US journalist bats for secrets act to be abolished - Gleaner cops two Fair Play awards

International United States (US) journalist Richard Prince has called for the Official Secrets Act to be repealed.

Prince, a respected columnist at the Maynard Institute of Journalism Education, based in California, pointed to concerns already raised locally that the Act is in conflict with the Access to Information Act.

"It is absurd that the disclosure of information already in the public domain is a crime regardless," Prince told media practitioners at the 10th annual Jamaica Broilers Fair Play Awards ceremony, held at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel in St Andrew.

"Moreover, it stands in conflict with the Access to Information Act, which has provided the news media with documents that enable it to fulfil its watchdog role," Prince added.

The Official Secrets Act of 1911 was brought to national attention in July when National Security Minister Senator Dwight Nelson announced that he was pouring over it to see if former Police Com-missioner Hardley Lewin had broken any confidentiality clause.

Dudus tipped off

Lewin had claimed that 15 minutes after he briefed the national security minister about the pending extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, the alleged drug kingpin was tipped off and retreated to his Tivoli Gardens stronghold.

Prince also took aim at Jamaica's stringent libel laws, asserting that they have not kept pace with world standards and could be a "ticking time bomb".

Using the more relaxed US libel laws as an example, Prince warned that the increase in US and British broadcasts in Jamaica could cause problems.

"What might not be libellous in the States could be libellous here, even though Jamaica has no control over what the Americans are broadcasting," he said.

Prince challenged journalists to uphold the highest principles of the profession and suggested that media houses hire a public editor or ombudsman who would act as a representative of the readers or listeners.

The Gleaner Company won two Fair Play Awards. Senior staff reporter Daraine Luton won the Fair Play Award in the print media category for his series of articles on the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that rocked Haiti in January, while Sunday Gleaner news editor Lovelette Brooks won a certificate of commendation for her feature story 'Confined to Hell', which examined the plight of juveniles in police lock-ups.

An independent group of producers won the Fair Play Award in the electronic media category for their documentary 'Our Very Own: Locked up Abroad', which was aired on Television Jamaica (TVJ).

2009-2010 Jamaica Broilers Fair Play Award winners

Fair Play Award - electronic

Independent production group consisting of Racquel Reece, Julius Levy, Nigel Ricketts, Chris Carter and Kerie Ann Lewis.

They won for the entry 'Our Very Own: Locked Up Abroad', a documentary produced by Advanced Media Productions and aired on Television Jamaica.

Fair Play Award - print

Daraine Luton, senior staff reporter, The Gleaner, for his series of articles on the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake disaster.

Second place - print or electronic

Elizabeth Bennett, Nationwide News Network, for her work on the breaking news coverage of the Christopher Coke extradition process.

Third place - print or electronic

Horace Mills, IRIE FM/Grove Broadcasting Company, for his story titled 'No Trace - A Look At Missing Children'.

Certificates of commendation

Lovelette Brooks, News Editor, The Sunday Gleaner, for her article 'Confined to Hell' (a look at the plight of juveniles in lock-ups)

Andrew Canon, Kingsley Thompson and Amor Williams, CVM TV, for the series 'Scam in Paradise: The Impact of the Lottery Scam on Montego Bay'.