Chief executive officer of the Jamaica Broilers Group, Robert Levy (foreground), gestures beside Harold Hoyte, president and editor-in-chief of Nation Publishing Company in Barbados, during the staging of the fourth biennial Excellence in Media Lecture Forum yesterday. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

A prominent Barbadian media manager has urged local practitioners to lobby for amendments to existing libel laws.

Harold Hoyte, president and editor-in-chief of the Nation Publishing Company in Barbados, said hefty libel awards would close many media houses in parts of the Caribbean.

"I, too, am aware of the size of at least two awards in Jamaica in recent years, both of which would have closed down many a newspaper in the Eastern Caribbean," said Hoyte.

"You must insist on amendments that are consistent with modern trends," he told media practitioners at the Hilton hotel in New Kingston yesterday. He was speaking as guest lecturer at the fourth biennial Excellence in Media Lecture Forum and sixth annual Jamaica Broilers Fair Play Awards.

Libel awards have been very expensive in Jamaica in recent years. One such suit against the Gleaner Company Limited resulted in the award of $80 million to politician-cum-radio talk show host Anthony Abrahams. That award was later reduced to $35 million.

Another $20 million award was also handed down against CVM TV. This was reduced to $3.5 million on appeal.

Elusive freedom of information

"You have made progress along the way to an elusive freedom of information act, but I am told that claims from government departments for exclusion from the act are growing," said Hoyte.

Responding to Hoyte's comments, president of the Media Association of Jamaica, Gary Allen, said the group is actively lobbying to have the laws amended in lieu of global changes. He said the media association has been meeting with various legislative bodies as well as politicians, particularly senators, to discuss the interest in having the laws amended in order to foster press freedom.

"We are not asking for laws for journalists to be reckless. What we want to encourage is transparency and accountability ... We are of the view that if you offer yourself for public office, you should be held accountable [for your actions]," Allen said.