Our civic duty

It seems that a few media houses in Guyana are bent on creating confusion in the society, as they have been engaged in a relentless campaign to discredit everything positive that is happening in the country. In the process, they have launched a number of unjustifiable attacks on key public officials, some of whom are not even politicians, but they work daily to support national projects that will redound to the benefit of all.
This is quite a disturbing trend that is emerging and must certainly not go unchecked, as this is clearly not the role of the media. Not that we are saying that the media should play down allegations of corruption, or they should not report news as they see it, and they should go out of their way to portray things in a positive light. The problem lies when reporters and editors slant the news deliberately in a sensational and mischievous manner for their own partisan agenda.
While some media outlets have been making genuine efforts to raise their level of performance, others, most notably the Kaieteur News, clearly operate without adhering to the basic principles governing journalistic practices. The number of ‘apologies’ carried in that newspaper daily after it would have published inaccurate, biased and libellous information, is a testimony to this fact.
In July 2010, the local media fraternity signed on to a new and improved Media Code of Conduct (MCC), with the aim of using the document not only as a guide for elections reporting, but as a tool to improve general media standards year-round. Both the state- run and privately-owned media had given a commitment openly that they would use the code as a means of self-regulation, so as to improve what currently obtains in the media.
For journalists, the code provided a benchmark against which their output and activities can be judged by others, as well as guidance for them in relation to acceptable methods of gathering and presenting information. And for the public, it provided a guarantee that the material they receive is a genuine reflection of the truth, based on information gathered fairly and thoroughly checked by those who present the information. However, while some media practitioners have been adhering to the code, it seems as if others have shelved it and may only return to it in the run-up to the next national elections.
That aside, this emerging trend we referred to earlier must be very upsetting for the authorities, as much time and resources have to be spent on correcting and responding to many false allegations that are printed on a regular basis without doing the necessary checks for verification. None other than President Donald Ramotar had cause to condemn the barrage of attacks on civil servants by opposition forces and newspapers that support what has now become an ongoing and intensifying assault on the integrity of people making vital contributions to the development of the country.
During his speech at the annual tribute to former President Dr Cheddi Jagan at Babu John, Port Mourant, Corentyne a few days ago, Ramotar expressed total disgust at what he described as recurring baseless ‘news’ reports about head of the Privatisation Unit Winston Brassington. Mr Brassington is being vilified and libelled in the KN almost on a daily basis and from the way it looks, the attacks will not cease in the near future.
We should also note that the attacks have now extended to include foreign nationals, in particular, the Chinese who are working legitimately and diligently on the Marriott Hotel project in Kingston, Georgetown. Most Guyanese would agree that this sort of irresponsible and reckless conduct does more harm than good for the country, as persons would be discouraged from coming here to invest, or work, or engage in public service for national development.
On this basis, we join with the president in calling for civil society and citizens in general to speak out against this sort of anti-nationalist and anti-development behaviour that is being displayed by opposition forces and sections of the media. We believe that such attacks go against what is decent and acceptable in a modern democratic society, and it would be a disservice to the nation if civil society and other actors were to remain silent. It is our civic duty to stand up and let our voices be heard.