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If a campaign news blackout becomes necessary.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Going by our story out of Mandeville in the Sunday Observer, it is clear that media personnel are feeling increasingly at risk in covering political activities related to the coming general elections.
There is an emerging sense of militancy among some media personnel who believe that it is already time to send a signal to the political parties that journalists will not sit idly by and take any abuse from party supporters.
Among the measures being contemplated is a news blackout of election campaign activities, which, to our recollection, has never been done in Jamaica.
We suspect, however, that it might not come to that, although we believe that strong action is necessary if the party leaders do not grab hold of their wayward supporters before they do harm to any journalist covering their campaign.
We feel with the Mandeville television cameraman who says he is seriously contemplating staying away from all further political meetings in the build-up to parliamentary elections which must be held before November.
The videographer complains that he had discerned a pattern of threats, intimidation and verbal harassment from party supporters at recent political events that had left him fearing for his own safety.
"I don't think I want to cover any more politics," he was quoted by the Sunday Observer as saying. And he is not alone.
We really wish that People's National Party (PNP) leader, Mrs Portia Simpson Miller had not launched her attack on a television station from a political platform. After that, what could anyone expect from passionate, over-enthusiastic supporters but the belief that media personnel are fair game.
Being so spiritual and all that, we expected that Mrs Simpson Miller would have bridled her tongue, and her temper, somewhat, instead of launching into her tirade on the media.
Election campaigns are opportunities to test how genuinely we believe as a country in freedom of the press and freedom of expression. We, for our part, uphold the right of politicians to express their views about the conduct and performance of the media. What we certainly don't expect is that political leaders would do so in a manner that sends the wrong signal, in the highly charged environment of a political campaign.
Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. The PNP leader did wrong and she should make every effort to help her supporters understand that the media have a job to do, on behalf of the nation, in covering the party campaigns.
We would not like to see the day when media are forced to resort to a news blackout, for the very reason that what we do is a service to the people of our country. It is clearly one of the weapons that we have in our arsenal, and if push comes to shove we should be prepared to use it, if only as a last resort.
Before it comes to that, the Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ) and the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) should get together and agree on joint action that will wake up the political parties.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Going by our story out of Mandeville in the Sunday Observer, it is clear that media personnel are feeling increasingly at risk in covering political activities related to the coming general elections.
There is an emerging sense of militancy among some media personnel who believe that it is already time to send a signal to the political parties that journalists will not sit idly by and take any abuse from party supporters.
Among the measures being contemplated is a news blackout of election campaign activities, which, to our recollection, has never been done in Jamaica.
We suspect, however, that it might not come to that, although we believe that strong action is necessary if the party leaders do not grab hold of their wayward supporters before they do harm to any journalist covering their campaign.
We feel with the Mandeville television cameraman who says he is seriously contemplating staying away from all further political meetings in the build-up to parliamentary elections which must be held before November.
The videographer complains that he had discerned a pattern of threats, intimidation and verbal harassment from party supporters at recent political events that had left him fearing for his own safety.
"I don't think I want to cover any more politics," he was quoted by the Sunday Observer as saying. And he is not alone.
We really wish that People's National Party (PNP) leader, Mrs Portia Simpson Miller had not launched her attack on a television station from a political platform. After that, what could anyone expect from passionate, over-enthusiastic supporters but the belief that media personnel are fair game.
Being so spiritual and all that, we expected that Mrs Simpson Miller would have bridled her tongue, and her temper, somewhat, instead of launching into her tirade on the media.
Election campaigns are opportunities to test how genuinely we believe as a country in freedom of the press and freedom of expression. We, for our part, uphold the right of politicians to express their views about the conduct and performance of the media. What we certainly don't expect is that political leaders would do so in a manner that sends the wrong signal, in the highly charged environment of a political campaign.
Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. The PNP leader did wrong and she should make every effort to help her supporters understand that the media have a job to do, on behalf of the nation, in covering the party campaigns.
We would not like to see the day when media are forced to resort to a news blackout, for the very reason that what we do is a service to the people of our country. It is clearly one of the weapons that we have in our arsenal, and if push comes to shove we should be prepared to use it, if only as a last resort.
Before it comes to that, the Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ) and the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) should get together and agree on joint action that will wake up the political parties.
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