it added.
Also, the GPA said it was regrettable that it could not report any change to the status of its President Gordon Moseley, who is still banned from pursuing his work at the taxpayer-funded Office of the President (OP) and State House. Further, the GPA lamented that there has been no “measurable change in the attitude of the Administration” in abusing journalists and media houses or using other methods to stifle criticism.
According to the United Nations, the focus of this year’s observation is on the potential of the Internet and digital platforms as well as the more established forms of journalism in contributing to freedom of expression, democratic governance and sustainable development.
In this regard, the GPA said that Guyana is stepping tentatively into the surf of the Internet wave as it relates to news media. Internet penetration and access have been the primary reasons for this state of affairs but this is changing with more affordable access to the latest mobile telephony, it noted. The rise of social media has contributed largely to the virtually instantaneous access to newsworthy events and the implications for reportage have not been lost on Guyanese, it added.
The GPA also noted that traditional media outlets are positioning themselves to extend their reach to these digital thoroughfares, while there has been the establishment of news dissemination outlets on the new media platforms, with at least one of them being a commercial venture.
“The rise of new media has provided anyone with internet access and to some extent those without, a large audience unencumbered by geography with which to share their views and ideas. This in turn has spawned citizen journalism with its attendant advantages and disadvantages,” it said, while adding that inherent in this power is the potential for abuse as it relates to issues of privacy and user security.
The GPA also noted that the rise of new media poses a challenge for those who may wish to keep that level of power out of the hands of the citizenry, with them resorting to measures to block or censor access.
It said the UN has underscored the argument that freedom of expression is central to building strong democracies, contributing to good governance, promoting civic participation and the rule of law and, encouraging human development and security. It further said that hallowed right is sure to be tested here with upcoming general elections, which are constitutionally due before year end. “The political climate will see many exercising that right and we will be forced to ask ourselves how free is freedom,” it said, adding that journalists should remain cognizant of the political realities of Guyana even as they tread a path that redounds to the preservation of truth.
At the same time, it further added, it is expected that the powers that be will treat the media in a manner befitting the oaths they have taken up in service to the people of the nation.
