MEDIA RELEASE The Media Workers Association of Grenada (MWAG) robustly and resolutely extends a supporting arm to our colleague journalist George Worme who has just lost ownership of his newspaper the Grenada Today which was founded in 1990. MWAG extends a strong arm of solidarity to Worme, his family members and staff who would no doubt as human beings be inflicted by the adverse consequences of Tuesday’s development. We would like to make it clear that we are in no way questioning the high court ruling or targeting any person within the judiciary, in which we have faith and which we believe is itself constrained by law. Our concern is primarily for the unfortunate circumstance of a veteran colleague whose newspaper has had a strong record in investigative journalism. Worme and his Grenada Today newspaper must be recognized for their role in breaking and reporting on many stories which served the public’s interest and which many were afraid to tackle for various reasons. We note that the claimant in this case more than 10 years ago was a signatory to the Chapultepec declaration, an international accord guaranteeing press freedom and generally facilitating and accommodating the role of the press. MWAG is of the view that the demise of the Grenada Today newspaper apart, there has over the past 8 years or so, been a constant attempt to silence press freedom. We now pledge to fight for that freedom, mindful always of the goal of the pursuit of truth which is our abiding duty. A number of media workers have now become jobless adding to rising unemployment in an acute recession. United States court records confirm that at least ten persons who had investment dealings with Grenada in recent years have been convicted and are now serving time in prison on various fraud related charges. MWAG believes that that is the context in which the recent attacks on press freedom have been launched. The judgment which is the genesis of the order to shut down the Grenada Today was a default judgment, which we understand, is never obtained in the context of a trial and the full airing of the facts of any given case. Truth is elusive, but nevertheless always much desired. So in our view, this is the context in which the closing down of the Grenada Today newspaper must be seen. In light of the aforementioned scenario and in the spirit of the Chapultepec accord which serves the interest of the media, MWAG would like to draw to the attention of the claimant in the Grenada Today case to three principles of the accord which he himself signed about a decade ago. The first principle of the accord says no people or society can be free without freedom of expression and of the press. The exercise of this freedom is not something authorities grant; it is an inalienable right of the people. The second principle states in part that every person has the right to seek and receive information, express opinions and disseminate them freely. Also, and most importantly, we would like to strongly remind the claimant in the said case and who has occupied the position of the highest elected public office in the country of the 10th principle of the Chapultepec accord, which clearly states that no news medium nor journalist may be punished for publishing the truth or criticizing or denouncing the government. MWAG believes that when people sign to certain principles and conventions they ought to keep faith with it. The Liquidation of the Grenada Today newspaper is a sad outcome for long and heroic service to public interest and a dark period for the role of the press in Grenada. Media workers in Grenada ought not to be deterred but to see the ruling as one that would require us to be resolute, persistent and vigorous in our advocacy for changes to the libel laws of Grenada in the quickest possible time.