On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), President David Granger said he is committed to providing finances to facilitate training for media personnel.
The President was speaking at his Annual Media Brunch which was hosted at State House in Georgetown on Sunday.
“I am prepared to make that annual subvention to the GPA coming from the National Endowment from Science and Technology to assist the Guyana Press Association without any interference from me or the government to conduct training for the course of 2020,” the President said.
The President urged the GPA to continue to work to keep the association alive and wished the media a successful decade of work.
As the country prepares for General and Regional elections in a few months, the President reminded the media of the need for fair reporting.
In a presentation to the media, the President read from an Oxford pocket dictionary, quoting – “Fair – treating people equally, equitable, honest, impartial, unbiased, unprejudiced, neutral, even handed.”
“I will urge that before you issue statements you check with this little book and see what fair means, and I will urge your statements in the future be guided by accurate representation of the words of the president,” the President said.
Meanwhile, GPA’s President, Nazima Raghubir during remarks said the evolution of the press to social media platforms, brings many challenges.
“Another real challenge is the fight against disinformation. I raise this point as we prepare to head into General and Regional Elections. The media’s role has also been to provide impartial and factual information on any event we report on, it is even more critical during this period leading up to elections, during and following elections,” Raghubir said.
She encouraged that journalists use fact checking, clarity and research to provide balanced, unbiased and factual reports, especially during this electoral phase.
“We have to ensure that we remain independent, factual and that our work cements social cohesion rather than fracture it.”
President Granger has also committed to assist the GPA with public history of the press in Guyana dating back as far as the 1790’s. The President said a five part book about the evolution of the press in Guyana will be published soon.
“…it’s not fake; it’s a real book it has pictures and references and so on,” the President said.
The brunch was attended by government ministers including, Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Karen Cummings, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams and members of the media.
