General secretary of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, Wesley Gibbings, says newspaper advertising placed by the group, Citizens 4D Highway, raises issues about accountability and transparency and a level of ethical conduct, both on the part of people who advertise, and the media that carry advertising. Since last month, the group has published several anti-media advertisements calling for “freedom from the press”. The group also published a controversial ad on October 18, describing a “new species”, called the “Kublal”, and criticising the Highway Re-Route Movement.
Gibbings, who commented yesterday by e-mail, said the matter was not one of legality or illegality. He added: “I have neither detected anything of a strictly defamatory nature nor have I seen evidence of artful satire. “By and large this issue draws attention to other values. Like the Media Association, I am uncomfortable with the anonymous nature of the proposed transactions, bearing in mind and conceding the accompanying view that perhaps news organisations have not always insisted on full transparency regarding advertising, particularly around periods of political heat.”
Gibbings said no one had convincingly denied that what appeared to be the “well-financed campaign of this shadowy group” was de-linked from the party politics of the day. He added: “This is clearly part of a broader political campaign to counter and to stifle dissent on a particular issue, in this case the highway re-route discussion. The pattern of media interventions has been clear to me. “Among the troublesome aspects of this would be a lack of transparency, particularly in view of the fact that the content of the initial ad constitutes a particularly artless ad-hominem attack.” He said the newspapers involved had an absolute prerogative not to carry content they believed not to be in keeping with editorial policy, as that was part of the picture of press freedom, not a departure from it. “Otherwise either an ability to pay or the influence of political pressure or power can quite easily supplant editorial judgment,” he argued.
Describing the ad as “naked partisan politics,” Gibbings said those who supported the highway would approve of the strategy of the mystery group while those against would disapprove. He warned: “Let’s be careful that the current disingenuous reference to the abuse of press freedom does not flow over into a broader campaign which appears focused on stifling dissent by any means necessary.”
