Global IssuesTRINIDAD: Media Slip-Up Draws Wrath of Regulators
Everyone concedes that the media got it wrong that day. But a decision by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) to launch a formal investigation is raising fears that the incident is being used to clamp down on press freedom here.
Earlier this month, in a scene reminiscent of a movie, police swooped down on the main seaport in Trinidad after some networks broke into normal programming to report that a container with children inside had been discovered, possibly awaiting transportation to another country.
One account quoted an unnamed woman as saying that her son 'saw the children and they were in a sad state', while a port worker also claimed to have actually seen dead bodies in the container.
Some reports asserted that the container was in fact a Cuban vessel with stowaways that had been stopped by local authorities.
In the end, the story turned out to be totally false. Both the police and the Trinidad and Tobago Port Authority, in separate statements, expressed disappointment with the haste in which the media had publicised rumours as fact.
The incident came as law enforcement authorities searched for a missing 8-year-old girl, Leah Lammy, who was snatched outside her school on Feb. 10 and has not been seen since. A taxi driver was charged with her kidnapping.
The Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago, a professional group, said it was concerned about the coverage, particularly at a time when 'stories about alleged human trafficking have been linked to reports - some accurate, some not - of children being abducted.'
It said that thanks to cell phones and other popular communications tools, both factual reports and baseless rumours were spreading faster than ever before.
'The trend of what is referred to as ‘citizen journalism’ also makes it easier for unconfirmed reports to be circulated rapidly by people who do not have the training or the experience to verify what they hear, and who may not realise the possible consequences of passing on such information,' the media group said.
TATT, which is now putting together a Broadcast Code to regulate the industry, said it has launched an investigation into the incident, which it said 'may have involved public mischief on the part of the broadcasting stations involved'.
It said that the entire country had been misled 'and the apparently erroneous reporting, given the nature of the issue, contributed to the shutdown of essential services to the public in Trinidad and Tobago, misuse of the security services, and loss of revenues'.
The investigation would seek to determine 'if and to what extent' the reporting of false and misleading information by some broadcasting services 'may have been as a result of a failure to take reasonable steps to verify the accuracy of the information prior to transmission'.
The Authority said it would also take steps within the ambit of current legislation to address any improper conduct and prevent recurrence, adding that the issue highlighted the urgent need for promulgation of the proposed Broadcasting Code to enable the Authority to more effectively regulate the broadcasting sector.
But the president of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Martin Daly, has joined others in criticising the regulator for wanting to use the incident to push forward tough new legislation.
In his weekly newspaper column on Sunday, Daly said that he was concerned about the planned investigation since the regulator seemed to have already reached a conclusion 'prior to hearing what the alleged offenders have to say.'
'TATT is revealing a distinct bias against the investigative role of the media and may be clinging to derided notions of 'developmental journalism', which requires the media to make excuses for the shortcomings of incompetent public officials on the ground that commentators must cut developing countries some slack.'
Daly said that it was also unfortunate that the regulator touted completion of the proposed Broadcasting Code in such a tarnished context, adding 'the inference is that the Broadcasting Code is intended as some kind of rod of correction for an errant media'.
He said having read the draft code, any decision that news complies with requirements of 'due impartiality' and 'balance' is a subjective decision and the decision maker cannot curtail freedom of expression or freedom of the press, unless empowered to do so by the legislature acting in accordance with the special majority requirements of the Trinidad and Tobago Constitution.
Dr. Terrence Farrell, the chief executive officer of the Trinidad-based regional media body, One Caribbean Media, said he was 'appalled by TATT’s rush to judgment, its hyperbole, and its thinly veiled threats to broadcasters in its media release.'
'TATT wants to hasten to bring the Draft Broadcasting Code to Parliament,' Farrell said, noting that the incident would 'only lend credence to the view that the Authority will not act prudently and independently but will respond to pressures and agendas intent on restricting freedom of expression in our society.'
The regional media organisation, the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, in a position paper for consideration by regional governments, used the TATT document to illustrate the point that 'Caribbean governments are convinced of the need to accompany a liberalised telecommunications and broadcasting environment with content regulations that can have the impact of stifling free expression and, in the process, place fetters on the right of citizens to communicate freely'.
© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service