GEORGETOWN, Guyana, May
2, 2008 - Observance of World Press Freedom Day 2008 establishes the
critical link between the untrammelled ability of people to express
themselves and to freely access official information, and their
empowerment as citizens.
Some of us
correspondingly contend that a principal measure of the power of the
people is the extent to which the flow of information, news, opinion and
analysis is facilitated by an environment that enables free expression
and access to information.
The Caribbean region
is, through this injunction, challenged by socio-political antecedents
to contemplate a process which would have the impact of effectively
transferring responsibility for the future from the grasp of a few to
the hands of the people.
It is also a time when crime and violence, economic instability, natural
disasters, political conflict and changing global circumstances presage
continued uncertainty. The urgency to find solutions and to mitigate
impacts is apparent, often in unbridled fashion.
The practice of
journalism is unique as a professional function reliant on the view that
more, not less, free expression and openness is desirable as a
pre-condition for social progress, transparency and participatory
democracy. This uniqueness is characterised by the manner in which the
media serve as a bridge between civil society and the state.
The ACM also concurs
with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, that press
freedom and freedom of information, are “the founding principles for
good governance, development and peace.”
It is true that
professional imperfections militate against achievement of the broader
social goals but a penalty of silence is unacceptable as a form of
redress against perceived harm.
For reasons such as this, the ACM stands alert to interventions that
have the impact of restricting, rather than facilitating free
expression. Acts of official censorship, prior restraint and
self-censorship in the media are condemned as inimical to the broader
cause of progress and growth.
The absence of
effective Access to Information laws in some jurisdictions also
pronounces unfavourably on the degree to which people are empowered to
impact on the decision-making process in a way that affects their
everyday lives.
Official regulations
that seek to bring order to chaotic telecommunications environments are
best advised by the view that content restrictions, beyond
widely-accepted rules that protect a person’s privacy and character and
the security of the state, are not supported by the principles of free
expression, as defined by Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration
of Human Rights, among other hemispheric and international instruments.
The ACM is committed to
raising awareness among media professionals on the value of press
freedom as a function of freedom of expression with all its attendant
benefits to humanity.
We believe professional standards should rise to meet the requirements
of such freedom and that a concerted effort to network Caribbean media
professionals, improve standards, instil high ethical standards and to
insist on adherence to the principle of press freedom is the
responsibility of an organisation such as ours.
On World Press Freedom
Day 2008, we re-dedicate ourselves to the task of shaping our profession
in a manner that best serves the interests of a region in social and
economic transition, challenged by changing global circumstances,
impaired by a colonial legacy but committed to building a better future.
