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Gov't reaffirms commitment to safeguarding press freedom

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The government has reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding freedom of the press after Jamaica slipped two places on the World of Press Freedom Index. 
 
The country now ranks 26th out of 180 countries.
 
In its latest ranking, Reporters Without Borders says while Jamaica has seen improvements in press freedom over the past two decades, a growing mistrust between the media and government officials is eroding institutional respect for the press. 
 
Despite the decline, Jamaica remains the second highest ranked Caribbean nation behind Trinidad and Tobago. 
 
In a response to the report on Friday, the government said while global rankings reflect a contraction in press freedom, the country continues to hold its ground as one of the leading nations in the Caribbean in upholding media freedoms. 
 
Noting that Jamaica ranked number two in the Caribbean, the government says between 2022 and the first quarter of 2025, Jamaica consistently ranked among the top performers in the region, outpacing several counterparts despite fluctuations in the global media environment. 
 
The Andrew Holness administration points out that the report acknowledges Jamaica's strong tradition of content independence, the absence of any journalist detention or fatalities since the start of the year, and steady improvements in press freedoms over the past two decades. 
 
The government says it holds no stake in the vast majority of media entities, which indicates the country's long-standing trend of media plurality and editorial freedom.
 
It says it remains open to continued engagement and collaboration with media professionals across all platforms. 
 
Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders has cited economic pressure as one of the factors seriously weakening the media globally. It says ownership concentration, pressure from advertisers and financial backers, restricted public aid absent or allocated in an opaque manner is largely blamed in part for contributing to the economic pressure.
 
The 2025 index has assigned Jamaica a score of 75.83, which the government describes as a minor year-on-year decrease. 
 
The 23rd annual World Press Freedom Index was released by Reporters Without Borders to mark the May 3 observation of World Press Freedom Day.
 


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