Freedom of the Press - Bahamas (2006)

Status: Not Free
Legal Environment: 2
Political Influences: 8
Economic Pressures: 6
Total Score: 16

Population: n/a
GNI/capita: n/a
Life Expectancy: 70
Religious Groups: Baptist (35.4 percent), Anglican (15.1 percent), Roman Catholic (13.5 percent),other (36 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Black (85 percent), white (12 percent), Asian and Hispanic (3 percent)
Capital: Nassau

The constitution guarantees freedom of speech and of the press, and media are generally free to criticize the government and its policies. The government supports the right of access to public information and does not restrict access to the foreign press or the internet. Some opposition parties, however, claim that their viewpoints do not receive as much coverage as those of the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) on the one television and four radio stations run by the state-owned Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB). In September, PLP chairman Raynard Rigby demanded an apology from the Nassau Guardian, one of the four dailies, after it reported his statement on a local radio talk show voicing his concerns about Prime Minister Perry Christie's health. The newspaper, however, stood by its story, and Rigby, an attorney, did not threaten legal action. Apart from the BCB's ZNS Radio Bahamas network, there are numerous privately owned radio stations.