BELIZE CITY- The Briceno Cabinet is discussing legislation to regulate digital media platforms according to Minister Henry Charles Usher. The cabinet minister made comments to the media following a ceremony commemorating the BDF anniversary recently. The discussions arose following a distasteful report published by Hot Off the Press – a well-known social media platform, owned and controlled by proponents of the United Democratic Party(UDP).
The report paints the victims of an alleged sexual assault – said to be perpetrated by the owner of the platform (a well-known UDP attorney) – in a dishonest light. The Facebook post highlights videos and a narrative that put the accused perpetrators outside the direct vicinity of the women to somehow build an argument that he was approached by the ladies and not vis-versa.
In any case, the public did not buy it, and a scathing exclusive from 7News’ Jules Vasquez called out the report for what it was – an outright unethical use of a social media platform and digital media outlet.
But who or what regulates the “Fifth Estate” in Belize?
This is a question that have not been hashed out so there is no regulation in place. Indeed the rise of digital media is progressing at such a rapid pace that any rules or best practices put in place as a knee-jerk reaction will be archaic in short course. A meaningful framework to regulation online media platforms is definitely necessary, it however, cannot become a fetter for legitimate voices.
There are cyberbullying laws in place to protect individuals from online attacks. The best use-case to date has to be the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, ordering the arrest of his brother, a popular social media personality for a barrage of death wishes and all sorts of outlandish statements.
But Henry Charles wants to see more regulation in place for these digital outlets he says seems to “pop up overnight.”
While Hot Off The Press is merely a political social media platform, with a following of 45K+ they do have a significant social responsibility for ethical use of their platform. This goes for all digital media outlets in Belize and anywhere else for that matter.
New media like blogs, podcasts, and newsletters are considered a new check and balance in society – to completely fetter those entities would be borderline apartheid. Regulating outlets to ensure no personal agendas and off-the-rails narratives are not peddled to the public is pivotal.
501Publicized has been in this digital media space since 2015 – previously as the first entertainment news platform in Belize named Hype Belize. We rebranded in 2021 and relaunched this platform, as a labor of love and an outlet to showcase Belize excellence on January 31, 2024.