Several persons interviewed by The Tribune on the subject noted a general lack of regard for the value of the media in political circles – other than for propaganda purposes.
While all those approached by The Tribune did not agree, most said the press must have a somewhat confrontational relationship with the government if it is to be an effective watchdog.
Attacks such as the one launched by Mr Rigby, who “cautioned” The Tribune and accused its reporters of printing “lies”, project the Bahamas into a current regional debate about press/government relations.
At the most recent meeting of the International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress, Michael Kudlak, IPI’s press freedom adviser for the Caribbean, said: “Increasingly, authorities are attempting to use libel laws, broadcasting regulations, and other legal measures to stifle critical coverage, posing a serious threat to freedom of opinion and expression in the Caribbean.
“IPI urges the governments of the Caribbean to uphold everyone’s right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right ‘to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers,’ as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” Kudlak added.
Mr Rigby was speaking at a press conference to discuss plans for the party’s fourth anniversary of the May 2, 2002 election held at PLP headquarters on Wednesday.
“I am cautioning the press,” he warned, “because as the Fourth Estate, they have a sacred obligation to the people of the Bahamas to be seen to be objective in their reporting of events that occur in this country. I have had the occasion to make the same observations. I trust this is the last time.”
When asked about the possibility that the party was inclined to accuse any media house as being biased for writing factual but unflattering news articles, Mr Rigby denied this.
“If the press wants to be biased in their reporting and can’t be objective then we have a difficulty,” he said.
Mr Rigby also claimed that some quarters of the press are on a “systematic campaign of biases and unfair reporting”.
While the PLP chairman infuriated many working journalists, The Tribune yesterday sought a wider response to his comments among – Bahamians who had experience as working journalists.
The question: “Is the Bahamian media unfairly critical of the country’s political directorate?” was put to them.
Veteran journalist and former news editor of The Tribune Athena Damianos said that Mr Rigby’s comments appeared to be simply an attempt to “discredit the free press and divert attention from the real issues in the run-up to a general election.
“Both parties have used this tactic in the past, and so it’s not surprising that the chairman of the PLP is using the press as a scapegoat. One day Bahamian politicians may mature to the point where they can truly appreciate the role of a free press. People in other parts of the world are dying in pursuit of such a gift, a free press being a cornerstone of democracy.”
By RUPERT MISSICK Jr Chief Reporter – The Tribune
