Gov’t remains open to constructive criticism – President on press freedom

At the opening ceremony of the World Press Freedom Day 2022 held on Tuesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Center, President Irfaan Ali reaffirmed the Government’s belief in ‘freedom of the press.’

“The government of Guyana on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day 2022, reaffirm my government believes in the full freedom of the press and we remains open for constructive criticism and we remain very accessible to the media,” the President said, adding that his Government has been the most accessible to Journalists.

This, he told the media professionals and others gathered at the Symposium, is “unprecedented in the media anytime in the history and that will continue that way.”

The president further noted that the press has the responsibility of getting information to the public but this must be practised within the confines of the rules, laws and the constitution that exist within the democratic societies

“What constitutes laws and construct of constitutional frame in some other societies that are not democratic has limitations that are not necessarily part of the collective goal of freedom.” President Irfaan Ali

Also, during the first day of the World Press Freedom Day Symposium the long-anticipated Guyana Media and Communication Academy was officially launched. The Academy was unveiled by the Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy.

The Guyana Media and Communication Academy which was long-promised, will be virtual and will allow media personnel to secure a free license from the government which will give them access to world-class learning and certification opportunities across the industry.

The academy will also allow persons to pursue learning in the field of media communication from a selection of 2000 courses at various universities and levels of certification. The courses will provide persons interested in entering the journalism field with a foundation to build on.

According to Minister Kwame McCoy, the Academy already has 170 local media operatives enrolled to benefit from the training opportunities. He noted that the academy was conceptualized as a necessary intervention that would help to upskill and further professionalize the industry. The minister further noted that the academy will be accessible for both private and public media operatives as well as those who are interested in having a career within the media.

Scores of media representatives, members of the Diplomatic Community and Government officials were also at the opening of the two-day event hosted by the Partnerships in Communication for Development –C4D’.