Local media practitioners last Friday called for stronger penalties to be instituted under the Racial Hostility Act to deter those who would seek to incite racism during this year’s general elections.
The operatives consider the act to be critical to media operations, especially before, during and after an election.
Calls were also made by the media for an end to the stereotypical Indo- and Afro-Guyanese reportage, which they say can lead to conflict amongst Guyanese.
These calls were made at Media Encounter 2011, which opened last Friday at the Georgetown Club, Camp Street, Georgetown, the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) said in a release. The two-day event was facilitated by the ERC in collaboration with the Guyana Press Association (GPA), the Centre for Communication Studies of the University of Guyana, Guyana Media Proprietors and Owners Association, the Advisory Committee on Broadcasting (ACB), and the Government Information Agency (GINA).
Approximately 60 participants, from some 30 agencies, representing both state and privately- owned media houses, freelance journalists and printers, participated.
The aim of the “Media Encounter 2011” is to provide a discussion forum for the media to agree on the best practices to ensure responsible reporting on ethnic issues during the 2011 election period, as guided by the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act and the Racial Hostility (Amendment) Act.
The session examined the two pieces of legislation and looked at the role of the ERC during elections.
These discussions were facilitated by Communications Consultant Abraham Poole.
During the opening ceremony, ERC Chairman Bishop Juan Edghill pointed out that the media is considered an important stakeholder of the ERC. He added that the media has a responsibility to report accurately and without bias. The ERC chairman explained that the highest level of professionalism should, at all times, be employed by media operatives when reporting on sensitive matters.
To this end, he informed the gathering that the ERC’s Media Monitoring Unit is fully operational, and is monitoring all newscasts, talk shows, newspapers, political rallies, and meetings, among others.
He said that this is provided for under the ERC’s mandate, and does not replace the role of the Guyana Elections Commission ( GECOM).
According to the ERC chairman, the commission monitors the media to ensure that there are no breaches of the Racial Hostility (Amendment) Act and the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act.
He said GECOM has a constitutional mandate to fulfill, ensuring that a nationally-accepted election is held while the ERC has to ensure that the environment before, during and after the elections is free from fear, violence and intimidation.
The ERC chairman pointed out that the media should be free from directions and political interference, since these can have harmful impacts, on society. He emphasised that the commission will hold itself responsible and will measure itself by the same standards which it expects the media to uphold.
There were also statements from representatives of Media Encounter 2011 Planning Committee.
According to GPA President Gordon Moseley, the GPA fully supports and endorses the ERC Media Encounter 2011 and is pleased to be associated with the activity.
He explained that the media acknowledges that it has a critical role to play in the development of society, and particularly during an election year.
Moseley said that the GPA sees this workshop as timely and important. He urged the gathering to look out for the young persons who are new in the media business and to educate them on the rights and wrongs of the profession.
Carolyn Walcott, who presented remarks on behalf of the University of Guyana Centre for Communication Studies, echoed the sentiments expressed by Moseley.
She added that UG has a responsibility to train the young minds to be effective in the profession.
GINA Director Neaz Subhan said the agency commended the ERC for hosting the workshop, which is considered a timely intervention. Subhan urged the participants to strive to be professional in the field, while the editors were advised not to only look for the juicy stories but those of quality and which fall within the respective laws.
The event ended on Saturday, February 26, 2011 when discussions were centered on encoded language, images that promote/diffuse ethnic tension, the ethnic dilemma in Guyana and the role of the media, and the role of the media in reporting during an election period.
