World Press Freedom Day – Media urged to harness potential of AI

THE Media Institute of the Caribbean (MIC) has called for regional collaboration to harness the potential of Artificial Intelligence while safeguarding democratic discourse in the already vulnerable Caribbean media ecosystem challenged by limited advertising revenues, small market sizes, and economic vulnerabilities as well as natural disasters.

In its message to commemorate Press Freedom Day on May 3 under the theme The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Press Freedom and the Media, the organisations urged local and regional media institutes to come together to recognise the achievements and challenges of media organisations within the Caribbean.

“While AI tools offer opportunities for automated reporting, data analysis and audience engagement, they also risk deepening existing inequities,” MIC said in a media release on May 2.

“Caribbean newsrooms are already strained by shrinking advertising revenues. It is noteworthy that between 15 and 25 per cent of such revenues are diverted to platforms like Meta and Google ads. There also exist fragile economies to which we now add the need to grapple with AI-driven content saturation.”

MIC also noted the threat of marginalisation that algorithmic curation on social media poses to smaller journalistic enterprises as free, AI-generated content competes with costly, human-produced news.

MIC president Kiran Maharaj said, “AI could democratise information access, but without guardrails, it may erode the financial sustainability of Caribbean media. We must advocate for equitable AI governance that prioritises public interest journalism.”

AI-fuelled misinformation and its effect exacerbating social divisions and undermining trust in institutions was another issue the MIC identified. A 2023 study by the MIC and the Association for Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) recounted how disinformation targeted elections and public health campaigns regionally.

MIC vice president Wesley Gibbings said, “Caribbean media must adopt AI-driven verification tools and invest in digital literacy programmes. Our survival depends on retaining public trust through accuracy and transparency.”

These challenges, MIC said, are further worsened by the region's susceptibility to natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and other climate-related disasters which not only disrupt media operations but also strain financial resources.

The devastation brought by hurricanes between 2017 and 2024 underscored the fragility of media infrastructures, MIC said, highlighting the urgent need for disaster preparedness and resilience planning.

MIC suggested the use of blending traditional knowledge with AI-enhanced forecasting and real-time alerts to enhance disaster response but noted AI’s misuse during crises through the release of misinformation could pose new dangers.

In light of this, MIC made a call to action to prioritise the Caribbean

The MIC will host the Caribbean Media Summit in Guyana from May 23 to 24. The summit’s theme will be Enhancing Business Models in a Turbulent Times and will look at the role of AI within the context of the issues mentioned.

MATT, TTBBA salutes media workers' resilience during general election

The Media Association of TT (MATT) also reflected on the outcome of the April 28 election in observance of World Press Freedom Day.

“Democracy flourishes when citizens are informed and empowered, a situation only made possible by a press that is free to operate without fear or interference,” MATT said in a media release on May 2.

MATT interim president Dale Enoch said, “MATT salutes the journalists and media workers of TT who covered the 2025 general election with professionalism, courage, dedication, resilience, and a commitment to truth,”

“Their efforts ensured that the people of TT had access to vital information needed to exercise their democratic rights.”

MATT said the celebration of World Press Freedom Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the media while also noting the challenges facing media freedom. While celebrating the vibrancy of the local press, MATT also remains concerned about issues that threaten journalistic independence and integrity such as political pressures, harassment of media workers and barriers to accessing public information.

In the spirit of the day, MATT called for a renewed national commitment to upholding press freedom, emphasising the urgent need to strengthen protections for journalists, ensure transparency in governance and support open dialogue between media practitioners, policymakers, and the public.

The association said it remains steadfast in its mission to defend the rights of journalists and advocate for high ethical standards as it fosters trust between the media and the public.

In its message for World Press Freedom Day, the TT Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) urged citizens to consider the critical element of freedom of expression in light of the “successful navigation” of the general election.

“This is something of which the citizens should be happy and feel a sense of pride. By all counts, the conduct of the election, pronounced upon by the independent international and regional observers, was excellent, and borne out by the headlines ‘TT gets ‘A’ grade’ and ‘Observers give TT election an ‘A’ grade,’ TTPBA media release from on May 2.

“These two tangible pillars of democratic freedoms work in synchronicity and the citizens must continue to guard the rights enshrined in the laws of the land and the institutions which maintain them. This goes for all aspects of our justice system and parliamentary chambers of government where new versions of laws are debated.”

TTPBA noted TT's high ranking on the World Press Freedom Index, the highest in the Caribbean ranking at 19, six levels higher than the previous year according to a report released by Reporters Without Borders.

In contrast, TTPBA noted the alarming manifestation of Journalism censorship in Peru and its implication for other Latin American countries.

The passage of Law No 32301 by President Dina Boluarte on April 14 has been identified by TTPBA and aligned organisations as establishing provisions that are a direct attack on press freedom in a way that violates the political constitution and international standards.

“This law, already in force, constitutes a tool of political control over organisations that receive international cooperation. It grants the executive branch, through the APCI (Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation), the power to authorize or block projects that fund journalistic or investigative work.

“Furthermore, it expressly prohibits cooperation funds from being used to initiate legal actions against the State, such as litigation to access public information, a fundamental tool for investigative journalism in contexts of institutional opacity such as the one our country is experiencing today. This same prohibition will leave journalists subject to judicial harassment without legal protection.”