GEORGETOWN, Guyana – September 8, 2025 – The Department of Public Information (DPI) is standing firmly behind President Dr. Irfaan Ali following criticism from the Guyana Press Association (GPA) over his callous treatment of HGP Nightly News Senior Journalist Travis Chase.
In a strongly worded statement issued Monday, DPI Director Edward Layne dismissed the GPA’s condemnation of the President as “politically motivated bullying,” insisting that Ali’s actions were justified given Chase’s conduct.
“Mr. Chase does not observe even the most basic protocols and ethics of journalism,” Layne stated, arguing that the GPA should instead condemn Chase’s “aggressively confrontational tactics toward a Head of State” and his “inflammatory” social media posts.
By Layne’s account, Chase’s approach represents “a deep (or even pathological) disregard” for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration. Layne went further, claiming that the GPA’s defense of Chase “must not be taken seriously,” describing the association as one of the most “undemocratic, unbalanced, and congenitally biased organisations in Guyana.”
Still, the DPI Chief insisted that President Ali remains committed to protecting press freedoms. “President Ali remains committed to ensuring that freedom of expression in Guyana, in all its forms and modalities, is guaranteed and defended. The expectations of ethical professional conduct must also follow the rule of law,” the statement read.
The remarks come in response to the GPA’s earlier statement condemning the President’s labeling of Chase and other reporters as “opposition-aligned journalists.”
That clash, compounded by instances of PPP activists verbally abusing members of the press, has deepened concerns about the increasingly hostile environment facing journalists in Guyana.
With Layne defending Ali’s actions and the GPA doubling down on its criticisms, the showdown highlights a growing divide between the government and the press corps, one that international observers have already flagged as a pressing concern during Guyana’s September 1 elections.
