Jagdeo criticises GPA silence on Kaieteur News bias, continuous distortions of facts

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has flagged concerns of bias in the Kaieteur News (KN) and the Guyana Press Association’s (GPA) deafening silence on issues of credibility and impartiality.

During a press conference on Thursday, Dr Jagdeo emphasised that while the government conforms to press freedom, certain media outlets like the KN function as political instruments.

To back his argument, Jagdeo pointed out that Kaieteur News has constantly prioritised negative reporting on the government, over-balanced reporting. 

This is compounded by Glenn Lall, KN’s publisher, who has entered the political arena. Under his leadership, the paper has distorted statements for politically motivated headlines, on many occasions.

“He (Glen Lall) has not distanced himself from the paper. He regularly features in the newspaper himself, the editorials are cleared by him, et cetera. So, the Kaieteur News is a political newspaper.  It’s not designed any longer to share information,” he said, noting that although critical of Stabroek News, the entity upholds journalistic standards.

Dr Jagdeo’s criticisms come amidst amid ongoing debates by the GPA of government’s purported harassment towards media practitioners.

However, Jagdeo pointed out that media organisations like the GPA have failed to recognize these clear biases. This means, according to him, the GPA is effectively promoting double standards by overlooking distortions.

“Shouldn’t there be some self-regulation to a media to maintain some standards, if they are interested in standards?  Should they not call this out for distortion? he questioned.

Jagdeo noted that state-owned media are often criticized for their biases, but the GPA remains silent on these particular media entity’s deficiencies.