(Trinidad Express) The People’s Partnership Government has not boycott or does not discriminate against any media house, Foreign Affairs and Communications Minister Suruj Rambachan said yesterday.
Speaking at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, Rambachan responded to the drop in Trinidad and Tobago’s international press freedom ranking.
This country dropped 20 places in a rating done by Reporters Without Borders, an international media watchdog committed to the freedom of information worldwide.
Rambachan said the media in this country had absolute freedom to report as it sees fit.
“This Government has come under perhaps the greatest level of scrutiny…much more than other administrations,” he said.
Asked about the reports that the Government had imposed an advertising boycott on I95.5 FM and the TnT Mirror, Rambachan said one must always present objective evidence before making accusations.
He said there was no objective evidence that the Government has boycott any media house. He said ads from the Government continue to be placed at both these media houses.
“So it is not fair to say that the Government has been engaged in that kind of activity at all. The Government has been very fair and very transparent in terms of its placement of ads. This Government might not be placing as many ads as previous governments because it is very careful about how it spends money, and wants value for money. But to say that Government, in any way, fetters the press; I think that is not true at all,” he said.
Asked whether the Government advertised with the Mirror, Rambachan reiterated the Government advertised in every media. He said the Prime Minister led from front and was always available for questions.
Transport Minister Devant Maharaj said during the State of Emergency, the media was not fettered in any form or fashion, and that was testimony to the “level of respect” Government had for the media.
