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Ambassador Marquardt – Talking Points
The Role of the Media in Emerging Democracies

ARS Speaker (U.S. News & World Report journalist) Eduardo Cue
Seminar at UNGE* with press association (ASOPGE) members, professors and students

Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
Friday, June 30, 14H00

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and former Secretary of State, said: “Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe.”

In fact, the vitality of a modern society is judged by the plurality of its media. A vibrant media is a sign of an open society.

Americans are increasingly curious about Equatorial Guinea. Why? Because they hear that the country is beginning to open up.

Yet, there is a virtual black-out on information from Equatorial Guinea.

Americans and the international community will be convinced that substantive changes are underway within Equatorial Guinea only when a free press is operating in the country.

Members of society, investors, travelers—all need the media. They all need  news from a variety of sources to be able to form their own opinions.

A free press will be taken as a sure sign of an opening.

The United States encourages Equatorial Guinea to cultivate an independent press, to welcome this diversity of opinion.

The citizens of Equatorial Guinea have a need for a multiplicity of information.

The very first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees that “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”

The United States will always be in favor of the free flow of information.

The media has a role in propelling the country forward within the democratic process.

In a democratic society, the media helps make leadership accountable. 

In a true democracy, the media covers the functioning of society and its institutions.

In a truly modern State, the media provides information so that the citizens themselves can have choices and make their OWN decisions.

An enlightened government understands that the media assists in helping the government assess how it is doing—good or bad—and in letting the government know how it can better serve the people.

An independent press can help develop all sectors of society—official and unofficial, public and private.

This is why I am speaking to you today. I greatly encourage the development of an independent press in Equatorial Guinea. 

The United States is proud to bring an experienced journalist and media trainer such as Eduardo Cue to Equatorial Guinea. 

As time goes on, we hope to help the Equato-Guinean media reach its full potential and to uphold the noble standards of the profession: credibility, reliability and impartiality.

One final quote worth reflecting on from Thomas Jefferson, who said: “…were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” (!)