Sunday, September 1 is Day of the Press in the Dutch Caribbean. More widely observed on the so-called ABC islands, it serves as occasion to reflect about the role of journalists and other legitimate media practitioners.
Their job to keep people informed is not an easy one, often with sparse resources and other obstacles due partly to the small-scale economies they operate in. Consistently and comprehensively doing so in an objective, fair and accurate manner is even harder.
Perhaps such thinking was behind a report on “community conversations” held as part of the Caribbean Research Programme by Dutch Research Council NW at University of St. Martin (see last Thursday’s edition). Among other things, it said “participants highlighted that an independent media (i.e., media that is not dependent on advertising revenues) is crucial and should be accompanied by mechanisms that can ensure checks and balances.”
The reality is that practically all local media outlets rely on advertising to cover cost. Precisely because of their limited market, subscription sales fees alone are simply not enough.
The only viable alternative would be subsidies, which would arguably make them less autonomous. Public broadcasting may be a strong European tradition, but in this part of the world it’s mostly the private sector that has developed the region’s press.
Several years ago the Government of St. Maarten opened its own radio station, which was already considered controversial by some. The value of maintaining a truly “free press” without public sector funding is not to be underestimated.
