Column: Is the concept of state media relevant to T&T?

Kiran Maharaj, the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA), raised an issue this week about the relevance of state media in a country such as ours.

"Is state-owned media best for a democratic country such as Trinidad and Tobago and what should their role be?"she asked, suggesting that this should be the subject of debate in the new year.

“There are two contrasting theories of state control of the media–the public interest or Pigouvian theory which states that government ownership is beneficial, whereas the public choice theory suggests that state control undermines economic and political freedoms,” she said.

Maharaj was speaking at the seventh TTPBA Annual Dinner and Awards for Media Excellence at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain on Thursday night.
 
Maharaj expressed concern about the future of journalism in the news technological world.

“No one can predict the future...because in the new media world, the reaction time to competition is almost immediate; time-based competition is no longer a strategy option for competitive advantage, it is part of everyone’s business plan,” she said.

Maxie Cuffie, the former head of the the Government Information Services Ltd. (GISL) recently raised the issues as well and suggested that government has no right owning media.

In response I wrote a column which becomes relevant again in the context of what Krian Maharaj has raised. 

My position is that the media collectively is an essential part of democracy. That, more than any other reason, is why in a society such as ours we need to have state ownership, which by extension means ownership by the people. 

Private media have their own agenda and must satisfy the bottom line and the needs of shareholders. Look at the United States today and the role of FOX news.

In Trinidad and Tobago powerful conglomerates own all the main media. That means their interests come first, although there have been no sustained attacks similar to what we see in the U.S. with the FOX experience.

Still there is the danger that citizens would not get the whole picture if they rely entirely on private media. I concede that technological changes today with social networking and the Internet have changed the rules since anyone can become a publisher.

However, that doesn't diminish the need for a well-organised, professional run media organisation that is owned by the state with a clear mandate of its role as part of the democratic process.

Click here to read the column: I beg to disagree with Maxie; it's Ok for people to own media