President of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, Anika Kentish
By Jermine Abel
BASSETERRE, St Kitts (WINN) – One leading regional journalist believes that the media is a vital component in democracy. That view is being expressed by president of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, Anika Kentish.
Kentish in an address that recognised May 3 as World Press Freedom Day suggested that the media is the cornerstone of any democratic society.
“…The media is a vital component in democracy; in fact, it is the cornerstone of any democratic society. We bring governance issues to the forefront, we expose flaws in the justice system, we are the whistle-blowers when corruption looms and we are the window into the electoral process.”
The ACM president says that for the media to remain relevant, they must continue to provide information that is timely and relevant.
“For us to continue to be that key player in the democratic process, we must ensure that information is relevant, timely and most importantly accurate. If our elections are to be free and fair journalists must understand that the coverage of elections is not like a regular date, it is tracking a complex system with several moving parts and many opportunities for operatives to pervert the process in hopes of swaying the results in their favour. Disinformation poses a very real threat to the electoral process, so verification of facts is paramount to a free and fair electoral system.”
Pointing to challenges facing the media, Kentish pointed to what she described as a trend of foreign intervention in the electoral processes, noting that…
