News reports are frequently unbalanced - monitoring unit Stabroek News January 23, 2001 The Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) attached to the Elections Commission is urging that the print and broadcast media have a responsibility "in these uncertain times" to present unbiased and factual information. This observation is contained in the first report from this unit set up by the Elections Commission to analyse the functions of the print and electronic media as they relate to the upcoming elections. Amongst the report's primary findings was the repeated observation that "news stories... fail to seek out both sides of a particular story... and a variety of instances where we think the news might not have been presented in a straightforward and fair manner." The unit noted in passing the coverage of the decision on the election petition: "We have noted with alarm that different media outlets have reported on these events in remarkably different ways... the headlines in the Stabroek News and the Guyana Chronicle on January 16, for instance seemed to report completely different versions of what the court had done. Different television stations also presented markedly different views of the events of the week. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that some of the media outlets were attempting to advocate opinions rather than report the facts..." The MMU noted that it had not had time to analyse the recent reports but advised: "We feel it is important to urge all media outlets to reflect on their responsibilities to present unbiased and factual information to Guyanese citizens during what are uncertain times." "It is important, we believe to attempt to afford all parties involved in a particular story the opportunity to defend themselves, to respond to accusations or simply to present a different approach to an issue... We who consume the news rely on the reporters and editors to present the full story to us in a coherent and timely manner." The MMU conceded it was not always possible to reach a party to a story or that the party might refuse comment. "In these instances we think it is very important that a story include an explanation as to why an opposing view is not included in the story so that those who receive the news can make their own judgments about the truth." However, the report has analysed, from the month starting December 11, 2000 to January 13, 2001, the activities of the media excluding the talk shows. Print media The unit found that the Guyana Chronicle devoted 70.95% of its election related coverage to news about the government and the vast majority of this (84.92%) was positive news... The PNC/R got 8.37% of the coverage--58.3% of which we considered negative coverage. The PPP/C received 4.5% of the coverage (90.9% positive.) The other parties received negligible coverage. "During the same period those who read the Stabroek News got a somewhat different view of the world. While government also got the majority of coverage (67.85%) of the time of which 60% was positive, 34.2% negative and 5.14% neutral) followed by PNC/R (7.91% of which 53.2% was positive and 40.2% negative and PPP/C 3.26% of which 58.5% was positive and 36.5% negative); there was significantly more of a mix of positive and negative coverage for all these subjects. Furthermore smaller parties, while still receiving insignificant amounts of coverage, were more likely to be covered in the Stabroek News than elsewhere." Radio The MMU lumped all the three radio news broadcasts together and results show that of election related news "84.6% of the news coverage... was devoted to stories about the incumbent government and the vast majority of these stories presented the government in a positive light. ...news about the PPP was limited to only 2.75% of the time, and most of this was also positive. The leading opposition party PNC/R received only 1.42% of the coverage and three fourths of this was negative..." Television News (January 2 to January 13) GTV Channel 11 Six o'clock News "Of the nearly four and one half hours of politically relevant news on GTV's Six o'clock News... 71% of it related to the government. The vast majority of these stories presented the government in a positive light... PPP/C received 3%--all of it positive. PNC/R got 2% all of it negative. The coverage of other parties was negligible or nonexistent." CNS Channel Six Prime News "Prime News ..devoted 67.1% of relevant news coverage to the government. Most of this was positive but there was also a significant amount of negative coverage.... PPP/C received 5.27% ... all of it positive. PNC/R got 3.55% also positive. Other parties received significantly less coverage." WRHM Channel 7 Capitol News "Capitol News devoted 70% of relevant political coverage to news about the government. More than twice as many of these items portrayed the government in a positive light than in a negative light. PPP/C had 9% of the coverage with equal amounts of positive and negative coverage. No other party received noticeable coverage during this time period. MTV Channel 65 News update "...the government received 66% of the relevant news coverage almost all of it portraying the government in a positive light ...PPP/C got 6% of the time and it was all positive coverage. JFAP [Justice for All Party] got 