Dear Editor,

May 3 was World Press Freedom Day created in 1997 to “promote the free flow of information and its activities in the interest of press freedom, media independence and pluralism, and to raise awareness of the dangers faced by journalists who are harassed, imprisoned, and even killed for telling the truth”. It has been brought to the attention of many Jamaicans that some of our journalists have become political activists. Instead of promoting truth they promote a political party.

Every day citizens are killed and victimised in Jamaica. Many journalists who choose to speak the truth are penalised or sometimes jobless. Loyalty to party has become the order of the day. Integrity and ethics have become obsolete. Media independence in Jamaica is quietly becoming a thing of the past, and the courts help to fuel this by withholding certain information from the public via “gag orders”.

The people in Jamaica really have no outlet to voice their day-to-day concerns about acts of injustice. Many journalists are afraid of having pluralistic views because they prefer to be “politically correct”. Until the people employed as journalists speak the truth, regardless of the consequences the country will continue to fail.

Many persons in the government are so caught up with party politics that they have established integrity committees with individuals whose actions are also questionable.

Rev Tanasha Buchanan

tanashabuchanan@yahoo.com