BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN the wake of the observance of World Press Freedom Day, the reality being faced in St. Kitts-Nevis is that there is a saturation of media houses, but there are also a number of factors that encourage self-censorship.
This was one of the salient points highlighted by the President of the Media Association of St. Kitts-Nevis (MASKN), Clive Bacchus, during his World Press Freedom Day (May 3) 2012 Address.
This year’s observance carried the theme “New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies”.
According to Bacchus, several gains have been made over the past years within the Federation in terms of access to new and traditional media with the emergence of several radio stations, newspapers and online media.
For most, such developments would have meant a significant increase in the number of investigative and probative pieces. But, as Bacchus explained, immoderate responses and litigation threats have encouraged self-censorship.
“Despite these gains, however, there is a marked reluctance to offer clear, detailed information about everyday issues. Intemperate language and testy responses from public officials have encouraged self-censorship among members of the public and media workers. The constant threat of litigation is also encouraging self-censorship and discouraging investigative reporting.”
He said with all the media outlets at the disposal of the public, there are only a few who engage in public expression of their views through these means.
“Too many people are expressing real or imagined fear of expressing genuine opinions or of asking searching questions of the powerful among us. They prefer to climb the economic and social ladders and leave the heavy lifting to others. The few who do express themselves openly in the media can be counted on our fingers and heard on every talk show across the land.
“With all the media available there is still a paucity of informed citizen participation in national dialogue and a glaring absence of robust watchdog groups that monitor state and non-state actors.”
The MASKN President expressed his view that the time has come for “a sea of change in attitude to the public and the media”.
He suggested that in aid of this, “A number of critical legislation is needed for the enhancement of free expression. These include the enactment of Freedom of Information Legislation, Integrity in Public Life Legislation, Campaign Financing Laws, the abolition of Criminal Libel and Defamation Laws, the adoption of US style freedom of expression rules rather than the very punitive Commonwealth rules."
