Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
May 25, 2001

AT LONG last, it seems, measures will be put in place to regularise the operations of television stations.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Sam Hinds on Wednesday and he has extended an invitation to the owners of all TV stations for a meeting on Monday.

This is a step in the right direction since as matters now stand, most citizens and many visitors agree that most TV stations are being operated in a very loose manner, flouting all internationally recognised norms for the decent and responsible use of the air waves.

We hope that the Monday meeting would help produce the result most Guyanese are looking for -- the introduction of a licence and the regulation of TV operations.

Freedom of the press is essential but many who operate in the media seem not to realise the heavy responsibilities that go with such freedom.

This has become more necessary now since the country is still trying to grapple with the effects of the pre- and post-elections violence, a lot of which was stirred, some argue, by certain local television programmes and racial slurs by some TV hosts.

There has to be an understanding and appreciation of the role of the responsible media and instead of churning out fabrications and hate speeches which could have devastating results, owners and managers should ensure their operations adhere to standards known to and accepted by the journalistic fraternity.

But this has not been the case as the Prime Minister noted: "In the present circumstances, however, the government is not prepared to allow the unregulated use of the airwaves to continue."

Mr. Hinds said the government intends to apply the current provisions of the Post and Telegraph Act and Wireless Telegraphy Regulations until such time that a new broadcasting law would have been introduced after consultations with a broad-based Commission on Broadcasting.

We support the setting up of an advisory body to help determine whether the content of programmes are broadcast in accordance with the guidelines of the Media Code of Conduct drawn up for the March 19 elections.

Clearly this has been honoured in the breach by some TV stations which didn't care less about consequences.

Even international observers at the last elections had reason to make very caustic remarks about the `talk shows' on some of these stations.

Care has to be taken with the impact of TV, especially where there is a plural society with people of diverse cultures and political allegiances.

In every country, the media have an obligation to the people and television is no exemption.

The Guyana Elections Commission Media Monitoring Unit said: "The complete lack of regulation of television has led to a situation where the linking of broadcast licences to the need of community responsibility is completely absent in Guyana."

This cannot be allowed to continue as even impartial consultants from overseas have recognised.

Guyana needs to move quickly towards introducing the current provisions and paving the way for the introduction of a new Broadcasting Law.