Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo. AFP PHOTO

Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo is now in St Vincent attending the 18th Intersessional Meeting of CARICOM and he met yesterday with representatives from the Caribbean media, at their request, as they sought clarification on his government’s decision.

The Caribbean media delegation comprised Harold Hoyte of One Caribbean Media, Newton James of the Gleaner Group of Jamaica, Dale Enoch of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers and Rickey Singh, independent Caribbean journalist.

A release from the Caribbean media states that the president explained that the switching of the majority of government advertisements from Starbroek News, to the Kaieteur News, was not a press freedom issue, “but a decision based on economic value for his Government” and was determined on the newspaper’s circulation.

The release went on to state that the president stressed that the decision to reduce his government’s advertisement with the Starbroek News was not an issue of press freedom, which he said was made so by the Starbroek News newspaper.

“He further spoke about his government’s commitment to maintaining freedom of the press and defending the right of the Starbroek News, as well as the Kaieteur News to publish disagreement with his government,” the release stated.

According to the release, the media representatives “expressed concern” to the president over “the potential of this matter to escalate” and offered to work with the government, to suggest a method for the distribution of state advertising “that would be based on empirical information.”

President Jagdeo extended an invitation to the Caribbean media to visit Guyana to observe first-hand press freedom there, and the release said a window of opportunity for resolving the matter is now open.

Independent Caribbean journalist, Guyanese Rickey Singh, who attended the meeting, said it was “very cordial and very productive.”

But the experienced Caribbean journalist cautioned that the matter is a very sensitive one and there is a “danger that it could go wrong.”

He said both the Starbroek News and the Guyana government, through its president, had to “step back a little.”