Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, yesterday requested copies of the National Communication Network’s (NCN) programme logs on its coverage of the 2023 budget debate in the National Assembly so as to determine if it has provided “fair” and “objective” coverage to the Opposition.
A release from APNU+AFC yesterday stated that Norton made the request to the Commis-sioner of Information, Charles Ramson Snr.
According to the statement, Norton dispatched a “Request for Access to Official documents under the Access to Information Act 2011, to Commission-er of Information Charles Ramson [Snr], requesting the radio and television programme logs of the National Communications Network (NCN) that shows its coverage of this year’s budget debate in the National Assembly.”
It also noted that the request extends to the entire NCN network of stations, which includes Georgetown, Linden, and Berbice.
APNU+AFC explained that the request is a follow up to their previous press statement where they had noted that the state media is obligated to also cover the views and activities of the Parliamentary Opposi-tion in a fair and objective manner. “NCN is funded by taxpayers’ dollars. NCN therefore has an obligation to its funders, the people of Guyana. It must cover the people’s representatives during their participation in national events as critical as the national budget debate. In so doing, NCN must ensure that such coverage is fair in terms of programme schedule, duration, rebroadcasts, and relays.”
The Opposition is therefore awaiting the receipt of NCN’s programme logs to determine “if it has honoured its obligation to the people of Guyana,” the release added.
However, NCN also issued a release yesterday refuting the opposition’s claims of unbalanced coverage, referring to them as “falsehoods.” It accused Norton and the opposition of peddling deliberate misinformation which it said “has become an entrenched pattern.”
According to NCN, their records show that the budget presentations of all thirty-one Members of the Opposition who spoke during the recently concluded debates, were broadcast “unedited”, with a total airtime of approximately 949 minutes or 15.8 hours. Further, in addition to the broadcast of those presentations, 26 stories specific to Budget 2023 which featured Members of the Opposition, were prominent in the news during that period.
NCN asserted that it has and continues to provide coverage to press conferences hosted by the Leader of the Opposition.
In further defence of its position, the broadcaster attached a table it says “reflects coverage of budget debates over the years.”
