12 February 2007

Alert

Daily "Stabroek News" suffers total boycott by state advertisers


Incident details

newspaper(s)

This is available in:

English Français Español
(RSF/IFEX) - Guyana's leading daily, "The Stabroek News", has learned it is now under a total effective boycott by state advertisers after the Government Information Agency (GINA) on 6 February 2007 cancelled advertising space booked in the paper for the Guyana Revenue Authority. Since November 2006, this was the only body still placing advertising in "The Stabroek News". Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) and Guyana Power and Light - two public companies under private management - have also decided not to advertise with the paper. The management of the two companies, while denying having acted on the orders of GINA, did not offer any explanation. The government itself referred only to "accounting reasons" before refusing to respond to protests from the Guyana Press Association.

"The Stabroek News" takes a strong critical line towards the government of President Bharrat Jagdeo. Reporters Without Borders reminded the president that the Chapultepec Declaration on freedom of information and expression, which he has signed, commits him not to use state advertising as a means of rewarding or punishing media.



Source:

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
47, rue Vivienne
75002 Paris
France
rsf (@) rsf.org
Phone: +33 1 44 83 84 84
Fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51
@rsf_rwb
 

Stay on top of free expression news.

Sign up to receive the weekly IFEX Communiqué.


Updates to this story

Television station suspended, government advertising in daily resumed in Guyana; Bermudan government denies critical newspaper advertising contracts 16 April 2008 Government's withdrawal of advertising threatens survival of "Stabroek News" 31 May 2007

More on this case

State-owned companies follow government's withdrawal of advertising for newspaper 7 February 2007 Government punishes critical newspaper by withdrawing state advertising 18 January 2007

Guyana

TV station suspension delayed 14 October 2011 President orders TV station off the air ahead of elections 5 October 2011 Leading TV journalist banned from president's office 18 July 2008 Television station suspended, government advertising in daily resumed in Guyana; Bermudan government denies critical newspaper advertising contracts 16 April 2008 Government's withdrawal of advertising threatens survival of "Stabroek News" 31 May 2007 See all alerts: Guyana


 
IFEX is a global network of committed organisations working to defend and promote free expression.
Permission is granted for material on this website to be reproduced or republished in whole or in part provided the source member and/or IFEX is cited with a link to the original item.