General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has made a call for media houses in Guyana to report on matters of national importance in a fair, transparent and accurate manner, instead of pursuing a particular political agenda, which results in sensational, inaccurate information being disseminated to the public.
Speaking during his weekly press conference at Freedom House on Thursday, Dr Jagdeo exposed sections of the media that continue to deliberately twist information, pointing out several glaring instances where he was misquoted and deliberately taken out of context.
While restating the PPP’s firm stance on transparency, he noted the administration’s willingness to provide clarification where necessary, and its openness to constructive criticism on issues of public interest.
“We want to ensure that at least when an issue is raised in the public domain that we respond comprehensively so that, in the future, people can’t claim ignorance. Sometimes it is this ignorance that leads to some of these articles being written by the media,” the GS said.
He added that, in many cases, some of these misleading articles are not caused by ignorance, rather they are the workings of those with a political agenda.
According to the general secretary, many of these columns in local newspapers appear to be written by politicians posing as media personnel.
These political rabble-rousers, he said, continue to hide behind anonymous letters and editorials to distort the truth and misinform the public.
“They use these anonymous platforms to reinforce the lie. And that is not journalism, and that has no level of professionalism. It is a politician at work.
“I see in the major newspapers around the world, for transparency’s sake they would say who the guest editor is. Many newspapers here don’t do that. So, you can go and say whatever you want, but you don’t have to be held accountable, and I think people should be held accountable. I would like to see who the guest editors are, and what views they express,” Dr Jagdeo told the reporters.
The foundation of journalism and media ethics dictate that information should be disseminated fairly and objectively, taking into account the importance of openness and accountability.
This is crucial, considering the role that media plays in shaping the opinions of the public.
