Many of the candidates seeking the vote in next week’s election have uttered guarantees of freedom of the press if elected.
It is refreshing to know that the men and women who seek the all-important jobs of law givers of this country have press freedom uppermost in their minds.
It’s a freedom that doesn’t come lightly and one that is taken for granted by some practicing journalists in countries where the right is guaranteed.
Newspapers throughout the world are today marking World Press Freedom Day, which the United Nations designated in 1993. It is a day that we celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom. It also reminds us that in too many parts of the world it is commonplace for governments to harass, detain, fine, attack and kill journalists for their ‘crime’ of trying to tell the truth.
Last year alone 78 journalists were killed world-wide. Of those, nearly one third were lost while covering the conflict in Iraq, but many more perished in tyrannical or lawless societies when they probed too deeply for public information or offered critical views.
Here in the Cayman Islands the press is fortunate to have a pretty good working relationship with Government and other agencies. While it can be difficult to get information at times, the stories usually get written and public discourse is allowed to follow via letters to the editor.
In the US and other countries that allow freedom of press it is understood that liberty depends on freedom of the press that cannot be limited without being lost.
Sure, all competent, hard-working journalists know they can, at times, be a thorn in the sides of public officials.
The press can be prickly, prying and provocative. Public officials and others in power do not enjoy the incessant scrutiny and critical eye of journalists performing their watchdog role.
But a free press, however bothersome and imperfect, is essential for democracies to emerge and thrive.
With the freedom of press comes great responsibility from the press itself.
Journalists must keep themselves above the fray, check and cross check every fact and figure. They have a duty to present the truth at all times and not publish half truths and innuendo just because they buy their ink by the barrel.
We look forward to working with the men and women elected to the Legislative Assembly to craft and draft freedom of the press legislation for the Cayman Islands.
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