(Trinidad Express) The Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) said yesterday it did not condone the airing of a phone-recorded video of the Crime Watch TV programme of a 13-year-old girl being sexually assaulted.
Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne apologised for airing a video of the rape of a minor.
Jonathan Williams, 18, of Never Dirty, Morvant, appeared before a Port of Spain magistrate on Monday charged with the rape which allegedly occurred on June 11.
The TTPBA said in a statement that while it was not supporting the “programming incident”, the industry framework was “evolutionary” and there was a continuous drive towards quality of content.
“However, the manner which this information is disseminated must maintain and adhere to the standards of ethical journalism and responsible reporting,” the organisation said.
The TTPBA said it was confident that its members maintained professionalism and took responsibility for instances where sensible and responsible journalism “may have gone awry”.
The TTPBA said it held discussions with member company TV6 (which airs Crime Watch) and was assured relevant steps have been taken to “prevent such a recurrence”.
The airing of the video has been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago for violating Section 32 of the Sexual Offences Act.
