It is with much dismay, not only with the Cayman Islands premier, but the majority of Cayman’s media.

I am referring to another of the government’s press conferences when only selected media houses are invited and even worse when one of the non invitees was actually  barred at the door from entering. Folks, this was a PRESS BRIEFING!!!

On Friday (24), Premier McKeeva Bush issued an invitation to the media brief where he was to announce the details of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s approval of his 2012/13 Budget. The invitees were the Caymanian Compass (representing presumably print/online news), Radio Cayman (voice only broadcasting) and CITN-Cayman 27 (pretty moving pictures).

Cayman News Service (CNS), Cayman Net News (CNN) and ourselves – iNews Cayman and presumably Rooster 109 (who has a news desk) were left out and deliberately. Maybe, the premier thinks that the Caymanian Compass has the monopoly on the print/online news source and we will be able to obtain all the information we need from them – SECONDHAND. Mr. Bush I have news for you and you can read it here.

The Caymanian Compass does not share its news with any other print/online news source – not even THIRD HAND!! They guard it like all the gold in Fort Knox.

It is even worse when Wendy Ledger, the senior reporter of CNS, when learning of the PRESS BRIEFING, is barred from entering the room of the briefing (the Legislative Assembly Conference Room) by Charles Glidden – Bush’s press secretary.

That she left without causing a major disturbance is honourable of her because they would have had to have gagged, roped and hung me there to stop me entering. It was a PRESS BRIEFING not a THREE member only briefing meant to be secret and behind closed door. CNS, CNN and ourselves are legitimate media houses and this was a basic right of speech and freedom of the press that was denied to us. An “invitation only” press briefing smacks of manipulation and censorship that one expects and damns in a police state.

I well remember when a Compass reporter was barred from attending the LA by the Speaker (and his banishment was supported by other members of the LA, including even Ezzard Miller) I, along with CNS made a big “fuss” over it and offered our support. I also remember another incident when only the Compass and Radio Cayman were invited to another so called Press Briefing outlining the DART Cayman/Government deal, and CITN/Cayman 27 joined CNS and ourselves in protesting about it. Worse, the Government Information Service released their video footage to CITN who aired it clearly showing the premier along with the Compass reporter laughing when Bush asked for any questions from the press. What should have been asked and demanded an answer to was why nobody else was present.

iNews Cayman may be the new media house on the block but the Publisher and the Editor-in Chief were at the helm of CITN for FIFTEEN years and any banning and non invites of the press would have been the number one story. If we don’t watch each other’s back, we are all going to suffer the consequences.

Soon all our Freedom will be eroded and gone just because we didn’t band together and say a no invite to one is a no invite to all.

Shame on the premier and shame on the Compass and CITN. I exclude Radio Cayman as they are a government radio station and cannot speak freely for themselves.