Freedom of the Press - Grenada (2005)
| Publisher | Freedom House |
| Publication Date | 27 April 2005 |
| Cite as | Freedom House, Freedom of the Press - Grenada (2005), 27 April 2005, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/47345164c.html [accessed 7 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Status: Free
Legal Environment: 5
Political Influences: 10
Economic Pressures: 5
Total Score: 20
Population: n/a
GNI/capita: n/a
Life Expectancy: 71
Religious Groups: Roman Catholic (53 percent), Anglican (13.8) percent, other Protestant (33.2) percent
Ethnic Groups: Black (82 percent), mulatto (13 percent), European and East Indian (5 percent)
Capital: St. George's
Freedom of the press is guaranteed under Grenadian law, and in practice the media has been generally free to criticize the government. However, the government has been known to prosecute journalists under slander and libel laws, and in 2004 an official campaign to intimidate the media threatened press freedom. A story emerged on April 30 alleging that Prime Minister Keith Mitchell received an improper payoff of US$500,000 from the island's former trade counselor. The government responded in May by initiating a libel suit against the story's publisher, warning the Grenadian news media that anyone publishing the story would feel "the full force of the law." The government also threatened a popular Internet chat forum with legal action, temporarily took off the air the BBC World Service's Caribbean news service covering the story, and detained and interrogated online journalist Leroy Noel, who had published on the matter. Noel also received a death threat one week after his release. There are five weekly newspapers in Grenada, and the Grenada Broadcasting Network, which is owned jointly by the government and private interests, operates GBN TV, one of the island's two television stations, as well as the main radio station. Other broadcast media are privately owned. The general devastation to the economy caused by Hurricane Ivan in September also negatively impacted the media sector.
