Antigua and Barbuda
Regulations for social media reporters, journalists and media agencies that publish within Antigua and Barbuda, are expected to come before parliament in future.
Attorney General Steadroy Benjamin told parliament that he was "troubled" by social media posts, and that he has given directions to drafters in his office to create legislation to hold news agencies accountable for publications that defame people without cause.
Trinidad and Tobago
The police search of Express House in March 2020 was illegal and unconstitutional, Justice Frank Seepersad ruled this April.
Ten months ago, officers of the Financial Investigations Branch (FIB) of the Police Service had executed two search warrants at Express House in Port of Spain following publication of an investigative report on the Acting Police Commissioner.
The ruling was considered a victory not only for that newspaper, but for press freedom across the Caribbean. For while the case was about Trinidad and Tobago, Justice Seepersad offered perspectives on the centrality of the press in a low-trust society, which ought to be embraced by regional governments.
Jamaica
The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ), in recent days, said it will be pressing to have press freedom constitutionally recognised in Jamaica.
Speaking last evening at the 2020 National Journalism Awards at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, president, George Davis, acknowledged Jamaica's good record of respect for the press and its resulting sixth place ranking on the World Press Freedom Index, and noted that the next step is to have it included as right in the Constitution of Jamaica.
Guyana
The Guyana Press Association (GPA) has again condemned reports of attacks – physical, virtual, and otherwise – on members of the media and media houses.
In a statement late Friday, the association noted that the most recent attack came in the form of an exclusion of Gordon Moseley and NewsSource from a scheduled press conference.
Barbados
President of the Barbados Association of Journalists and Media Workers (BARJAM), Emmanuel Joseph during a virtual conference hosted by The Media Institute of the Caribbean, in partnership with the US Embassy in Barbados, noted that whilst many persons have been calling for more investigative journalism on the part of media workers in Barbados and the Caribbean, the tables often turn when the spotlight is placed on those making those calls.
