Dr. Gail Miller, Senior Director, Caribbean Regional Program Global Affairs Canada, has told a two-day regional workshop for media practitioners, being held in Barbados, that it was designed to ‘increase the knowledge of the rights of journalists.’
The purpose of the workshop, funded by the government of Canada, is to increase knowledge of the rights of journalists and the legal parameters within which they are expected to operate.
Miller explained that some of the topics to be covered over the next days include, “Confidentiality of Sources, Defamation in the Context of Media law, on -line reporting, Parliamentary and Government Reporting, Reporting on Family Matters and Gender Issues.”
Dr. Gail Miller, is Senior Director, Caribbean Regional Program Global Affairs Canada
“This workshop features a wealth of knowledgeable and experienced presenters from across the region and I wish to acknowledge their participation over the next two days and beyond the training. Canada’s programming to strengthen the rule of law fulfills part of Canada’s almost one billion Barbados dollars in development assistance through the Caribbean Regional Development Program,” Dr. Miller said.
According to her, the aim of the program is “a more prosperous and integrated Caribbean Community able to generate sustainable economic growth, providing opportunity and security to its citizens.”
“Through this broader program, Canada also focuses alongside the rule of law on strengthening public sector management through technical assistance for fiscal and economic reforms, debt management initiatives with partners like the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank; and leadership capacity building; promoting business development and trade through access to finance, simplification of administrative regulations and demand-driven vocational training; and strengthening resilience to natural disasters through support to community-based risk reduction efforts and institutional support for disaster preparedness,” she stated.
Dr. Miller wished all the participants well on behalf of the Government of Canada and stressed that the training should support a better-informed public across CARICOM to access their rights and in doing so ensure equitable access to justice.
Dominican journalists Carlisle Jno Baptiste, Matt Peltier and Morris Cyrille are among media practitioners from Dominica attending the workshop.
It is being held under the “Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean Project (IMPACT Justice).”
Are those guys journalist? This is the best Dominica has to offer? Journalists are not feared to report in depth on governmental affairs. Two of those attendees especially Matt Peltier is fearful of open journalism.