Allen

NEW MEDIA Association of Jamaica (MAJ) chairman, Gary Allen, says moni-toring the review of the country's libel and slander laws will be one of the main objectives in a busy year for his administration.

In March last year, a Government-appointed committee led by Justice Hugh Small presented Prime Minister Bruce Golding with a report containing recommendations for changes to Jamaica's libel laws which would pave the way for aggressive media and transparency in governance.

The report is currently being reviewed by a Joint Select Committee of Parliament.

Sit and gather dust

In an interview with The Gleaner, Allen said it is important the MAJ ensures this document is not allowed to sit and gather dust.

"If we are going to play our part in the society we have to look at what are the critical issues to deal with societal ills, and these include the level of corruption, lack of transparency and how you access information on how the government's business is done," Allen said. "So we have to encourage the administration to carry on with where Hugh Small and his team left off with the report on changes to defamation. It is a critical thing that deals with how society becomes accountable at all levels," he added.

Allen said he and his executive also plan to tackle sections of the Criminal Justice Act, particularly segments that restrict court reporting. Under the Act, journalists are prevented from reporting from 'certain precincts' of a courthouse which Allen believes leaves them, and their employers, fair game for lawsuits.

The MAJ, he continued, will push for artists to gain access to courtrooms.

Under the Criminal Justice Act, sketching is not allowed in courts.

"That relegates us to the backwater of media in the technology age. This needs to be addressed," Allen said.

The libel issue has been a thorny one for Jamaican journalism. In the last 20 years, print and electronic media have been involved in multimillion-dollar lawsuits; managers cite Jamaica's dated libel laws as a threat to press freedom.

Major effort

Allen, who is managing director of the Radio Jamaica Group of Companies, was elected to serve one year as chairman of the MAJ three weeks ago. In addition to libel and defamation issues, he said the MAJ plans to work with the Broadcast Commission on various issues such as profanity on the airwaves and advertising of alcohol.

Internally, Allen said a major effort will be made to lift the MAJ's profile. "We hope to expand membership, but to do that we have to say what we are and who we are. We must not be confused with the PAJ (Press Association of Jamaica) or the Medical Association of Jamaica," he stressed.