The Mass Media In Guyana: A Critical Look
by H.Z. Ally
The media has a critical role to play in promoting national development and promoting a sense of national identity. This is why some governments seek to exercise some form of control of the media. This is, however, not a desirable state of affairs since it runs counter to one of the most basic and fundamental of human freedom -- the freedom to express one’s ideas and opinion without let on hindrance. The media in Guyana has come a long way since the dark days of PNC authoritarian rule when the only media houses that were allowed to publish a broadcast were those which were in a state of utter subservience to the ruling party. In those days it was difficult to differentiate between the Chronicle and the New Nation both of which printed only what the ruling party dictated. Today, the media landscape is much different. The electronic media, in particular television, has emerged the most popular mode of news and information since it draws on both the visual and auditing senses which makes information much easier to assimilate and digest. The proliferation of media houses, especially television has introduced into the media corps a new breed of media operatives, many of whom lack the ‘basic’ or 'first principles' of what good reporting and journalism entails. A great many of these have no training or theoretical foundation on the lessons of good journalism. The results of this in- adequacy is a lack of professionalism and almost invariably, crude interpretation of what constitutes good news. ‘Good’ news for these people are those that highlight ‘negatives’ in the society - murder, violence, rape, drug trafficking. They do not consider positive developments in the country as news that the public may have interest in -- the construction of new schools, hospital, bridges, roads, new housing schemes, water and so on which qualitatively impact on the lives of people in positive ways. This sensationalist man-bite-dog approach to defining news has characterised most of the private media houses although one sometimes hope that the national media houses such as the Chronicle, GTV and Guyana Broadcasting Corporation could do some more to correct distortions and misrepresentations carried out on a daily basis by some media sources. It is my view that the state media has a duty and a responsibility to the people of Guyana to promote national objectives and keep the public informed of developments. One interesting development has been the increasing number of 'talk show hosts' some of whom clearly have ‘agendas’ which can only be described as anti-national and in some instances even bordering on treason. In some countries persons like these would have been put behind bars for fomenting racial strife and inciting violence. They set out in a deliberate way to mislead and deceive for narrow partisan objectives. I am not by any means suggesting a return to the past when the media was tightly censored. However, there is a clear need for some regulatory mechanism to ensure some measure of professionalism and adherence to the high ethical standards demanded of the profession. The media is a powerful influencing force and must therefore be subject to some disciplinary code. The media has an important role to play in terms of information and entertainment but this must be done in a balanced and responsible manner. The PPP/Civic government has always fought for a fair and independent media but this does not mean that it is prepared to tolerate irresponsible attitudes by the mass media.
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