Mr. Chairman, Leslie Pierre,
Rev. Andrew Baker, Chairman of the Conference of Churches of Grenada,
Ms. Jocelyne Josiah, Regional Communications Advisor for UNESCO,
Mr. Wayne Modeste, President of the Media Workers Association of Grenada,
Sir Fred Gollop,
Hon. Ralph Maraj,
Other Parliamentarians,
Members of the public service,
Distinguished members of the media,
Specially invited guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Good morning. On behalf of the Government and people of Grenada, I extend a warm welcome to our visitors. I know you will enjoy your stay in the Spice Isle and I hope you take some time to explore our many attractions.
The Government of Grenada is honoured and pleased to be part of this Fourth Annual Caribbean Media Conference. The theme of the Conference – The Role of a Free Press in a Small Island State – is a timely one. With the advent of globalisation and the push towards trade liberalisation, the role of a Free Press has become additionally important in the context of development for small island states.
Moreover, here in the Caribbean, the role of a Free Press in the process of Regional Integration is equally critical. Indeed, I believe that Regional Integration is intrinsically connected to Regional Development and that the successful attainment of both depends, to large extent, on how effectively the Free Press functions.
In this regard, I am pleased to note that one of the topics for your Conference is “The Media and Caribbean Unity,” so I will not elaborate on the whole area of Regional Integration. Suffice to say, the media must be a fundamental part of the Integration process.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Internet, along with the many advancements taking place with respect to Information and Communication Technologies, generally, are transforming the way media practitioners operate.
Such advancements, however, should not diminish the responsibility of the media with respect to presenting correct and reliable reports and images to the public.
Indeed, the plethora of information or, in some cases disinformation, on the Internet, and the ease with which anyone can establish a website for whatever purpose, places even greater pressures on the mainstream media houses to ensure accuracy and responsibility in carrying out reporting duties and structuring programmes and special features.
Some people believe that what is written on the Internet is gospel and you, as media practitioners, have a responsibility to educate and inform in this respect.
Is there is a correlation between the size of an island state, the politics therein and the operations of the Free Press? Yes and no.
Generally speaking, media houses in a small island state such as Grenada and others in the Caribbean are often closer to the community than the larger newspapers and broadcast networks in the developed world. People in the Caribbean generally feel more connected to their local media than their counterparts in the metropolitan centres of the larger countries.
This is evident in the letters to the editors, the response to radio and television talk shows, as well as the instances of people who feel comfortable walking into a local media house with information, a complaint or, in some cases gossip and slander, and expect this to be published or aired. Additionally, most media outlets in the Caribbean, by comparison, are relatively small operations. While we do have a “media magnate” or two in our midst, we are not victims of the aggressive, and sometimes hostile, takeovers and ownership struggles that dominate the international media.
Call it community journalism if you will, but there is great scope for the media to take advantage of this sense of closeness that Caribbean people feel towards their local media outlets. For example, let us take the issue of truancy, which is a problem throughout the Region. I know from my own experience with Face-to-Face sessions, at the village level and in our schools, that truancy is a serious concern of citizens. From your perspective, as media people, truancy is an issue that should challenge you, because it touches upon so many aspects of our lives.
It provides an opportunity for some serious investigative work on a very sensitive matter. It provides an opportunity for the media to participate in the improvement of society. It provides an opportunity for social workers, teachers, police officers, parents, politicians and others in the community to express their views and make suggestions as to how the problem can be overcome.
This kind of coverage challenges the traditional role of the media as the impartial observer. By investigating and reporting on an issue such as truancy, the media is actually facilitating the search for a solution. In other words, sisters and brothers, you as members of the media, become participants in the improvement of the education system. At the same time, such coverage provides the balance that the public needs on an important and very real issue in their lives, and one that has enormous impact on societal development as a whole.
There is a tendency in some media houses and news services to concentrate primarily on political matters and, more often than not, partisan politics. Indeed, attention is often focused on politicians more than anyone else in the society. I believe the media has a responsibility to educate and inform – with the same degree of eagerness – on other issues of national and regional importance such as health care, educational reform, financial matters and all other areas of development in the society.
Permit me here, to point out that another area for which reporting can be improved and, in so doing, help the development of society and the Region as a whole is that of sports. Grenada’ s experience with the building of the National Stadium is a case in point. It required the successful hosting of an international cricket match and the public observations of foreign journalists and athletes before some of the local media really began to recognise and acknowledge what the Stadium means to the development of Grenada and the Region.
I am very pleased to note that you have devoted an entire morning of this Conference to Sport Reporting.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe one of the main responsibilities of the media is to empower your readers and listeners. You cannot do this effectively or with any consistency when you have a private agenda or allow your personal feelings, preferences and opinions to get in the way of your job. If your newspapers and your newscasts only report on the perceived scandals, the latest gruesome accident or incidents of alleged corruption, or you report by innuendo rather than by fact; then you are distorting the image of your community. If your newspapers and newscasts place heavy emphasis on one particular issue or development while ignoring the other “less headline grabbing” stories, you are forgetting about balance.
Too often, personal vendettas, coupled with journalistic pride and the tendency of media people to set themselves aside – or above as the case may be – from the general public, result in judgmental journalism. This is regrettable. More importantly, it is dangerous as it undermines the trust and interest the community has in your newspaper, magazine or broadcast station. This can impact on your advertising base, as well as your credibility.
