Minister Laverne King on Tuesday addressed the role and future of state-owned media, specifically the Agency for Public Information (API), by criticizing its past usage and outlining a new philosophy focused on transparency.
King explicitly stated that she believes the previous administration used government agencies as a “propaganda tool” rather than for objective reporting. She argued that the previous government “wrapped up their political and partisan ways into the agencies” as a means of “holding on to power,” characterizing this behavior as a clear “abuse of their power”.
King emphasized that the government’s new approach is to provide “unadulterated information” and “accurate information” to the public,. Her key points included:
The minister stated that government agencies must report the “situation” with “integrity,” rejecting what she termed the “dolly house version” where facts are hidden or sugarcoated. She argued that hiding the reality of the country’s problems prevents them from being solved, stating, “It is only really acknowledging truth of situation is how we could get to working out the issues”.
King admitted that the API and other information portfolios need “restructuring” and “intervention” to ensure they deliver accurate information rather than PR. To demonstrate this shift, King highlighted the Ministry of Education’s decision to release the “education digest” in full online. She noted that previously, governments would only highlight how many students passed, but her ministry is releasing the full data on “numeracy” and “literacy,” allowing the public to see where the system is failing so it can be addressed.
When challenged—suggesting that the government is only transparent now because the negative news reflects poorly on the previous administration, but might revert to propaganda as the next election nears—King pushed back. She asserted that the current government operates with a different “philosophy of governance” and rejected the idea that they would “slide” into the same behaviors.
She asked for patience, noting they had only been in office for 53 days, but affirmed her commitment to “journalistic integrity” (citing her own background in media) and keeping the government “accountable”.
