Press freedom. Stock Image.
KINGSTON Jamaica — Young Jamaica, the youth arm of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), has responded with stinging rebuke for the People’s National Party (PNP) regarding the country’s two-place drop on the World Press Freedom Index which the PNP earlier attributed to an “autocratic posture” by the Holness administration.
A Friday report released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) revealed that Jamaica had fallen to 26th place on the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, down two positions from the 24th place it held in 2024.
Commenting on the report, PNP Spokesman on Information, Nekeisha Burchell, in a Saturday statement, said the decline was a reflection of the growing gulf of mistrust between government officials and the press, and an increasingly autocratic posture by the Holness administration.
READ: PNP says ‘autocratic’ JLP gov’t undermines independent media amid Press Freedom Index slip
In response, Young Jamaica is now encouraging Burchell to desist from what it describes as legitimising the spreading of false narratives concerning a number of issues, including Jamaica’s ranking on the World Press Freedom Index.
“Burchell’s comments in a media release issued by the PNP on May 3, 2025 which suggested that the Government is autocratic cannot be excused by her obvious political inexperience and ignorance of the word’s definition, however, what is also apparent is that her remarks demonstrate an intent to mislead the Jamaican people,” the group said.
“Instead of attempting to spread a misleading narrative, the Mark Golding-led PNP should be embarrassed and regretful that even while in Opposition it continues to negatively affect Jamaica’s reputation,” Young Jamaica said on Saturday citing what they describe as multiple incidents where an “aggressive and inappropriate stance” was taken by the PNP leadership and its supporters.
According to Young Jamaica, these “unsavoury” incidents include:
— A PNP deputy general secretary aggressively insisting that a reporter who was wearing an item of green clothing abandon her duties and leave the compound of the PNP headquarters;
— A PNP supporter being recently caught on tape threatening a female journalist with rape while in the presence of PNP officials;
— A shooting incident at a media entity which came following disparaging and aggressive remarks made by the PNP general secretary about the same media entity;
— PNP President Mark Golding’s recent attack on the media and inappropriate remarks where he accused the media of being biased and bought;
— A series of unprecedented and inappropriate media releases by the PNP where it targets select media entities with aggressive, unproven and unfounded comments; and
— An incident on the outskirts of the PNP National Executive Council meeting where a journalist was physically attacked by PNP supporters.
The youth arm also noted that the series of unfortunate incidents involving the PNP and the media had caused Government Senator Abka Fitz-Henley to last year publicly urge the PNP to change course and discontinue its attacks on the media.
Young Jamaica encouraged Burchell and the PNP to commit to taking action to “reduce its aggressive and unbecoming posture towards the media and contribute towards the restoration of Jamaica’s traditionally eminent placement on the World Press Freedom Index”.