BARJAM president defends role of the media

During the BARJAM Media Awards held this past weekend, the President of the Barbados Association of Journalists and Media Workers (BARJAM), Emmanuel Joseph, vehemently rebuked the notion that the media should silence the voice of those who challenge ‘the establishment’.

“BARJAM has no confidence in any suggestion that would like to take it back to the dark days when dissent against the establishment or ruling classes was tantamount to a crime and was met with the most vicious push back that at times ended in the death for the dissenter,” said Joseph during his remarks.

The president explained that his comments were in response to the possible suggestion made by the Prime Minister, that the media should shut out certain voices.

“I would not want it said that I, on behalf of the Barbados Association of Journalists and Media Workers, have consented to any notion by anyone in this country that the media should silence the voices of dissent, opposition or otherwise,” said Joseph.

The president also highlighted that the Constitution of Barbados guaranteed freedom of speech and it also provided for the Office of the Loyal Opposition of Her Majesty.

“It is a dangerous, unwise and counter-productive road to take in this 21st century. The recent notion by our Prime Minister that the news media should shut out the voice of Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn for whatever reason, once he is not outside of the law, goes against the highest law in the land, the Constitution,” argued Joseph.

He made the point that on that basis, dissent, alternate voices, opinions and positions were indeed sanctioned by the said constitution.

“The media cannot therefore be part of any suggestion by the Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, trade union leaders, business leaders, church leaders, civil society leaders or even the ordinary man in the street to usurp its role as the eyes, the ears and the voice of the people,” said the president.

Joseph doubled down on the position of BARJAM, saying that the idea of the censoring dissent would even go against one of the building blocks of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP).

“For the media to embark on a censorship drive to facilitate some voices and silence others, while it may be politically or economically expedient for some, it stinks. It is instructive to note that the ruling Barbados Labour Party emerged out of the 1937 revolt, a classic form of dissent, when the rioting spurred late National Hero Sir Grantley Adams to found the BLP in 1938 after 14 people were killed and 47 wounded in the protests in Barbados a year earlier. Enough said,” contended Joseph.