Press Association accuses President Ali of laying groundwork to regulate press online content

Last Updated on Friday, 9 May 2025, 17:56 by Writer

The Guyana Press Association (GPA) on Thursday raised grave concerns about President Irfaan Ali’s plan to define who the media is, what news is, and who a reporter is due to the proliferation of online content and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI).

The GPA, in its unprecedentedly lengthy statement, cautioned the Ali-led administration against attempting to introduce new or amended legislation or regulation to prescribe how journalists and the press should function.

“The GPA regards this specific plan as the precursor to government licensing and press censorship under the guise of protection against the impact of Artificial Intelligence on communication, including journalism. Any attempt at blurring or muddling the lines between the press/journalism and social media at large is untenable,” the GPA said.

In an initial reaction, Minister responsible for Public Affairs Kwame McCoy accused the GPA of “overreach”.

“We will respond to this unwarranted and distasteful overreach in due course,” he said. Mr Mc Coy, a former reporter at the now defunct Guyana Broadcasting Corporation, described President Ali’s remarks as “forward-thinking ideas.”

“I’ve observed the Guyana Press Association’s growing tendency to arrogate to itself a misplaced sense of authority—this time going so far as to criticise the President for expressing preliminary, forward-thinking ideas at his official residence while hosting media members for World Press Freedom Day” which was observed on May 3.

The Minister sought to ascribe political motives onto the GPA ahead of this year’s general and regional elections.

The GPA indicated that there must be a clear distinction between the use of social media for the dissemination of journalistic content as that is vastly different from the use of such channels by non-journalists/non-press actors.

“The professional editorial guidelines, principles and ethics that govern press/journalism are inextricably linked to their roles and functions in newsgathering and dissemination,” said the association which has historically had less than amicable relations with past governments.

Three days after World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), in response to concerns about press freedom, Guyana’s Ambassador to the United Nations Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett told the United Nations Human Rights Council during the 49th session of the Universal Periodic Review that “we don’t have anything that restrict (sic) the work of journalists in Guyana.”

Specifically on the issue of online harassment of journalists, she remarked that, “I think that we all would know what it is like in cyberspace these days but certainly in Guyana we are paying attention to what is happening online so that it does not cause divisions in our country but we have not restricted access.”

Canada’s representative Amélie Goudreau said “Canada remains concerned about reports of harassment and intimidation of journalists in Guyana including through Online targeting.”

UK Second Secretary at the UK Mission to the UN, Gemma Edom said told the UNHRC that Guyana’s challenges include “safeguarding freedoms such as press freedom and civic space”.

“We recommend that Guyana take steps to safeguard press freedom and ensure the independence of the media, refraining from intimidation, ensuring equitable access to State resources for all media outlets and committing to international press standards,” Ms Edom said.

Reacting to Dr Ali’s remarks at the WPFD 2025 brunch held under the global theme, “Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media”, the GPA said it would be transmitting its open letter to the United States, United Kingdom, Canadian, European Union and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) missions here as well as the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, Inter-American Press Institute, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Article 19.

“Evidently, you, as the President of Guyana, sought to seize the WPFD theme on Artificial Intelligence as an entry point to signal your government’s intention to pass legislation or regulations to curb press freedom. The Guyana Press Association rejects this plot and will do everything in its power to resist this move,” the association added.

The President’s plan to present a paper to his CARICOM colleagues on redefining the “loose term of the media” was greeted with strong objection from the GPA.

The GPA advised the President that contrary to his view that “everyone with an instrument that disseminates is a reporter on that site is delivering a message with commentary, and then everyone who adds a comment on that image that is coming out is part of the reporting mechanism”, in the field of journalism, a reporter practices journalism based on established principles and ethics.

The GPA also told the Guyanese leader that it is at best erroneous to classify information consumers, who respond, react or contribute to primary content as being part of that reporting mechanism.

“The information consumers are not reporting, they are part of the feedback mechanism, a critical component of communication,” the GPA added.

The association acknowledged that, as it stated in its WPFD message, that the impact of AI on the press and journalism must be addressed.

The GPA said there were already several laws that impinge on the work of the media and so there was no need for further legislation in that regard.

The Association also took umbrage at President’s lumping of influencers with the press, justifying the decision not to hold press conferences on the grounds that that could lead to distortion of information, and his attempt to define what is news.

“This is an arena that is best left to journalists who are expected to consider the standard elements of news in making decisions on what to publish. It must be noted that not every utterance a politician or anyone else makes must be newsworthy. A good starting point would be to acquaint yourself with what are the elements of news,” the GPA said.

“Influencers cannot be conveniently intermixed with the press, journalists and producers of broadcast content in accordance with the established tenets of journalism,” the press body added.

According to the association, the President’ remarks on WPFD was an indicator of the ominous clouds that hang over Guyana as far as freedom of the press is concerned.

“The Association notes with grave alarm and disgust that you slipped in references to the “press” and “media” which can only be construed as precursor signals to new or amended legislation or regulation that will further restrict how and what can be said by reporters, journalists and current affairs content producers.”

The Association also chided the President for saying that Guyana’s Constitution guarantees freedom of the press.

“You are absolutely incorrect” the association said.

The GPA said Guyana’s Constitution guarantees freedom of expression but not freedom of the press unlike, say, the Constitutions of Trinidad and Tobago and the United States of America which explicitly guarantee freedom of the press.