The United States Embassy in Barbados marked this year’s World Press Freedom Day by hosting an interactive webchat event on Thursday entitled Reporting for Democracy: The Role of a Free Press in Elections.Â
The worldwide event, organised by the US Department of State, focused on the essential role that media plays in supporting elections and democracy, especially in the face of the increasing challenges of disinformation, declining trust in news media and intimidation and violence against journalists.Â
In keeping with the theme of World Press Freedom Day 2019, panel members Lucinda Fleeson and Peter Clottey discussed several topics including how the digital transformation of media is affecting election reporting and how increasing pressures on a free press undermine democracy.Â
Several members of the local media joined Embassy staff in participating in the global discussion. (PR)
