Reading Time: 2 minutes
April 16 2020
PRESS RELEASE
The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) along with editors & executives at the island’s major media houses are calling on the government to immediately rescind the order it has made which prohibits members of the media from moving about during the period of lockdown in St. Catherine.
In Parliament last night, April 15th, 2020, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced the times during which members of the public can move about, including ”persons who are employed to the media such as journalists, television or radio presenters, camera operators, announcers, engineers, technicians, and newspaper delivery personnel between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm on Wednesdays, on Wednesday that is, today would be one of those days, the 15th day of April 2020, and between the hours of 7 am and 9 pm on Saturday, (April) 18th.
So the media is allowed to move freely on the re-stocking days, on the no-movement days no one is permitted to move. If there is a matter that requires their presence, they would have to get the permission of the ground commander.”
“We would be the laughing stock of the democratic world if we were to allow this to stand without protest,” says PAJ President George Davis.
The PAJ and the undersigned News Editors and Executives say that while media workers will adhere to lawful instructions from the security forces, and will take all necessary steps to protect themselves given the contagious nature of covid -19, it is vital in the public interest that they be allowed to continue reporting on the pandemic.
They stress that the occurrence of a pandemic does not diminish the need for the media to continue to act as watchdogs of the society.
“The very fact that the measures taken by the state to contain the spread of the corona virus have involved far-reaching curtailment of constitutional rights makes it even more important that the state does not fetter the media’s work at this time,” says PAJ President George Davis.
-30-
George Davis (Mr.)
President
Press Association of Jamaica
Milton Walker, Group Head of News and Sports, RJRGLEANER Group Vernon Davidson, Executive Editor, Jamaica Observer Cliff Hughes, Executive Editor & Chief Anchor, Nationwide News Network, Kaymar Jordan, Editor-in-Chief, Jamaica Gleaner Kelly Silvera, VP, News, Sports & Current Affairs, CVM TV Natalie Campbell, News Director, IRIE FM Julian Richardson, Country Content Manager, Loop News