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– Says private media is professional and can regulate itself through the GPABy Kiana WilburgPresident David Granger categorically stated yesterday that he has no interest in regulating the private media. The private media can and should regulate itself through the Guyana Press Association (GPA). But the state media,Brandon Saad Jersey, he said, “This is different.”He was at the time speaking to a panel of journalists invited to be a part of Government’s new programme called, “The Public Interest.” The revised programme will include on a weekly basis, journalists drawn from the local and regional press corps.Recently, there have been mounting concerns that there was interference in the state media by the government after an article published by the Chronicle newspaper appeared to place the government in an embarrassing position. Prime Minister,John Gibson Team North America Jersey, Moses Nagamootoo had subsequently made a call for a media policy.Asked to comment on the media policy and what he believes it should include, the President said, “There is a dichotomy here. I do believe that because of the size of the country, the complexity of Guyanese society, we need a Public Information System and I would support a policy for that.”The Head of State added,Trevor Van Riemsdyk Jersey, “Many countries have similar systems. We must realize that many of the media houses are based on the coastland or in Georgetown itself. So something occurs at Moruka, many of the private media houses cannot cover those events…We need a Public Information System which provides public information in emergencies in order to prevent disasters or prevent the worsening of it.”President Granger said that this is a separate category and in the said circumstance, agrees with the Prime Minister on calling for a media policy which would serve as a guide for the Public Information System which would inform the public about matters of national importance.As for the private media, the Head of State said that it should regulate itself. He sees this grouping to be professional.“I spoke to the members of the media in our community and I told them that what I want to see from them is professionalism. They must have knowledge and study and master their profession. I don’t want them to be quacks and pretend to behave in a manner they should not,” said the President.He continued, “They must have a social responsibility,Joe Mullen Jersey, that is, they are responsible for speaking the truth. I don’t want them to tell lies.. I want to see the press as a community regulating itself.”Granger said that if a reporter misbehaves or deliberately publishes falsehoods, he expects his or her peers, particularly through the GPA, to sanction that reporter.The President said that at the end of the day, he sees two branches of the communications system.The state media has an obligation to report what the government is doing simply because the private media cannot cover the country as a whole. “I have no intention to regulate the private media. They must be sanctioned if they libel or commit any breach of the law but… the state is different. Private media is free. I believe in media freedom,” Granger added.Recently, the GPA made known its concern to the reports of Nagamootoo’s interaction with a reporter attached to the Guyana Chronicle. The GPA had said that the incident can be viewed as a method of intimidation, which may have a dampening effect on press freedom. According to reports, the PM had expressed displeasure and disappointment over headlines, which were published in the State-owned newspaper, during the recent budget debates.Nagamootoo reportedly held discussions with the reporter, Derwayne Wills, to express his dissatisfaction over the article titled “Gov’t blunders on Budget Estimates … violates laws assented to by President Granger”. This was published in the Tuesday,Martin Havlat Jersey, August 25,Marian Hossa Jersey, edition of the newspaper.Subsequent to the publication,Antoine Roussel Jersey, it was reported that editors at the Chronicle were ordered to have all headlines vetted by Director of Public Information, Imran Khan, before publication. However both Khan and Nagamootoo have debunked such claims.But a subsequent editorial in the Chronicle stated that “a State newspaper, like all other newspapers, has vested interests, politically and ideologically. Ours arise from the government’s thrust; there is no running away from that.” The editorial also stated that the Chronicle, “is owned by the State, and is, therefore,Scott Gomez Jersey, expected to editorially support the general thrust of the government of the day.”The statement did not sit well with veteran journalists, media operatives and publishers, who shared the general view that the State media houses are owned by the State not the government and therefore ought to reflect the views of all segments of society.While they all agreed that in principle there is nothing wrong with a government having an opinion and airing it in the State-owned newspaper. One online news operative specifically noted that when all is taken into consideration, including the Prime Minister’s recent action,Connor McDavid Team North America Jersey, it amounts to a creeping misuse of the newspaper.The GPA, in a statement to the press, said that it feels compelled to comment on the issue, given that while the Prime Minister is free to express his views; he should not express such views directly to media workers.The association said that the incident is known to be a tactic of intimidation and may have a dampening effect on press freedom bordering on self-censorship. It believes that there needs to be a clear distinction between the State and the Government.The statement contended that “the GPA wishes to suggest that there should be, following extensive consultations, a policy which adumbrates the way the executive should interact with state-owned media that would allow for freedom of the press in a meaningful way within these entities.”Integral to the approach towards a free and open State media, the Association believes, should be the reform of the Broadcasting Act and the adoption of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s editorial guidelines that govern the United Kingdom State-owned and funded broadcaster.