Ken Gordon urges T&T citizens to resist attempts to curb press freedom

A report in the Inter Press Service (IPS) has quoted Ken Gordon, one of the most respected media professionals in the region, as saying, a recent meeting between Prime Minister Patrick Manning and the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) allowed Manning "to reveal his desire to control media content."

The meeting, which was held at MATT's request, raised the issue of the media being responsible to an independent monitoring watchdog body.

At the end of the one-hour talks both parties issued separate statements, which contradicted each other. The contentious question was whether MATT had agreed that the media should be responsible to an independent media watchdog.

Manning said it did; MATT said it did not.

In an editorial the Trinidad Guardian said, "With MATT now suggesting that the Prime Minister's Office may have misconstrued what transpired or is being economical with the truth, relations between the association and the Government are worse than ever before."

The Trinidad Express also commented on the matter, saying the Prime Minister "seems to have confused the media's duty to inform the public" and suggested that a government that's committed to press freedom "would update the country's 19th century libel laws, and expand rather than restrict the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act."

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The IPS report said Gordon urged the population to "strongly resist" the government motives, although he acknowledged that some media houses abuse freedom of the press and freedom of thought and expression as enshrined and protected by the Trinidad and Tobago constitution.

However he told IPS, "the fact is the Constitution clearly intended the Courts to be the final arbiter on issues which relate to Press Freedom, and no so-called independent body can give the same degree of confidence in its independence."

Trinidad and Tobago is the only Caribbean country where freedom of the press is enshrined in the constitution.

Respected Caribbean journalist Rickey Singh has warned that "The current PNM administration is veering into dangerous territory."

He told IPS, "I seriously doubt that we are going to see any time soon, if ever, the creation of a so-called ‘independent’ media monitoring body in Trinidad and Tobago with the intention to [punish] local media for perceived ‘irresponsibility’ and ‘shortcomings.’ Such a mechanism is a bad idea and it is best ignored."

Prior to the meeting between Manning and MATT independent senator Prof Ramesh Deosaran expressed deep concern about what was happening.

In a local newspaper article Deosaran asked, "Are people who now buy newspapers, listen to radio and watch television to believe that after this MATT-PM meeting, the media as a whole and its brave and bold staff will go on a penance of good behaviour?"