03/05/2025
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY 2025 (Saturday 3rd May)
The Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) once again uses the opportunity of the World Press Freedom Day to rally the citizens of our country to the cause, filled by journalism.
That cause is a foundation cornerstone of the democracy in which we live, carrying on with our daily existence, to which we have all become accustomed, and often take for granted.
Freedom of expression, of course, across all media and including the pervasive digital platforms is a critical element in the functioning and preservation of the democratic institutions.
As fate would have it, the citizens of our country just easily and smoothly transitioned to a new Government, having successfully navigated our 15th General Election. This is something of which the citizens should be happy and feel a sense of pride. By all counts, the conduct of the election, pronounced upon by the independent international and regional observers, was excellent, and borne out by the headlines “T&T gets ‘A’ grade”, and “Observers give T&T election an ‘A’ grade”.
These two tangible pillars of democratic freedoms work in synchronicity and the citizens must continue to guard the rights enshrined in the laws of the land and the institutions which maintain them. This goes for all aspects of our justice system and parliamentary chambers of government where new versions of laws are debated.
We note that even as accolades were showered on the conduct of the election, the observers identified campaign finance laws as an ongoing concern on which improvement needs to be made. All these measures are intended to ensure, that those who are governed, are treated fairly and that the collective will of a majority be heard.
In the Caribbean, the highest ranked country on the World Press Freedom Index is Trinidad & Tobago, at 19, climbing 6 levels from the previous year. This according to a report released by Reporters Without Borders.
Journalism censorship alert has manifested itself in Peru, with implications for other Latin American countries, our close neighbours.
Insitituto Prensa y Sociedad (Press and Society Institute), in an urgent communication to the TTPBA and aligned organisations, sounded an alarm for assistance exerted below. (English translation):
"The passage of a law whose effects include prior state control of journalistic activities, violation of the right to professional secrecy, and disproportionate sanctions for activities described in the law in vague terms. In short, a censorship mechanism.
Law No. 32301, promulgated by President Dina Boluarte on April 14, affects independent media outlets operating under the legal status of non-profit civil associations and even media companies that carry out activities with international cooperation funds.
The law establishes provisions that are a direct attack on press freedom, in a way that not only violates the Political Constitution but also international standards and jurisprudence on the subject. Initially, by requiring—unconstitutionally and under threat of drastic sanctions—mandatory registration with the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation (APCI).
This law, already in force, constitutes a tool of political control over organizations that receive international cooperation. It grants the Executive Branch, through the APCI, the power to authorize or block projects that fund journalistic or investigative work. Furthermore, it expressly prohibits cooperation funds from being used to initiate legal actions against the State, such as litigation to access public information, a fundamental tool for investigative journalism in contexts of institutional opacity such as the one our country is experiencing today. This same prohibition will leave journalists subject to judicial harassment without legal protection."
This year the World Press Freedom Day global commemoration will focus on the profound influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on journalism and media under the theme: Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media.
The challenges faced by journalists and media houses over the last five (5) years with the nebulous, but deceptively dangerous term fake news, have become, with AI, even more pronounced. The creation of images resembling and speaking like the real live persons, is truly disruptive with the potential create havoc in societies.
In addition to the obvious benefits for the use of AI in our newsrooms, such as assisting in editing functions, improving on artwork, in researching, practitioners do need to ensure they are well informed of the vagaries of this level of technology, so that using AI does not cause deviation from the unshakeable task of information the public we serve.
Citizens are all asked join us in navigating the pros and cons of these new technologies.
TTPBA Board and Members
