The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government is under mounting criticism for what analysts call a state-funded media takeover, as allocations to the National Communications Network (NCN) and the Department of Public Information (DPI) have tripled in the 2025 National Budget — all while independent and opposition voices are being systematically shut out.
In 2023, NCN received G$266 million and DPI G$331 million in subventions. By 2025, those figures have soared, raising urgent concerns about whether taxpayers are funding partisan propaganda under the guise of public service media. Analysts argue that instead of being used to foster civic education or balanced journalism, these increased resources are being leveraged to entrench the ruling party’s political dominance.
What makes the situation particularly troubling, analysts warn, is NCN’s unmatched reach. With the widest national broadcast coverage, NCN is often the only media outlet available to many citizens in rural and hinterland regions. “If only one political voice dominates that space, then democracy suffers. Citizens cannot make informed choices or cast meaningful votes if they are only exposed to one perspective,” said one media expert.
A content review shows that more than 90 percent of recent coverage across state media has been focused on PPP figures, events, and messaging. Government officials conducting state business — from school openings to health campaigns — often appear dressed in PPP red, complete with party logos. This blending of party and state, critics argue, erases the line between government service and political campaigning.
“The media, especially state media, must serve the public not the ruling party,” said a political commentator. “Instead, NCN and DPI now operate like extensions of the PPP’s campaign machinery.”
Independent and opposition voices are almost entirely absent from coverage unless portrayed negatively. Civil society and the Opposition have raised alarms, calling the trend a direct threat to media freedom and electoral integrity.
Observers fear that the ballooning state media budget is not about strengthening journalism, but about drowning out dissent and consolidating control of the national narrative ahead of the September 1 General and Regional Elections.
“This is more than biased reporting,” said one analyst. “This is a strategic information blackout, using public money to distort public perception.”
The fusion of state and party has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Taxpayer dollars are underwriting a media ecosystem that many fear is being weaponised to skew public perception and restrict democratic space, a trend that could ultimately jeopardise the credibility of the nation’s electoral process.
Analysts hope international observer missions currently engaging with Guyana are taking note. “They must not be here just to check procedural boxes or endorse elections without interrogating the media environment,” the analyst added. “A fair vote begins with fair access to information.”
As elections approach, the PPP government’s grip on the national media landscape raises the stakes for democracy itself — and the question many are asking is whether Guyana’s public institutions are still serving the people, or the party in power.
