25 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared May 3 as ‘World Press Freedom Day’, during a conference held in Namibia, where participants articulated their support for independent and pluralistic media. In the 1970’s the United Nation’s agency responsible for press freedom was UNESCO.

Since then, World Press Freedom Day has been recognized and, in some places, celebrated in different ways. Some entities join forces in an effort to promote high-quality journalism. The Day is meant to celebrate fundamental principles of press freedom while also paying tribute to those who have died in duty.

Grenada stands among many other Caribbean countries recognizing the significance of the Day. However, there is no celebration held or tribute organized they the Media Workers Association in keeping with the Day’s activities. Therefore, one must question what World Press Freedom Day really means to Grenadian Media workers.

Speaking to The Barnacle News Team, in relation to the selected theme for 2018 which is “Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and the Rule of Law”, was President of the Media Workers Association of Grenada (MWAG), who also serves as the 2nd Vice President of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), Kern Mason.  According to him, the theme is very appropriate given the fact that Grenada recently concluded an election cycle, and there have been issues raised by many regarding keeping those in power in check.

“It’s all about keeping power in check…[however,] we find that in many cases some of the media houses would sell themselves short,” Mason added.

As the fourth pillar of the estate, the Media is held at very high standards by many. However, at times, the media’s tasks may become tedious and drawn out especially when it comes to getting and verifying information that is deemed important to the public. Not only are the resources scares, but, at times, retrieving information from political authorities and law enforcement can be arduous indeed. These are the sentiments shared by many media workers, as it is imperative that one verifies information prior to disseminating it.

Also adding to the topic at hand, during an exclusive interview with The Barnacle News Team, was owner and operator of Chime FM, and well-known radio personality, George Grant. He spoke about his experiences with accessing information and the difficulty he has faced throughout the years. When the public doesn’t get information, they sometimes blame the media, as they hold the Media accountable for the accurate dissemination of information. The demands of the public are understandable, however, “we just don’t have the resources,” said Grant.

According to MWAGs President, as one of the main pillars of the estate, freedom on information is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. He called for the establishment of the Freedom of Information Bill, which, according to him, has been in draft since 2007. “I’ll be leading a charge in terms of getting the different stakeholders involved [because] at the end of the day, it affects everyone.” This, he believes will make the work of Reporters and Journalists a bit easier, as it relates to accessing information.

When probed about media literacy of the judicial system, Mr Mason responded, “the issue of literacy in general is one that needs to be worked on.” As the President, Mr Mason expressed his commitment to seeing that the relationship between the media workers, the Bar Association and the necessary authorities improve and strengthen, and the Media Association has plans in the pipeline to hold workshops and refresher sessions.

One may now ask, ‘What about transparency of the political process?’ According to Mr Mason, this all boils down to freedom of information, and there is a lot that needs to be done in that area.

Speaking to Mr Grant, he too noted that he has been involved in the media for just about 45 years, and has seen many changes, both good and bad over the years.

He blatantly responded “no” to the question of whether or not he thinks there is transparency of the political process. The popular radio personality shared with The Barnacle News Team, his experience hosting his Sunday morning talk show dubbed ‘Sunday’s with George Grant,’ where he had persons from different political parties debating on topics. The Programme gave listeners the opportunity to call in and share their opinions and speak to the different debaters. However, at a point in time, they political guests began to use the opportunity to “sling mud at each other,” said Grant, and he had to put an end to it. Upon reestablishing the Programme, one of the main political parties moved out, and according to Mr Grant, they were informed by their superiors not to attend the programme. Since then, this particular political party has not been represented on the Programme. “So, where’s the transparency?” Mr Grant questioned if the public is not able to hear the views of those involved in the political process.

Having been in the media for approximately 45 years, in Canada and Grenada, Mr Grant stated that he has seen many changes over the years, especially in the area of technological advancements. It is through some of these advancements, the media can hold persons accountable, through the use of archived recordings and other electronic mediums. Therefore, it is important to understand the contemporary challenges of ensuring press freedom online.

Luckily, in Grenada, media workers are not subject to the kinds of derogatory treatment that those in Middle Eastern countries face. History shows, even as recent as a few days ago, reporters and journalists being killed, held captive among other things.

An official Release on World Press Freedom Day from MWAG’s President reads “the media has been and will always remain an integral pillar in democracy throughout the world, and we must continue to process of promoting transparency and strengthening democracy.”

Therefore, it must be reiterated that as the forth pillar of the estate, it is imperative that the media knows and understands its roles and responsibilities, which is mainly to Educate (themselves and the public), Inform (the public), Entertain (the public) and Analyze (the information). The Media needs to continue to work together to promote the profession and garner the much-deserved respect. Indeed, there is much more work to be done in the industry, but, it all begins with the individual behind the profession.

World Press Freedom Day should be more than just another ordinary day for media workers. It is a day that should be celebrated not just recognized and acknowledged, because, media workers, especially reporters/journalists and camerapersons put themselves in harms way at times and are at times chastised for simply doing their jobs and trying to ‘get a story’.