7% of the coverage but it was all negative. Finally the PNC/R was left with 4% of the time half of which was negative and half positive..." VCT Channel 28 Evening News "On the Evening News... the government received 68% of the relevant news and it was roughly evenly divided between positive and negative coverage. PPP/C got 5% and it was mostly positive. PNC/R received 2% of the story time evenly divided between positive and negative." Some examples of what the MMU considered unbalanced reporting "On Wednesday December 6, 2000 on GTV's Six o'clock News the news anchor Natasha Waldron introduced a story about the upcoming meeting between President Bharrat Jagdeo and PNC leader Desmond Hoyte with the following sentence: 'And the political temperature in advance of tomorrow's presidential summit was raised today. President Jagdeo wisely chose to spend his day doing his work as head of state and keeping a diplomatic silence, but the leader of the opposition engaged in a bit of megaphone diplomacy.' The story then reported on statements by Hoyte and others. The use of opinion and bias in an introduction to a news story is inappropriate when purporting to present accurate, balanced and fair news." ************************************************************** "On January 10, 2001 on the Channel 28 Evening News a story about the PNC/R being advised of the imminent court ruling on the election petition was shown. The PNC/R is reported to have accused the PPP of plotting mischief and of having written to the police about it. There was neither an aired response from the PPP nor any comment from the police in this report." ************************************************************* "On the Channel 65 News Update for January 9, 2001 a story was aired in which the PPP General Secretary was given time to severely criticize the Reform component of the PNC/Reform.... Charges included the statement: 'Everybody knows the PNC history of corruption, of viciousness including the killing of political opponents, they have entrenched corruption in our society.' No member of the PNC was given a chance to explain the Reform component of the PNC or to respond in any way." ************************************************************* "On January 8, 2001 on Channel 7 Capitol News in a story about the All Party Committee report, no member of the PNC/R, WPA or TUF was allowed to air his or her views. Only a PPP representative, Minister Gail Teixeira spoke." ************************************************************** "On January 9, 2001 on the 7:00 am VOG news broadcast, a story about PPP/C plans to launch their election campaign was aired. Mr Ramotar... was quoted on the air and took the opportunity to attack the PNC/R position on post January 17 governance. He said that the PNC/R position was 'unconstitutional, unreasonable and illogical'. While it is not surprising that one party would criticise an opposing party in an election, it is noteworthy that VOG did not afford a PNC/R spokesman an opportunity to respond to this attack. This story lacked the balance that a PNC/R response could have provided." ************************************************************** "On January 12, 2001 the 6 o'clock News on GTV broadcast a story about President Jagdeo calling for civility during the campaign. The news anchor Natasha Waldron stated in her own words: 'As President of this nation he has always allowed the nation's needs to guide him in his leadership role.' In addition to this insertion of an apparent opinion into what is purported to be a news story, the story seemed to lack any real news value." ****************************************************************** "The Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) rejected an ad submitted by the PNC/R during the week prior to PNC/R's January l5 rally. GBC erroneously relied on the Code of Conduct in insisting that the PNC/R edit the material before broadcast. While an argument can be made that media organisations can adopt some standards of fairness that are more stringent than those required by the Code of Conduct, this does not seem to be the case in this instance. We are concerned that confusion exists as to exactly what standards the media should impose on political parties. Rather than rely on a correct interpretation of the Code, GBC made a seemingly arbitrary judgement that the ad was 'factually incorrect, likely to be objectionable to other parties, and might subject the radio station to unnecessary controversy'. A PNC/R ad with the same content was broadcast on government television GTV Channel ll with no request for changes in the content. "The ROAR ad published in the Kaieteur News, the Stabroek News and the Chronicle on January l2, 200l, was printed in substantially different form in the Stabroek News than it was in the other papers. Photographs were removed from the Stabroek version and several quotes and other statements were deleted. We have also been informed that the Stabroek News reviewed a PPP/C ad published in the Stabroek News on January l4, 200l, and that changes were required before publication. In both cases, we understand that there was concern about some information being misleading and about the potential for Stabroek being liable for defamation." Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today