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Janice Young, Chief Executive Officer of entertainment firm StreetCred Jamaica, and Reverend Newton Dixon, Immediate Past President of the Jamaica Council of Churches
There have been mixed reactions to Tuesday's directive by the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica for radio and television stations to halt the transmission of any recorded material that promotes and glorifies illegal activities.
The Commission said any audio or video recording, live song, or speech which promotes and or glorifies scamming, illegal use of drugs, guns or other offensive weapons, jungle justice or any form of illegal or criminal activity, is "strictly prohibited".
Janice Young, Chief Executive Officer of entertainment firm StreetCred Jamaica, believes the ban is restricting freedom of expression.
She argued that while there are some entertainers who may be glorifying illegal activities, there are others who are merely singing about what is happening in the society.
"They are singing about their own lifestyle for the most part, and if you look at songs like Buju Banton's 'Driver, Don't Stop At All', that song is about drugs. So, how are you going to police the morality of Jamaica when you are not fixing the problem? You are saying 'Oh, don't sing about your life because it looks like you are promoting it.' This is literally what's going on in the country!" she asserted.
Miss Young said the ban is not practical since people can still access the recorded material on other platforms, including YouTube or live shows where they can watch the artiste perform.
She also suggested that "three-quarters" of the songs targeted by the ban are already not being played on radio.
Miss Young was speaking Wednesday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.
But Reverend Newton Dixon, Immediate Past President of the Jamaica Council of Churches, believes the ban is a step in the right direction to repair the moral fabric of the society and restore public order.
He said the move sends the signal that there is something potentially "injurious and detrimental" that could affect impressionable minds, so people should "stop and listen carefully to, and determine if this is something you want to expose yourself to".
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