The Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ) has accused the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) of an “overreach” with its recent ban on music praising criminal activities.
The group further accused the BCJ of announcing the new measure without consultations. According to the MAJ, the BCJ has not attempted to consult with the industry as a group.
The MAJ said it was never approached before the regulator announced the measure, even as it declared that members “unanimously align with the intent of ridding the airwaves of music which is unfit for airplay” because “all Jamaican stakeholders need to band together and do what is necessary to stem the stimulants of deteriorating social behaviors and a growing crime situation”.
Stating that it is a “staunch supporter of self-regulation and defender of freedoms to include freedom of expression”, the group said, “any initiative with the potential impact of curtailing rights and freedoms cannot be taken lightly, as there are often knock-on effects on other freedoms, and must be robustly and adequately ventilated before decisions made or directives given”.
The BCJ announced on Tuesday, an immediate ban on the playing of music that encourages, among other things, lottery fraud, the use of the illicit drug Molly, and the use of illegal guns.
However, the MAJ highlighted sections of the ban it claims to show an “overreach” in the BCJ’s ban.
The group said in some respects, the BCJ directives are regarded as an overreach as it extends beyond music and into speech.
It added that further indication of overreach is seen where the directives apply to adequately sanitized radio edits of songs in which no element of the played song violates any code.
The MAJ also said the commission should present a list of the songs it analyzed to help determine solutions.
The group says it is ready to meet with the BCJ to discuss the matter.
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