Freedom of the Press 2009 - Guyana

Status: Free
Legal Environment: 7 (of 30)
Political Environment: 13 (of 40)
Economic Environment: 10 (of 30)
Total Score: 30 (of 100)
(Lower scores = freer)

Covers events that took place between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2008.

• The constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press, and media are generally allowed to operate without interference.

• Legislation to facilitate the distribution of private radio licenses has yet to be introduced.

• As of year's end, there was no freedom of information law, though President Bharrat Jagdeo has promised that a bill would be introduced in early 2009.

• On April 11, the government suspended the license of the independent television station Channel 6 for four months after it aired a vague threat against the president by a caller during a talk show. The host immediately condemned the caller's remarks, but the government argued that the station was inciting violence.

• The government has refused to respond to multiple television license applications for Region 10, and has continued to refuse the approval of similar long-standing requests for private radio frequency authorizations. As a result, government-owned radio stations are the only media capable of reaching the whole country.

• There were no murders of or attacks on journalists in 2008.

• In July, the government withdrew accreditation to cover the president's office from Gordon Moseley, a television journalist for Capital News in Georgetown. He was accused of making "disparaging and disrespectful" statements about the president.

• Guyana has six national newspapers and a number of other periodicals.

• The government maintains a long-established radio monopoly, operating the country's only two stations. There are also three television stations – one state owned and two privately owned.

• In January, the Stabroek News ended its campaign against the government's September 2007 decision to no longer advertise in the paper. The government then ended its boycott in March.

• Use of the internet is not restricted by the government, and approximately 24.6 percent of the population had access in 2008.