Short Notes on the Freedom of the Press.

 Freedom of the press is the right for the press to publish or produce knowledge without fear of
political intimidation, or intervention by the ruling government of the day. This governs the
choice of topics and/or the response to a political issue.
 When censorship occurs, this is a clear indication that the press is not free to report the events
of the day and the varied opinion of these events. Legal stances such as accusing journalists of
libel can also be introduced as an effort to stifle a free press.
 The press itself can be defined as the print media, such as newspapers, magazines and the
electronic media, such as the Internet, television. Many print media produce their own internet
editions of, for example, their newspaper articles.
 Journalists are to be allowed access to the seat of government and important government
decisions which they report back to the populace. Journalists should not fear reprisals for
reporting their stories. They nevertheless have the responsibility to present fair and accurate
readings of the events of the day.
 In the Caribbean, freedom of the press is critical for the democratic process in which the
people are made aware of the actions of international, regional and local government agencies
regarding their development. The press holds the door to communication with the populace.
 How free is the press in 2011? News stories come from CNN, BBC; American and British
news agencies, all of which have their political agenda which may not be favourable to the
agenda of the developing country. National press can then be accused of presenting a biased
point of view. Hard to ignore the role of international funding agencies such as the IMF and the
WTO in producing reports on the development of Caribbean nations.
 With regards to sports, such as West Indies cricket, the broadcasting rights are now owned by
Sky Sports, an international television company. In this instance, the press may be at the mercy
of the mogul empire with regard to reporting issues which arise, or may gain access to the
broadcast.
 Talk shows and call-in programmes - in which members of the public are asked to call the
studio/programme and give their opinions on a variety of subjects. They are allowed to speak
freely - some may argue only to the extent that the studio deems to be so – that is, can be
interrupted, or the call can be disconnected by the studio - moderator, host, manager of station.
 The press can play a pivotal role in setting the agenda for government action/national agenda,
for example, when press covers an incident in a school/society which they bring to the public’s
attention. Policy may evolve to address the issue – usually immediate but may also be long term.

 Even in Caribbean countries which claim to uphold this notion of freedom of the press,
governments still intervene and/or impose censorship in some form or fashion.
 Some Caribbean governments may argue that censorship is necessary for public safety and for
policies to be implemented for example, Cuba.
 That control of the press is necessary because of the need to inculcate appropriate attitudes
within the community.
 It is not as critical to development as other freedoms for example, worship, education, work,
life.
 On the other hand, with the Internet, the public can read a variety of reports on the same
international issue and perhaps gain a balanced perspective.