The Media Workers Association of Grenada (MWAG) has taken note of comments made by Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell during a televised interview on Monday, 5 January, regarding the absence of regular government press briefings and the conduct of media workers at past engagements.
MWAG issues this statement in the interest of accuracy, institutional memory, and the public’s right to understand the basis of long-standing media concerns. The association considers it necessary to correct several assertions made during that interview, which do not accurately reflect the longstanding concerns raised by media professionals over the past 3 years.
MWAG notes that concerns about access to information and the absence of regular press briefings were raised early in the life of this administration, including during a formal engagement between the association and the prime minister. One of the first acts of the administration was to discontinue scheduled press engagements, with the prime minister declaring publicly that information would be shared on a “need-to-know” basis, an approach that understandably heightened concern within the media community about transparency and routine access.
At no time has the media objected to the volume of information shared by the Government of Grenada. On the contrary, journalists welcome timely, detailed, and accessible information in the public interest. The central concern raised by media workers relates to the structure and format of many government news conferences, which prioritise sequential presentations over interactive exchange, resulting in insufficient time for journalists to question, clarify, and scrutinise issues on behalf of the public.
Routinely, media workers were expressly advised that questions would be restricted strictly to the content presented. This practice undermined the core purpose of a press conference, which is not merely to transmit information but to allow for questioning, clarification, scrutiny, and accountability on behalf of the public. The suggestion that journalists chose not to attend or disengaged because they were overwhelmed by information is therefore misleading. The issue was never the media’s capacity to digest information, but rather the lack of focus, coherence, and adequate space for questioning within these engagements.
With respect to virtual attendance, MWAG notes that hybrid participation has long been facilitated by the government’s own communications teams, with Zoom credentials routinely circulated to media houses. Where the prime minister felt disconnected from participants attending online, MWAG maintains that it was the responsibility of the communications apparatus to ensure that appropriate technical arrangements, standard in hybrid engagements, were in place to facilitate full interaction. It is also inaccurate and unsupported to suggest that media workers did not attend in person.
Historically, news conferences hosted by the prime minister have attracted some of the largest levels of in-person media attendance.
MWAG remains committed to constructive engagement with the Government of Grenada. We reiterate that regular, focused, and well-structured press briefings, designed to allow sufficient time for questions, are a fundamental component of transparent governance and democratic accountability.
The association stands ready to engage in good faith toward improving these arrangements in the public interest.
MWAG
