Every journalist respects his or her sources and ought to do everything possible to protect a source. Some of us are prepared to go to jail for that principle as has happened in the United States where the Supreme Court has ruled that a journalist who refuses to identify a source in matters of national security can be held in contempt and jailed.
In Trinidad & Tobago we have seen instances where the state has attempted either overtly or covertly to intimidate journalists.
Many of us may recall the incident where Patrick Manning, who was Prime Minister at the time, became so infuriated by comments made by two radio announcers that he left San Fernando and went directly to the station in Port of Spain to complain.
Related: We the media
More recently we have witnessed the police showing up at TV6 in search of video tapes relating to an alleged sexual attack on a young woman. And now we have the Newsday incident, with reporter Andre Bhagoo defending his right to protect a source, as is his right.
It seems that in both cases the police were conducting investigations into a breach of the law, with no evidence that they were acting on the directions of the state or its leaders.
In this latest incident, officers probing the leak of confidential information from the Integrity Commission went to Newsday where they took custody of a reporter's computer hard drive and peripherals. They also searched Bhagoo's home and seized three laptop computers.
When questioned about this at Thursday's post cabinet news conference, Communication Minister Suruj Rambachan noted, as he has done in the past, that the government in which he serves has always pledged to protect the media's right to freedom and has never got in the way of the media's right to report freely.
Indeed Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has stated on numerous occasions that democracy requires a free and independent media and just recently commended the media for doing its job.
And Attorney General Anand Ramlogan assured citizens Thursday night that the police were not acting on any political or state instructions. He said the police commissioner must explain why it was necessary to conduct investigations in such a manner.
It's easy to get emotional about these matters. Let us not forget that police have an obligation to conduct investigations and where necessary interview people, seize documents and equipment, execute search warrants and detain people. And they do not have to seek ministerial permission to do so.
Newsday reported the story because it was a matter of public importance that citizens should know about. It did its duty. The Integrity Commission reacted by making a police complaint. Police had to investigate and that investigation led them to the newspaper and its reporter.
Their search warrants were to locate evidence related to an alleged crime; Bhagoo was not under investigation for any crime. While the focus on him, his place of employment and his home might have been a necessary part of the investigation, the fact that he had refused to identify a source sends a signal of intimidation.
When I was News Director of Trinidad & Tobago Television (TTT) in the 1980s a team of police officers conducting an investigation showed up one morning asking for video tapes of a story we reported the night before. They were also seeking the names of sources, which we did not provide. We provided the tapes but some media - and the reporter in question - interpreted that 'raid' as a violation of media freedom and a blatant attack on journalists. It was not. Police were doing their job and we offered our cooperation.
I am not making a judgment on what happened because I don't have all the relevant facts. But let us not go on the attack and denounce the police because their investigations happened to centre around us in the media. However, if the reporter's rights were violated and media freedom was under attack then I would demand - as all journalists should - that the state intervene and protect the media. The AG has already expressed deep concerns about the police methods and asked for an explanation from the police commissioner, which is a healthy sign.
In a free country where we strive daily to protect democracy, we must always defend the right of the media to report without fear or favour and encourage reporters to seek out what is wrong so that a government is accountable to those whom they govern.
No responsible government must encroach on the rights of journalists or allow a state agency or private establishment to do so and thereby make media irrelevant. If we allow the media to be intimidated and gagged, how do we know if a government official has covered up a crime, whether a police officer is corrupt, whether security officials engage in torture or other horrendous forms of coercion? The question we need to ask is whether this was an act of intimidation or a violation of Bhagoo's rights.
Attacking journalists and censoring media is for countries that fear their citizens, not those like Trinidad & Tobago that cherish and protect freedom and democracy.
We journalists must at all times stand up for our right to report freely without fear of sanctions because we represent not only ourselves, but a principle upon which the practice of journalism is built. We are the guardians of our democracy and freedom and we rely heavily on confidential sources whom we must protect.
Newsday's Editor in Chief, Therese Mills, quite correctly stated: “It is fundamental to the functioning of a journalist that she or he is able to protect sources of information. Without this, the work of the journalist, particularly the investigative journalist, is fatally impaired.”
The media have a right and a responsibility to engage citizens in a battle against corruption, ignorance, intolerance and indifference – evils that plague our society. Every act that denies or limits our freedom erodes confidence in our country and those who govern us.
Having said that, we in the media must act responsibly and be fair to everyone. Media must strive to tell the objective truth, to refuse to advance anyone’s personal agenda and to always be fair. Truth and reality are not soundites that fit neatly into a tailored newscast or page in a newspaper. Our first obligation is to truth … and to the citizens who depend on us to provide an honest picture of our world.
That picture must be genuine, not retouched and altered to suit the preferences of an advertiser, a political acquaintance or media managers. And yes, it is OK to talk about and report on dissenting views. How else would the minority ever have a voice to aspire to become tomorrow’s majority?
Does anyone remember a man named Geddes Granger? Today, thanks to the media giving him and his cause a voice he remains with us as Makandal Daaga, sharing his dreams and his vision for a better society as a member of the People’s Partnership government.
Let us remember that every voice, every idea is worth something. Our job, our responsibility is to let all voices be heard clearly. And when anyone tries to silence us, we must stand united and refuse to stand down.
Jai Parasram | 10 February 2012
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