KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) said it is pleased by Jamaica’s continued good showing on the annual World Press Freedom Index, published by press freedom group Reporters Without Borders.

“Even while we celebrate our continued good showing, we must be vigilant as the erosion of press freedom can be insidious and subtle,” stated President of the PAJ, Dionne Jackson Miller.

She added that the group continues to push for amendments and improvements to the Access to Information Act promised by both the previous administration and the current government, and that the implementation of the new Cyber-Crime Act is continuously being monitored.At the same time, the PAJ said that it cannot take an insular approach to the question of press freedom, and expressed solidarity with colleagues around the world, many of whom work in oppressive and dangerous conditions.“Jamaica moved up two places from tenth last year, to eighth this year out of 180 countries, indicating the country’s continued commitment to the importance of press freedom and democratic governance,” PAJ noted.In its assessment, Reporters Without Borders stated that: “Jamaica ranks among the countries that most respects freedom of information. The very occasional physical attacks on journalists must be offset against this, but no serious act of violence or threat to media freedom has been reported since February 2009, a month that saw two cases of abuse of authority by the Kingston police. The law decriminalising defamation passed by the House of Representatives in 2013 was a step in the right direction.”