Threat to pull state ads from K/News a danger to economic viability of independent media houses in Guyana – GPA

Oct 26, 2024 News

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…says politicians continue to seek to normalise targeting of media houses and media workers

The Guyana Press Association (GPA) on Friday issued a strong statement against a series of efforts geared at targeting specific media houses and media workers in various forms.

The body, which represents just over 100 media workers, said for several months, media professionals have raised concerns about harassment, aggression, intimidation and non-cooperation by politicians across the political spectrum.

The Association stated, “Guyanese politicians continue to seek to normalise targeting media houses and media workers in many forms. Over the past years, those actions included singling out journalists and media houses in the most disparaging, discriminatory and vulgar ways of aggressively responding or addressing journalists, and preferential treatment and access by media houses for interviews.”

Further, the GPA noted that the government is accused of using State-owned media and State actors to target other media houses and journalists, sidelining certain media houses by providing interviews to friendly media and social media commentators, and the outright refusal to engage with some media houses on matters of national importance. Additionally, there are also threats to the distribution of advertisements across the board to the media.

The Association highlighted that with Guyana entering another election cycle, these actions remain a worrying trend as the country grapples with the rapid changes that come with its earning capacity.

In fact, the body said it is clear that the civic space, freedom of the press and expression are all under threat under the pseudo-cover of the government’s right to reply.

K/News and state ads

The Association said it has received complaints of a continued campaign by commentator/influencer Mikhail “Guyanese Critic” Rodgrigues, who every week would ask Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo about taking questions from Kaieteur News reporters and or reducing State advertisements for Kaieteur News in particular.

Twice in recent times Jagdeo acknowledged the issue of state advertisements for the media- one time saying that this should be reviewed and on another occasion, that he would raise the issue in writing with President Ali as he branded Kaieteur News a political entity.

“The GPA considers this issue a threat to the economic viability of independent media houses in Guyana. Additionally, there is a campaign to discredit the media and more so the independent media. This has been ongoing for years but has been amplified over the months,” the body said.

Furthermore, it recognized that calls for respect of the media by politicians will not be an easy task, adding that there is “no genuine effort to be open with the media, address the concerns and simply do better.”

The Guyana Press Association said it hopes that these change and politicians accept the work of the media, as well as working with the media. The media body noted that there is a trend to attack media, journalists and the press body via social media pages.

GPA urged media houses to encourage media workers to participate in training opportunities, pointing to the need for more robust fact-checking mechanisms within media houses and verification of information before publication, as there continues to be complaints in that regard. To this end, the body highlighted its commitment to train media workers.

GECOM

Meanwhile, the Press Association called on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to consider a political code of conduct for politicians, as it does for the media.

It said, “The GPA wants to use this opportunity to call on several bodies including the Guyana Elections Commission to not only consider media monitoring but also elections-related training for media workers. And as the election cycle has begun, GECOM should also consider a political code of conduct for politicians, as it does for the media.”

The body flagged a number of complaints it received; see below for a synopsis.

Sedition threats

The GPA said in October, through a statement from the Guyana Police Force, Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit, Fazil Karimbaksh threatened to institute sedition and obstruction of justice charges against journalist Leroy Smith for a news report published by Smith on the investigation into Assistant Police Commissioner Calvin Brutus.

Foreign Affairs Minister shouts at Stabroek News reporter

Also in October, GPA pointed out that Stabroek News in its reporting called out Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd for his aggression towards reporter Khadidja Ba. While covering the special Sitting of Parliament on October 10th, Ba was approached by Minister Todd and shouted at for her reporting on an issue related to migrants in Linden.

Targeting of State Media

The press body noted that State media workers have filed two complaints with the GPA over the past months. “This included a report on May 18th that NCN Manager Reycia Nedd complained about being intimidated by APNU Councillor Vanessa Kissoon. Nedd detailed a verbal attack on herself which prompted her to leave the assignment,” the Association said.

Additionally, reporters attached to the Guyana Chronicle lodged a complaint about aggression from Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton to their questions at the Party’s press conference. “Reporters said that many of these questions are met with aggressive or refusal to answer. On May 30th, Guyana Chronicle in an editorial called out Kaieteur News for referring to a journalist as “annoying” in her questioning of the Opposition Leader,” the GPA detailed.

In addition, NCN Linden in October raised another issue of “threatening language” being used against reporter Ianna Benjamin by an APNU councillor, Abdulla Hamid. GPA said it was informed that the incident occurred during a Mayor and Town Council meeting and has left the reporter traumatised.

K/News Reporter targeted

On World Press Freedom Day, GPA flagged that a Kaieteur News reporter, Anasa Williams was the focus of a Facebook live video where Commentator Mikhail Rodrigues showed several videos of her at a Vice President Jagdeo Press conference while calling her derogatory names.

President’s Press Conference

“On June 20th, 2024, at a Presidential press conference, members of the media were berated and insulted by President Ali,” the press body said. Two reporters, Vahnu Manickchand of the Guyana Times and Shervin Belgrave of Kaieteur News were insulted, one being grilled on a question she asked, and Belgrave being scolded by President Irfaan Ali.

News Source Journalist targeted

The GPA noted that President Ali has been aggressive in his responses to Journalist, Svetlana Marshall. “President Ali on more than one occasions singled out Marshall during sideline interviews. One such interview was in November 2023 as the journalist asked him about the rising cost of living. Another sideline interview was on the power ship in March 2024. Both times, Ali was aggressive towards Marshall but not with other reporters,” the Association noted.

Targeting GPA

For its fearless representation of all media workers in Guyana, the GPA itself has been subjected to attacks by politicians. Notably, in addressing the disrespect of media professionals by the Head of State, the President of the GPA, Nazima Raghubir was also attacked for comments made in support of the media workers.

“In an effort to discredit Nazima Raghubir as a journalist, Vice President Jagdeo continued his attack on Raghubir on June 27th, August 8th and August 15th. These public comments are often followed by cyberbullying by known social media accounts and letter and column writers in the state media,” the Association pointed out.

 

 

 

 

 

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• GECOM, GPA, Kaieteur News, media, state ads, statement, targeting

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