BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Caribbean countries maintained positive scores on this year’s World Press Freedom Index released Friday by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
RSF USA executive director, Clayton Weimers, said as is tradition, RSF launched this year’s World Press Freedom Index, ranking 180 countries and territories according to their press freedom.
“Unfortunately, this year’s index finds that press freedom is being threatened by the very people who should be its guarantors – political leaders. This finding is based on the fact that, of the five indicators used to compile the ranking, the political indicator has fallen the most, registering a global average drop of 7.6 points,” he added.
Jamaica was the highest ranked Caribbean country at number 24, up from position 32 last year amassing 77.3 points.
“In the past two decades, freedom of the press as a whole has continued to improve in Jamaica. However, there is a growing gulf of distrust between government officials and the media that has contributed to a decline in institutional respect for press freedom,” RSF said.
With regards to Trinidad and Tobago that scored 76.69 points and moved from 30th to 25th this year, RSF said “year after year, Trinidad and Tobago maintains its good record in terms of freedom of the press, even though there is still room for improvement,” it said
Suriname earns high marks for respect for freedom to inform, given the rarity of attacks on journalists and the diversity of its media. The Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country moved from 48th to 28th this year with a total of 76.11 points.
The RSF in placing Belize at number 51 from its 54th position last year, said the government has pledged to maintain open relations with the press. However, media professionals feel there is a certain lack of transparency, even though technology has facilitated transmission. Belize received 66.85 points.
The six independent member countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)- namely Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts-Nevis and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were found to have “struggled to maintain a strong press freedom record despite editorial censorship and growing political influence”.
RSF gave the sub-regional grouping total points of 62.83, jumping from 93rd position last year to 68.
With regards to Guyana, RSF, which placed the country at position 77, with a total of 60.1 points, down from the 60th position last year, said “while Guyana protects freedom of speech and the right to information, journalists who oppose the authorities face intimidation”.
The RSF said that Haiti’s journalists suffer from a cruel lack of financial resources, an absence of institutional support and difficulty accessing information.
“Since 2021, they have also been the target of gangs, and have often been victims of threats, attacks, kidnapping or murder with complete impunity. Since the fall of Ariel Henry’s government in March 2024, journalists have been caught between a wave of widespread violence and the social, economic and political crisis.”
As a result, RSF gave Haiti a ranking of 93 with a total of 55.92 points. Last year the french-speaking CARICOM country had been placed at 99.
