ATTORNEY General A J Nicholson and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice Carol Palmer are to meet with Press Association of Jamaica president (PAJ) Desmond Richards and his executive on Monday to discuss concerns regarding the coverage of court proceedings by local journalists.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at the offices of the ministry, located at the NCB Towers (South), 11th Floor, 2 Oxford Road, beginning at 3:00 pm.

“The discussion was arranged to hear the concerns of journalists who cover the courts, as well as to clarify the circumstances which have led to the perceived slight of these reporters,” the ministry said in a statement yesterday.

Speaking yesterday at the signing of a $42.8-million contract for the construction of a new courthouse in Balaclava, St Elizabeth, both Nicholson, who is also the justice minister, and the permanent secretary, said they recognised the importance of accommodating reporters in the nation’s courts. A greater focus, they said, was therefore being given to this aspect of court operations in the construction of all courthouses in the future, under the Jamaican Justice System Reform Programme.

Earlier this week, Palmer called on local journalists to contribute to the discussions of the reform programme as this could only enhance the plans to transform the justice system, which has as one of its objectives the development of the sector to meet the needs of current and future generations.