It's World Press Freedom Day!

[Guest guest]

http://www.hoffmania.com/blog/2005/05/its_world_press.html

 

 

It's World Press Freedom Day!

 

And a certain country is certainly celebrating! Yeah, you know what

country we're talkin' about, America! You know who rocks in the

freedom of the press arena! So stand up, America, for that special

country, and give a great big USA chant for...

 

Strong ratings for Jamaica

published: Tuesday | May 3, 2005

 

JAMAICA CONTINUES to receive strong international rating for its

press freedom. According to The World Press Freedom Review 2004,

Jamaica is committed to upholding press freedom and other human rights

but cautioned over the use of legislation to curb the press, here and

in the Caribbean.

 

The report, published by the International Press Institute and

released to coincide with World Press Freedom Day being observed

today, said that Jamaica, " continued to enjoy a media that is largely

free to express critical opinions without significant restrictions. "

 

The report cited the ongoing saga of libel case won by former

tourism minister Anthony Abrahams against former editor Dudley Stokes

and The Gleaner Company Ltd. Dr. Stokes' appeal to the Inter-American

Commission on Human Rights (IAHCR) was supported by the US

non-governmental organisation Freedom House. Freedom House, said the

report, had called for the IAHCR, " ...to rebuke the Jamaican

government for denying Dudley Stokes ... protection for his freedom of

expression and, by extension, threatening the citizens of Jamaica with

restricted access to diverse information. "

 

Oh? You didn't know it was World Press Freedom Day? Guess it was kept

out of the papers here somehow.

 

UPDATE: We have the World Press Freedom Review reports. It's pretty

damned chilling.

 

Here's Jamaica's:

 

The island nation of three million people continued to enjoy a

media that is largely free to express critical views without

significant restrictions. The country has two national daily

newspapers, the Gleaner, and the Jamaica Observer, and an afternoon

tabloid, The Star, published every day, except Sunday. There are a

number of national and regional periodicals, serving a variety of

sectors and interests. According to the government Jamaica Information

Service, in addition to the state-owned broadcasting entities, there

are also 16 private radio stations, and three private television stations.

 

Here's America's:

 

It was a troublesome year for the U.S. media, with at least 11

journalists issued subpoenas to testify in high-profile federal court

cases around the country. Several journalists were found in contempt

of court for refusing to reveal their confidential sources and faced

prison terms and stiff fines. At year's end, one journalist, TV

reporter Jim Taricani of Rhode Island, was under home confinement for

not revealing a source.

 

Other issues that occupied America's journalists during the year

included the continuing hostilities in Iraq, where at least 23 foreign

and Iraqi journalists were killed, several by fire from U.S. forces,

and increased restrictions on reporters' access to information under

the USA Patriot Act and the related Homeland Security Act of 2002. The

American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), among others, complained

about the " frightening growth of government secrecy, " which in turn

has emboldened state and local governments to jump on the

" non-disclosure bandwagon. "

 

The detention of foreign journalists at U.S. borders and their

forcible deportation to their home countries continued in 2004, with

the detention and expulsion of British freelance journalist Elena

Lappin, who arrived at Los Angeles International Airport without the

required " I-Visa " .

 

USA! US...aw, forget it.