12
For the most part, Bahamian journalists are able to operate without fear or intimidation.
The current administration, however, has repeatedly claimed that the media are unfair and there is an increasingly acrimonious relationship between government officials and reporters. For example, Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis suggested recently the media are “fueling the flames of discontent” in the country.
For his part, the prime minister has in recent months curtailed sideline interviews and severely limited media access to him. This was an obvious reaction to building criticisms against him and his administration on a range of issues, high among them general resistance to demands that they be more accountable to the public.
While criticisms of public officials have been met by sharp rebuke from some officials in government, such criticisms have not resulted in media censorship — at least not in the world of private media.
But without statutory provisions to access information the public should rightly have access to, the media are doing a fair job at getting information. That is largely a result of a universal quality of good journalism— forming good relationships and developing trust among sources.
While a FOIA could lead to greater transparency and a deeper and healthier democracy, it would not in and of itself create a more open society. That would require a cultural shift by people who head the civil service, those who have long resisted openness and accountability.
The prime minister and his ministers would have to drive the change and overturn a cultural of secrecy that goes back decades.
A FOIA also would not suddenly improve the quality of journalism. It is no replacement for a lack of thoroughness among reporters. But it would go a long way toward creating a freer society where journalists can do effective work and, based on this, citizens can make truly informed decisions.
caption?
Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham brought in an era of openness that has all but disappeared, leaving journalists (below left) to protest the lack of information. (Photos courtesy of Candia Dames)