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May 10, 2018: The Press Association of Jamaica is calling for the government to resume, as a matter of urgency, the traditional post-Cabinet press briefings.
There have been no post-Cabinet briefings held since the start of the year. The last such briefing was held in November last year, and they were held very irregularly throughout 2017, the PAJ notes.
“The government seems to have effectively abandoned the post-Cabinet press briefings,” says PAJ President Dionne Jackson Miller,
“This is unacceptable. For years, the weekly meetings have been the forum in which reporters have been able to question Government Ministers on matters arising from the weekly Cabinet meetings, as well as other issues of national interest as they arise. They have been held regularly by previous administrations, both JLP and PNP, and we call on the Andrew Holness administration to continue this valuable democratic tradition,” she says.
The PAJ notes that it is not contending that the government has held no press briefings, as there have been several in the past few months, but usually relating to specific issues such as the imposition of a State of Public Emergency or the establishment of Zones of Special Operations. In addition, the PAJ says it acknowledges the quarterly press briefings which the Prime Minister has held.
The PAJ says it is referring specifically to the weekly press conferences which the media community regards as an important forum in which to question and engage the government on a variety of matters.
The PAJ notes that it has also received complaints about the ability of Ministers who have attended the briefings to actually answer questions from the press.
The Association points out that over the years, the Ministers presiding at these briefings have been able to handle wide-ranging questions from the media, on a variety of important subjects.
The Association therefore calls on the government to ensure not only that the weekly meetings resume, but that the Ministers presiding can actually answer questions asked by the press.
