The president of the Dominican Society of Dailies, Persio Maldonado, criticized the practice of recent administrations in the Dominican Republic to restrict media access to the President.
Instead of journalists being able to ask questions directly to President Medina or high-ranking members of his administration, the media is flooded with official government press releases. Maldonado speculates that government officials from the President on down, are not made available to the press so as not to run the risk having to answer questions.
Speaking on the TV show D’Agenda, Maldonado recalled the days when President Joaquin Balaguer frequently stopped to engage reporters and regularly responded to five or six questions from the press.
Maldonado commented the Dominican government’s present policy of limiting official’s availability to directly answer questions posed by journalists has eroded the freedom of press. He observes that while it is true that press can freely report on government activities, government officials are frequently not open to questioning. By restricting media access to government officials, Maldonado feels that the President Medina administration is squandering an opportunity to engage Dominican society in a constructive dialog about the impact of public policies and programs.
Maldonado says that the media is the best ally to a government that wants to do things well. He believes that many government scandals would not erupt if the media could have frequent and timely access to officials to ask questions regarding government decisions or actions as potentially controversial issues emerge.
Maldonado lamented that governments do not see the media as an instrument in the service of democracy, but rather as an element to contend with and to manage.
He commented on how Google had to create a fund to protect the media in Europe when valuing its worth.
Maldonado called for democratic governments to reflect on the value of the media and freedom of press. He said it would be a sad day for democracy if the media ends up in the hands of a select few who could exert absolute control of what information is generated and how it is disseminated. Maldonado said that the concentration of the media is a consequence of the difficult economic situation, mentioning the closing of El Sol, La Noticia, El Siglo, Ultima Hora, among others.
Read more in Spanish: http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2015/11/01/persio-maldonado-critica-que-gobiernos-expongan-preguntas-periodistas