A direct attack on press freedom by the gov’t

Dear Editor,

I have refrained so far from commenting on the matter of government advertising in the Stabroek News, but there is nothing more that has disappointed me than our President’s position on the withdrawal of advertising from the Stabroek News.

Never mind the spurious and energetic defence from the Director of Public Information. The fact is that government advertising has been withdrawn from the Stabroek News as a means of response to Editorials in the newspaper critical of the government.

The President and the Department of Public Information have made things worse by accusing the newspaper of being “politically partisan and anti-government” as a justification for the withdrawal of advertising.

The government’s position is, in fact, an admission that government advertising is being used both as a means of silencing media criticism and purchasing media praise. That is a direct attack on press freedom by the government.

The point has already been made that “the granting or withdrawal of government advertising may not be used to reward or punish the media or individual journalists” as declared by the Declaration of Chapultepec (Mexico, March 11th 1994) signed on to by our government. Our government is doing exactly that. The Guyana Chronicle is rewarded and the Stabroek News is punished.

The country is on the eve of General and Regional Elections. I, therefore, find it particularly foolish that the APNU+AFC Coalition should believe that an attack on press freedom at this time will serve to win them votes.

Yours faithfully, Kit Nascimento