Putting government, ruling party in same category unfair - Media Monitoring Unit Stabroek News February 8, 2001 The Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) in its second report tackles the distinction between media coverage of activities of the government and those of the ruling party. "Some have argued that the daily functions of government should not be considered when monitoring election related news. This argument does not hold up to close scrutiny. It is true that the incumbent government in their official capacity are not listed on the ballots as the contesting party... it is the ruling party PPP/C that will appear on the ballots. Yet it is also true that news about the incumbent government is very relevant to voters as they make their decisions as to who should lead the next government. Many media monitoring efforts around the world have attempted to resolve the natural dilemma between the need to report activities of the government and the possible effect this news will have on elections. All have chosen to include news about the government in their analysis." The report continues: "Few would argue that legitimate news outlets should do anything other than give citizens complete coverage of what their incumbent government does every day. We recognize this reality and we have not meant to imply that the news should be presented otherwise. "Others have argued that if the news about the incumbent government affects the prospects of the ruling party then why not put government news into the same category as the ruling party? ...This would be unfair. We acknowledge that news programmes ought to include coverage of the government because citizens deserve to know about the actions of those who represent them. Our reports are not critical of media organisations because the bulk of their coverage is devoted to stories about the government." The unit also explained its method for determining what was a positive negative or neutral story. "The question we ask is, 'is this story likely to lead a viewer, listener or reader to a positive or negative impression of the subject of the story?' We are fully aware that these are subjective judgements. We know that different people might feel differently about how a story portrays a particular subject--that one's own political views, Guyanese history and culture and many other factors come in to play when an individual makes such a decision. Our goal is to use our commonsense objectively and honestly." The report noted that as a safeguard against personal bias, the MMU, which was made up of persons of diverse backgrounds and skills, made sure all material was evaluated by two different monitors. "Where there is a difference in interpretation, we review the story and our supervisors ensure that a common conclusion is reached after discussion of the merits of each view." Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today