Mass Media and Socialist Governments in the Commonwealth Caribbean

Abstract

Three Commonwealth Caribbean states have adopted socialist governments in the past decade; Guyana, Jamaica, and Grenada. These states have witnessed a number of difficulties in government-media relationships. Most of the problems were generated by the governments; however, some resulted from the fundamental distrust of socialism on the part of the conservative media which are tied to big business interests. In a few instances the problems were attributed to outside influences, such as the United States Central Intelligence Agency. This essay looks at the state of mass media in Guyana, Jamaica, and Grenada during the 1970s and early 1980s, emphasizing the years those countries were under socialist control. Some aspects of media-government relationships that are explored are mass media ownership policies, and economic, legislative, and physical constraints upon the press.