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"For every step forward in press freedom last year, there were two steps back", said Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor
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Bahamas Ranks 37th In World Press Freedom - Report Says Press Freedom Declines:
Bahama Journal -


A non governmental organization based in the United States has ranked The Bahamas 37th in a worldwide assessment of press freedom, referring to instances where undue pressure might have been exerted on the Bahamian media in the past.

Freedom House has published its detailed report on press freedom, which came out ahead of World Press Day that is being observed today.

The group classified The Bahamas as having a "free" press, giving this country two points for its legal environment, nine for the political environment and six for the economic environment.

The group acknowledged that the Constitution of The Bahamas guarantees freedom of speech and of the press. The report added that although there is no freedom of information legislation, the government generally supports the public's right to access to information.

"However, during 2006 there were indications that some members of the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) were exerting undue pressure on the media in response to less than flattering news coverage," stated the report.

"In early May, PLP chairman Raynard Rigby publicly warned the publishers of the Nassau Guardian and the Bahamas Tribune - two of the four daily newspapers - that they should be careful to be objective when reporting news of political affairs."

The report also noted that while he was Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fred Mitchell publicly criticized the print media, accusing it of lacking "balance and fairness."

The following month, it was reported, managing editor of the Tribune and British citizen John Marquis was informed that his work permit would not be renewed.

"Marquis and other media freedom advocates claimed the move was a response to several critical articles. After protests, the authorities issued a one-year permit," noted the report.

"In February, prison guards outside the Carmichael Detention Centre in Nassau attacked four journalists from Miami-based television stations."

The state-owned Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas operates a television station and the ZNS Radio Bahamas network. There are also numerous privately owned radio stations. The Internet was unrestricted and was accessed by 30 percent of the population.

The report from Freedom House called Freedom of the Press 2008: A Global Survey of Media Independence, assessed the degree of press freedom in every country in the world.

According to this year's survery, press freedom declines outnumbered advances two to one in 2007, with declines seen in authoritarian countries and established democracies.

"For every step forward in press freedom last year, there were two steps back," said Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor.

"When press freedom is in retreat, it is an ominous sign that restrictions on other freedoms may soon follow. However, journalists in many countries of the world are pushing the boundaries, crossing the red-lines, demonstrating commitment and courage against great odds and we are seeing a greater global flow of information than ever before."

Out of 195 countries and territories, 72 (37 percent) were rated Free, 59 (30 percent) Partly Free, and 64 (33 percent) were Not Free, a decline from 2006. However, the study found that declines in individual countries and territories were often larger than in years past.

Freedom House listed the world's worst-rated countries as Burma, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, and Turkmenistan. In 2007, Eritrea was added to the list, while a crackdown in Burma was reported to have worsened that country's "already repressive media environment, leaving its score second only to that of North Korea worldwide."

Improvements in a small number of countries were far overshadowed by a continued, relentless assault on independent news media, said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Freedom House senior researcher and managing editor of the survey.

"We are particularly concerned that while abuses of press freedom continue unabated in restrictive environments such as China, threats are also apparent in countries with an established record of media freedom and in newer democracies in Central Europe and Africa."

May 3, 2008

May 4, 2008 | 6:42 AM Comments  0 comments

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