Judgmental journalism happens out of ignorance as well. I have seen it many times. A reporter arrives at an event or to conduct an interview, and he or she has no idea of what is going on, why this particular person should be interviewed at this particular time and what kind of follow-up should be done to present a balanced report. What is most disturbing about these occasions is that too often, the reporter fails to admit his or her ignorance, fails to seek clarification or ask some probing questions. Instead, the public gets a distorted report with little depth or understanding. The person who suffered through the interview is left wondering whether or not that particular media house even has an editor.
In response, some of you may suggest that an immature media, which is forced to cope with limited training opportunities and lack of experience among staff, as well as the inability to pay staff adequately, can account for this rather lazy approach to coverage. However, I believe the Caribbean media must mature to the point where it can be accountable to itself and the public it serves. This means that the Caribbean media must have a set of established ethical principles. Otherwise, there are those among you who will continue to exercise the great power of the media with favoritism rather than fairness.
There is also the issue of reporters and others in the media being used by politicians, union leaders, lawyers, business men and others in the community to advance personal agendas. This undermines the very principles of a Free Press.
As a politician, as a Prime Minister, as a Grenadian and as a Caribbean national, I am particularly concerned about the failure of the media to accept the fact that it needs to police itself. The media is very adept at defending itself, but when it comes to policing itself and chastising those in its midst who fail to perform with responsibility and accountability, it generally fails miserably.
There are many examples of a media house or a particular member of the media presenting incorrect and even slanderous reports, which are, more often than not, attributed to the proverbial “reliable but unnamed source”. While the prerogative of the reporter to protect sources is understood, there are too many instances in the Caribbean media where this is abused and misused.
What does the media do about such lack of professionalism? Usually, nothing. However, when an individual attempts to protect himself or herself from the slander, through the established rule of law, the cries from the media and media associations of “interference in the free press” are heard loud and clear.
Here in Grenada, Cabinet appointed a Committee to establish a Media Policy to deal with some of these issues. That was in 1997. At the time, there was a great deal of concern expressed among the media that Government was going to regulate, censor and generally cause the demise of the Free Press in Grenada, even though the Committee included representation from the Media Workers Association of Grenada. The proposed policy was submitted to Cabinet and then forwarded to the Ministry of Legal Affairs. The subsequent revisions have recently been circulated. We have, again, requested input from all media houses with a view to establishing a Media Policy for Grenada. I am advised that the feedback has been much more encouraging than in the past and we are now studying the responses. I believe this is indicative of the genuine desire on the part of most media personnel to improve and upgrade their operations and services.
We intend to continue this consultative process and, ultimately, formulate a policy that will serve to establish acceptable and longstanding standards of broadcasting and print in our Nation as well as provide appropriate guidelines and rules of conduct for media personnel.
It is also interesting to note that in Grenada, a country of some 100,000 people, there are 10 private radio stations operating. This is because the New National Party Government made a conscious decision back in 1995 to accommodate as many applications for licenses as possible. We believe in a Free Press. We also believe in a Fair Press. Indeed, the two should go hand in hand. Government should not be in the business of printing newspapers and running media houses. That is why Government decided to sell its majority shares in the Grenada Broadcasting Corporation, resulting in the establishment of the Grenada Broadcasting Network and the involvement of the Caribbean Communications Network in Grenada.
Ladies and gentlemen, as I stated earlier, there is a strong need for a national media policy that will set the standards and guidelines for all media outlets operating in the State. By extension, this also applies to the wider Caribbean, and Grenada stands ready to share its experience in this regard with the rest of the Region. Additionally, a more coordinated approach should be considered so that all media personnel in the Region could benefit from the work done by regional and international media organisations, such as the Caribbean Media Workers Association and the Inter-American Press Association, with respect to identifying standards and guidelines, as well as other concerns of media practitioners.
Ladies and gentlemen, we also recognise that the market place is a major factor in determining the success of any media operation. The bottom line, with respect to the ability of any station to stay on air or any publication to stay in print, is the ability to pay the bills, including the salaries of your staff. We know that journalism is a business. But, we in the Caribbean have to ask ourselves these questions:
Do our media houses have a set of ethical principles?
Do our media houses certify that reporters, photographers, broadcasters and camera operators, among others, are qualified to do the work?
Are media houses only accountable to their advertisers and owners?
There are many qualified and ethical workers in the Caribbean media; people with years of experience, who have a genuine understanding of their responsibilities, as well as being blessed with a natural talent.
There are too many, however, who do not have any ethics or certification. The main concerns are profit margins and, in some cases, personal agendas and vendettas. Indeed, when profits become the sole driving force behind a media operation, when the race to print or air a particular allegation first takes precedence over truth and accuracy, then the persons behind such actions are no better than the drug barons who destroy lives to make profits.
Ladies and gentlemen, journalism in the Caribbean has yet to evolve into a profession, despite the fact that we have many very professional journalists. I believe the biggest challenge to you, in this Era of Information and extensive Access to Information by our people, is to transform journalism in the Caribbean into a profession of which yourselves and your reading and listening public can all be proud.
You have ideal role models in the Caribbean media with a wealth of knowledge. You have the ability and the talent. Many of you have the experience. Hopefully, this timely Conference will result in the commitment.
Thank you.
