Caribbean Journalists Face Challenges with 'Chilling Effect'

The National Association of Caribbean-American Journalists (NACAJ) was founded at a crucial time. That was the consensus of leading Caribbean-American and Caribbean journalists at a recent video- and tele-conference meeting hosted by NACAJ and the World Bank in Washington, D.C, November 1, 2007.
 
Journalists from Atlanta, California, Washington D.C., Florida, New Jersey, New York, Barbados, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and other islands participated in the historic meeting held at the World Bank headquarters. Organizers said the meeting was important and timely because of the many issues impacting journalists and the community.
 
Michael Bascombe, a board member for the Association of Caribbean Media Workers and of NACAJ, said several Caribbean journalists are in contentions with governments that react to perceived negative coverage and libel laws that have a “chilling effect” on journalists’ freedom to report effectively about political issues.
 
“There’s still a lot of work to be done with Caribbean governments as far as freedom of information is concerned,” Bascombe said.
 
Other journalists were interested in building partnerships. Patrick Cozier, Secretary General of Caribbean Broadcasting Union in Barbados, said NACAJ, founded in June 2007, is positioned to be a bridge between Caribbean-American journalists in the U.S. and on the mainland.
 
Dr. Trevor Munroe, co-host of the Breakfast Club radio show in Jamaica, concurred, saying NACAJ can help with visibility in mainstream media “so that the issues that impact the Caribbean people are brought to the forefront of global discourse.”
 
Other issues addressed were journalism ethics, training and community partnerships.  Many agreed that it was necessary to raise the standard of journalism in the Caribbean, and one way to do so is to equip journalists to better serve the community.
 
Caribbean community activist and co-founder of the National Coalition on Caribbean Affairs (NCOCA), Leopold Edwards was also in attendance. He thanked NACAJ for convening the meeting and pledged his “full support” to help bring about synergy with all sectors of the community.
 
The group resolved to continue the discussion at its first general meeting next March in Florida and to act on a few initiatives raised.
 
Others in attendance included, NACAJ President Ann-Marie Adams; co-anchor of WJLA-TV 7 in DC, Maureen Bunyan; Vice President of NBC Universal, Paula Madison; Dean of the CARICOM Ambassadors in Washington, Ambassador Denis Antoine; President of the Press Association of Jamaica, Desmond Richards; and representatives from the World Bank, International Center for Journalists and the Knight Foundation.