Barbados

In 2007, The Nation newspaper had at least two clashes with police. Neither of them has been resolved satisfactorily. At the end of 2008, there was another clash between journalists and police, and a situation where the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), which forms the government of the day, pulled some of its party advertising and its weekly column because they perceived The Nation to be “not in their corner.” In 2007, The Nation had two clashes with the police. One officer took a photographer’s camera and deleted photographs the photographer had taken of a very serious accident. In another incident, three journalists were ordered off the compound of the public hospital by police, after the chief doctor complained about them taking pictures related to another serious accident. Both incidents were reported to police hierarchy and are still being investigated internally. In 2008, there was an incident involving two photographers — one from the lone television station, which is run by the government, and the other from The Nation newspaper. The photographers were at court to cover the appearance of a policeman who was charged with drug possession, and other policemen literally shoved them off the premises, because they didn’t want his photograph taken, and then charged them for resisting arrest. That case is pending. Those are some examples of disturbing threats to the press freedom that we have enjoyed for many years. As a result of the police cases a media team has been holding meetings with the police to look at improving relations. All those incidents were condemned by media heads and journalists as threats to freedom of the press in Barbados. The situation with the DLP is another matter. That party, which formed the government from January 2008, tends to ignore The Nation, while showing a preference for the other newspaper, The Advocate, which is throwing its support behind the government.