As the world marked Press Freedom Day (May 3) all focus centered on China, an oppressor of freedom of the press, as the country gets set to host the 2008 Olympics. Chief Executive Officer of the World Association of Newspapers, Timothy Balding, in a letter posted online said that Chinese journalists continue to face censorship and repression and authoritarian laws.

"Furthermore, both Chinese-language media based abroad and foreign media have been routinely blocked or jammed in China. Foreign journalists now reporting from China in the run up to the Olympics are regularly harassed and even expelled, as was the case during the March 2008 events in Tibet. This violates the Organising Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games pledge that foreign media would have "complete freedom to report when they come to China".

In the Caribbean we have our own issues with freedom of the press. Although many politicians would like to believe that journalists are already too free. In his message to mark the observance Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers President, Wesley Gibbings points out that access to official information is still a problem in our parts, which limits the power of the people.

"Some of us correspondingly contend that a principal measure of the power of the people is the extent to which the flow of information, news, opinion and analysis is facilitated by an environment that enables free expression and access to information. The Caribbean region is, through this injunction, challenged by socio-political antecedents to contemplate a process which would have the impact of effectively transferring responsibility for the future from the grasp of a few to the hands of the people. It is also a time when crime and violence, economic instability, natural disasters, political conflict and changing global circumstances presage continued uncertainty. The urgency to find solutions and to mitigate impacts is apparent, often in unbridled fashion."

He said that the "practice of journalism is unique as a professional function reliant on the view that more, not less, free expression and openness is desirable as a pre-condition for social progress, transparency and participatory democracy. This uniqueness is characterised by the manner in which the media serve as a bridge between civil society and the state."

The ACM president also concurred with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Mr KoÔchiro Matsuura, that press freedom and freedom of information, are "the founding principles for good governance, development and peace."

"It is true that professional imperfections militate against achievement of the broader social goals but a penalty of silence is unacceptable as a form of redress against perceived harm. For reasons such as this, the ACM stands alert to interventions that have the impact of restricting, rather than facilitating free expression. Acts of official censorship, prior restraint and self-censorship in the media are condemned as inimical to the broader cause of progress and growth. The absence of effective Access to Information laws in some jurisdictions also pronounces unfavourably on the degree to which people are empowered to impact on the decision-making process in a way that affects their everyday lives.

"We believe professional standards should rise to meet the requirements of such freedom and that a concerted effort to network Caribbean media professionals, improve standards, instill high ethical standards and to insist on adherence to the principle of press freedom is the responsibility of an organisation such as ours. "On World Press Freedom Day 2008, we re-dedicate ourselves to the task of shaping our profession in a manner that best serves the interests of a region in social and economic transition, challenged by changing global circumstances, impaired by a colonial legacy but committed to building a better future."