Following a successful staging of the 2025 Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival, Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire has issued a public apology for what he described as the “totally unacceptable” treatment of local media during the event.
At a post-festival press briefing, a local journalist raised concerns over what was perceived as disregard for the Saint Lucian press corps, citing logistical issues and last-minute arrangements that left media personnel frustrated.
“Local media could not get access to the event by not even getting the vehicle pass until last minute,” said one reporter. “A number of us felt that we would not want to be part of the Jazz anymore.”
The frustration reportedly reached a boiling point, with several local media entities opting to boycott the festival altogether. These organisations refused to provide coverage, citing what they described as blatant disrespect and disregard for the local press.
In a forthright response, Minister Hilaire expressed remorse and pledged to prevent any recurrence.
“The local media must be treated better than this,” Hilaire stated. “Whatever treatment you got, from what I’ve heard, is totally unacceptable. And I certainly want to apologise for how the local media was treated.”
He went on to affirm the media’s importance in the success of national events, calling the local press “one of our major stakeholders.”
“We’ve had an excellent working relationship. And there’s no reason why you should be disappointed in how you were treated,” he continued. “Certainly, under my watch, it will not happen again.”
Pressed by another journalist to identify who was responsible for issuing press passes and tickets, Minister Hilaire chose not to assign blame publicly but confirmed that corrective steps were already being taken.
“We can spend a lot of time going back and forth on who was responsible, who was not. I’m not sure I want to go down that road,” he explained. “When it was brought to my attention, I gave certain instructions that it had to be attended to. It was not attended to satisfactorily… and action will be taken to ensure it does not happen again.”
As to whether disciplinary measures would be taken against those responsible, the Minister stated firmly:
“Local media deserves better treatment than that. Let’s just get it right.”
The 2025 Jazz and Arts Festival, which drew record-breaking crowds, was praised for its high-calibre performances and community involvement.
