With today being observed as World Press Freedom Day, the Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ) is calling for a collaborative approach to tackle what it calls sustained threats to press freedom.
In its message to mark the day, the MAJ noted that these threats include the stealing of content from local media houses and laws and regulations that impede press freedom.
The MAJ has expressed concerns about the increasing influence of external social media platforms extracting advertising spend to foreign jurisdictions, without paying taxes to the government and without direct compensation to the local media houses for content they are monetising.
According to the MAJ, this is tantamount to financially induced censorship.
The MAJ explains that these threats continue to affect the ability of media houses to earn sufficiently to sustain independence and provide decent wages for their journalists.
The MAJ also pointed to legislation which could affect press freedom such as the newly implemented Data Protection Act and what it describes as the "outdated" defamation legislation.
It says the defamation legislation could potentially expose valuable sources including whistleblowers because the burden of proof still rests with media houses.
The MAJ says while data protection legislation is a positive step for society in general, there are elements which will unnecessarily make the work of journalists more difficult.
Meanwhile, the MAJ says the new broadcast content code being introduced seemingly expands jurisdiction of the broadcast regulator to platforms for which they have no authority to regulate.
Additionally, it says the new code does nothing to change the high level of subjectivity with which regulatory matters are dealt with and which attempts to mandate implementation of technologies out of the reach of most members.
The MAJ says there needs to be a balance where a country and its people can develop in a free democratic society, local media can thrive, and journalists can practice their craft safely and with a decent living wage.
But the MAJ pointed to the killing of journalists, calling it the biggest threat to press freedom.
It noted that, globally, almost 100 journalists have been reported as killed in 2023 and so far in 2024, while hundreds remain imprisoned.
The MAJ noted that seven journalists died in neighbouring Haiti since 2022, due to violence.
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