And in May when she was campaigning for the general election she repeated the commitment in a message to mark World Press Freedom day.
"We will defend media freedom with all our strength and legislative capacity because we know that without a free media our democracy would be deformed," she said.
"We insist that no government has the right to take away or infringe in any way on the right of the media to operate freely. Our constitution enshrines the right to a free press and the freedom of expression and we must accept no less."
The UNC leader said media’s role is to seek out the issues on behalf of the people and report on them as fairly and objectively as they can "so that the people can arrive at an informed opinion on which they can act."
She said free media are an essential component of every democratic society because a free press will raise issues of concern "in a marketplace of ideas in which our citizens would be able to judge for themselves what is right and what isn’t."
Democracy can only flourish when there is a free and independent media, she said.
"Every government - especially in small emerging nations such as ours - owes a responsibility to the people to ensure that they have access to a free and unfettered media," she added.
She promised that a UNC-led government would guarantee that no media organization or its workers are ever harassed or intimated.
"We will protect your right and we will expect that you will continue to operate without fear or favour to make your contribution to the creation of a just society."
Read the story: Kamla pledges to protect media freedom
In government Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has also pledged to protect media freedom.
WORTH REPEATING:
In January, this is what Persad-Bissessar said to the media at her inauguration as leader of her party:
"I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all the people in the media who have contributed to keeping the issues alive during the campaign for the internal election and for keeping on the national agenda daily, the issues that affect our people.
"You are the guardians of democracy and you have never abdicated your responsibility to the people and the country.
"You have my word that I will at all times defend your right to freedom because without a free media our democracy will be deformed.
"Free speech allows for a marketplace of ideas in which our citizens would be able to judge for themselves-as they did in our just concluded election-what is right and what isn’t.
"We must never allow organisational pressures to get in the way of that freedom. You carry a great burden of responsibility to this nation to report without fear or favour to ensure that today’s minorities are not prevented from becoming tomorrow’s majority."
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