Reporters Without Borders should do its own homework rather than rely on the GPA for information
By Stabroek News
Copyright stabroeknews
Dear Editor,
Recently, much has been made about press freedom, and freedom of expression in Guyana. Ironically, most of the claims are made by those who are most active in the press, TV and social media.
The international community ought to take note of these developments because without careful scrutiny of the media space, one could end up making elementary errors as evidenced in the claims by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). This RSF has not done its homework, and like other neo-colonial apparatuses in the form of protecting democracy, takes the word of the opposition without doing any investigative journalism. How ironic is that?
For instance, it states that “[b]ecause members of the media regulatory authority are directly appointed by the president, the independence of certain media outlets, whose licenses can be revoked, is hampered.” Can RSF provide even the most rudimentary evidence of compromised independence? Is RSF aware that the Guyana Press Association is actually the most powerful media organization in Guyana and that it is dominated by journalists and personalities openly hostile to the PPP/C government?
One must wonder if RSF, et al, actually read the newspapers in Guyana. The letter sections of the two most widely read papers are platforms for anti-PPP/C operatives. Pro-administration writers who are well informed and highly qualified are routinely pushed aside. Whenever they get a piece published, those articles are cut to protect core opposition interests.
Anyone who is a critic of the PPP/C gets published in the top two broadsheets. And what makes it worse, is that many of these writers promote division, cultivate antagonism, and even call “uprisings.”
RSF has important work to do. It should take the time to do proper investigative journalism rather than rely on the likes of the GPA for information. If they do their work properly, they will find that the open-door media environment in Guyana is actually being abused by those who want neither development nor democracy.
Dr Randy Persaud
