Media blocked from attending key ‘update” brief during national disaster

July 19, 2026

By Leroy Smith

Except for an initial briefing at 06:30 on Sunday morning at the Umana Yana, the media seems to have now become useless to the state and the National Emergency Center during a national disaster crisis off the coast of Essequibo, where an aged ferry, the MV Barima, sank with 133 persons onboard.

On Sunday, in a haste to shelter from and stave off impending anxiety from relatives of those onboard and wider members of the public, the government invited the media to a first light press conference in Georgetown.

As the day progressed and some survivors were found, the state’s anxiety rate went down, and with it was the lack of need for the media, even as many pertinent questions remain unanswered in relation to the MV Barima tragedy.

Interestingly, however, the media was blocked from being present but asked to submit questions in advance or in the comment section while the live broadcast was ongoing.

The following question was asked by BIG Smith News Watch and was ignored by the Prime Minister, who headed the press conference and all those who were present at the head table.

“Can the press Conference please tell the media and the wider viewing public if divers have been dispatched to the area and, if yes did, they commence diving operations. If no, please state why not.”

In fact, after Prime Minister Mark Phillips read his opening statement, within fifteen seconds of that, he asked, “If there are any questions, we are open for questions, then immediately said thank you”,  and the press conference ended.

This posture of the state is nothing new; the media is usually called upon when the state is in distress and with its back against the wall. Once that initial distress period appears to be fading, the media is then pushed aside, and the influencers (in some instances) are relied on for the dissemination of the flowery statements and propaganda on the state’s behalf.