The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN Tribune Staff Reporter sbrown@tribunemedia.net MEMBER of Parliament for West End and Bimini Obie Wilchcombe yesterday stressed the need for legislation to protect "the rights and liberties" of journalists. Mr Wilchcombe's comments came as the House of Assembly debated the Freedom of Information Bill for a second time. As a former journalist, Mr Wilchcombe said he understands the need to protect the fourth estate and afford journalists the opportunity to carry out their jobs without fear of prosecution. He said: "I also hope we put some legislation in there that protects journalists. Suppose the journalist obtains information, as I did on one occasion, and after I got the information I decided to use it on my talk show and then I was subjected to the Coroner's Court and eventually had to spend some time in jail. "The truth is, how do we protect the journalist when they obtain information? The whistleblower is protected, you protect the whistleblower but what about the journalist? "The whistleblower could provide information but suppose that information is needed and suppose that information is not given because the journalist goes to the court house. Then when you go to the court house, if they don't give the information, are they subjected to the seven days that you can receive for contempt? "They have to be protected too. Journalists are going to use the legislation more than anyone else." Mr Wilchcombe was arrested in 2000 and charged with contempt of court after refusing to reveal a source in Corner's Court. He was sentenced to four days in jail. He said: "We do not help the journalists as we should. They are badly treated, used and abused and still not given what they ought to have. Mr Speaker, what about the journalists right in this place? "I am still of the view that we have not provided them with a facility for them to do their jobs in a professional way. There is something wrong with that, but yet we want them to cover us and yet we want them to be fair to us and give us the coverage that we require to get our information out," he said.