Guyana ads dispute spills into Barbados paper
By George Alleyne
A dispute involving allegations
and cross-accusations
over whether the Guyana government
is stifling a leading
newspaper, Stabroek News,
by denying it advertisement
spilled over and into Barbados
with the Nation newspapers
also accusing Guyana’s
administrators of undermining
its press.
The issue of Guyana government
advertisements in Stabroek
News arose when that
newspaper in May temporarily
halted placement of government
ads in its publication
because the administration
owed Guy$22,118,485 (US1
= Guy$210.45) in outstanding
payment for advertisements
placed. The newspaper
demanded a payment of a substantial
amount of the money
owed before it resumes publication
of government ads.
The newspaper has since
claimed that after receipt of
a satisfactory amount of the
overdue payment it informed
government of an intention to
begin placing state ads again,
but only a few were forthcoming.
It became a Caribbean issue
when the Barbados Nation
newspapers in its last Sunday
edition quoted chief executive
officer of One Caribbean Media
(OCM), Dawn Thomas, suggesting
“that the government
of Guyana could be attempting
to silence the independent
voice of the Stabroek newspaper
by denying the paper any
government advertising.”
In that edition the Nation
also published an editorial
claiming, “for more than
three months, the Stabroek
News has received virtually
zero advertising from government
agencies in sharp contrast
to other newspapers.”
But Guyana’s director of
public information, Imran
Khan, refuted the Nation’s
editorial claim of zero advertising
for more than three
months as, “wholly false.”
Khan added, “in the month
of October 2019 Stabroek
News received a total of 171
advertisements from 23 government
ministries, departments
and agencies.”
OCM is a Trinidad-based
media group that holds a
financial stake in Stabroek
Caribbean L 32 ife, NOVEMBER 22-28, 2019 B
News and owns the Barbados
Nation.
Director of communications
in Guyana’s Ministry of
the Presidency, Mark Archer,
produced figures showing that
from Jan. 1, 2019, to Sept.
19 Stabroek News received 30
percent of state advertising
allocated to newspapers, second
only to Kaieteur News on
37 percent.
Kaieteur News is considered
Guyana’s leading newspaper
followed by Stabroek
News.
Further the information
supplied by the Guyana government
claims that since
June 1, 2015, to Sept. 19, Stabroek
News received 26 per
cent of all state newspaper
advertising, again second only
to Kaieteur News on 27 percent.
That government came to
office in May 2015.
Khan contended that on
Sunday when the Nation editorial
was published, “a total
of 23 government advertisements,
including full page
advertisements appeared in
Stabroek News.”
Government official, Archer,
supplied copies of those ads
as published in the paper.
Stabroek News’ claim of
government discrimination,
despite the figures, is reminiscent
of an advertisement
blockade against this publication
that began in 2006 and
lasted for a year and a half
under the administration of
former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
At that time there was no
denial of a Stabroek News boycott
from the then government.
Now Stabroek News in an
Oct. 1, 2019, publication did
not deny that the President
David Granger administration
had been giving it the second
largest share of advertising
from 2015 up to September,
but the accusation of a
boycott festers and has taken
regional wings.
Governments in Third
World and Developing Countries,
in which Guyana falls,
are usually the largest advertisers
and established media
place much of their livelihood
on revenue from such ads.
So, an accusation of Guyana
government forbidding
any newspaper from receiving
its advertisements could be
translated into an attempt at
silencing the media outfit.
On the other hand, media
houses must be mindful of
the impression sent abroad
when crying advertising foul,
especially when figures show
there was no such state denial
of ads.
Imran Khan.
Department of Public
Information, Guyana
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