By KNEWS

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FGM, WPA condemn media exclusion from president’s press briefing

Sep 18, 2025
News

– say controlled access, limited questions reflect authoritarianism

Kaieteur News – Following the public outrage over the exclusion of several media outlets from President Irfaan Ali’s first press conference on Tuesday, political parties have condemned the move and called for greater press freedom in Guyana.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) expressed deep concern over what it described as a troubling precedent set by the Administration. The party criticised the deliberate exclusion of several accredited media houses, stating, “When the highest office in the land begins its new mandate by hand-picking which journalist can ask questions, the people of Guyana must ask: what comes next? This is a harbinger that troubles us greatly.”

FGM also referenced recent calls by international watchdog Reporters without Borders for the Ali Administration to take concrete steps toward improving media freedom. “Yet instead of embracing that call, the Office of the President responded with exclusion and restriction. This makes one thing clear: if international scrutiny no longer fazes those in power, then the people of Guyana must be even more vigilant,” the party stated.

The party went on to say, “To control access, to limit questions, and to dictate which voices are heard is dictatorship 101. It disrespects not only the media but the citizens whose right to transparency is being eroded.” FGM called on the Government to recommit to openness and fairness, not to satisfy foreign entities, but because “the Guyanese people deserve nothing less.”

Similarly, Working People’s Alliance (WPA) co-leader Dr. David Hinds, in a press conference held on Wednesday, also condemned the exclusion of media houses. He described the action as an attack on democracy and a clear sign of autocratic governance. “WPA condemns in the strongest terms the action of the president. It validates the point we have been making—that elections are used not as a means of advancing the country, but about getting political office to settle scores with political opponents and other civil society organisations that are deemed not to be friendly by the Government,” Hinds said.

He continued, “despite recent statements from Reporters Without Borders making that recent speech, despite the fact that the international observance has drawn attention to the balance of power of the media, immediately after the election, the President then behaves in a way in a sense silencing part of the media. It is reprehensible, it is not in keeping with democratic norms, and it further sinks Guyana into the category of an elected autocracy.”

Dr. Hinds stressed the fundamental role of the press in holding government accountable and ensuring public discourse. “The media is a very important element in our society. In any society, the media are the institution that makes a difference in terms of getting the government to address issues. When you silence the media in that way, you are burying democracy, and this is just days after an election in a new country,” he said.

Reaffirming the party’s support for journalists, Hinds added, “The WPA stands in solidarity with the media. We defend the right to function in this society and in our country because they are an important plank of democracy and forward movement of our country. We are not going to develop economically in this country if we don’t have a free press. There’s a relationship between freedom of speech and economic development and economic transformation.”

Meanwhile, Stabroek News, one of the media houses excluded from the press conference, issued its own statement on Wednesday. The newspaper revealed that it had not been formally invited to the President’s press conference. Instead, an oral invitation was extended to one of its reporters by Communications Director and Press Secretary Suelle Findlay-Williams. Editor-in-Chief Anand Persaud criticised the handling of the invitation process, stating that the newspaper has two accredited reporters to the presidential press corps and it is the editor-in-chief’s responsibility to assign them, not individual staff members.

Persaud noted that neither he nor the official newsroom email addresses were contacted regarding the event. He characterised the move as an attempt to undermine both the reporter and the newspaper, saying it would not be tolerated. “We expected professionalism from the President’s office in handling arrangements for the press conference, but that was sorely lacking,” he said.

On Tuesday, the President hosted the press briefing at the Office of the President; however, sections of the local media did not receive formal invitations. While representatives of the Guyana Standard, National Communications Network (NCN), Guyana Times, Guyana Chronicle, Ignite News, News Source Guyana, News Room, Kaieteur News, and the Department of Public Information (DPI) received direct calls from Press Secretary and Director of Press and Publicity Suelle Findlay-Williams, several other prominent media houses, including Stabroek News, Prime News, Nightly News, News In-Depth, Big Smith News Watch, and Capitol News, were notably absent, having not been informed about the event.

Veteran journalist Dennis Chabrol of Demerara Waves, who had received an invitation, walked out of the press conference in protest after being informed of strict restrictions on questions.

Before the press conference commenced, communications consultant Kit Nascimento instructed journalists that only six questions would be allowed in total to ask the President, with no follow-ups permitted. Furthermore, questions were to be limited strictly to the content of the President’s address, the subject of which was not disclosed beforehand.

In response to the controversy, Kaieteur News reached out to, president of the Guyana Press Association, Iva Wharton who expressed concern. “I have received a number of complaints on it. What I can say is that it is concerning, but we intend to write to the President’s office to find out exactly what happened,” Wharton stated.

Amanza Walton-Desir, FGM, media exclusion, president’s press briefing, Press Freedom, WPA