CBU Sounds Alarm Over T&T Government’s OCM Board Involvement

The Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) has intensified its scrutiny of recent developments impacting the Board of Directors at One Caribbean Media (OCM), headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago.

In a statement released Thursday, the CBU, representing public service and independent media entities across the Dutch, English, French, and Spanish Caribbean, expressed grave concern over the Trinidad and Tobago government’s attempts to secure positions on OCM’s board through the National Investment Fund. This state entity holds OCM shares obtained during the government’s CLICO bailout.

CBU emphasized its interest, noting its membership, which includes several OCM Group media houses such as CCN-TV6 in Trinidad and Tobago and Starcom Network Inc. in Barbados. Beyond commercial ties, the CBU’s primary commitment is to safeguard the independence of Caribbean media, which is essential for democratic societies. The organization raised alarms, “It is of concern that despite the shareholders expressing their will during an election supervised by an audit firm the Government appears to be challenging the rejection of its nominated directors.”

“As a prominent media entity with services in many Caribbean countries and territories OCM is regionally influential.  It is therefore vital that the organisation abides by the highest journalistic principles.  It also needs to maintain the trust of the audiences it serves through its media outlets. ” the CBU stated. It cautioned that any insistence by the Trinidad and Tobago government to appoint two directors could jeopardize perceptions of OCM’s fairness and principled conduct.

The CBU urged all parties to engage in constructive dialogue to reach a resolution that upholds the Caribbean’s values of media freedom and transparent governance.