Murder, bankruptcy, unemployment, debt, illiteracy  - the news in Jamaica is increasingly depressing. Some say this unending litany of gloom is creating a feeling of hopelessness, and the media should concentrate on the positive - talk about what’s right with the country and not what’s wrong. But journalists are only telling it like it is, and shooting the messenger never solved anything. Indeed perhaps the most heartening aspect of Jamaican life is the fact that the media is able to and willing to tell us all what we are doing wrong.

Though our media lacks the resources of the BBC and New York Times, this is one area in which we are probably as well served as any country in the world. Of course some of our media houses are owned by business men whose concerns may not always coincide with those of aggressive investigative reporting. And there are always conflicts of interest in small countries, especially when journalists are poorly paid. But for the most part our journalists do a fantastic job of telling it like it is. They come across as dedicated, honest and brave, unafraid to print and say what they see and hear.

The Jamaican libel law is in serious need of updating to bring it in line with that of other Commonwealth countries. In places like the UK and Australia, fair comments on public figures are protected even when they are subsequently proven to be untrue. This is not so in Jamaica. But all in all few nations, and likely none which is so poor, are better informed about national affairs.

Nowhere is the right to free speech more vigorously exercised. Short of libel and obscenity, there is nothing which is not aired on Jamaican talk shows. The styles and political views of the hosts happily cover the entire spectrum. But Wilmot Perkins attracts the most attention.

Mr. Perkins may not be the most listened to talk show host in Jamaica, but he is the most talked about. His supporters say he is brilliant, honest and brave. His detractors call him biased, intolerant and negative. They are both right. Mr. Perkins is perhaps the most incisive and informed political analyst on radio, and his insights into our national malaise are often profound. His integrity and independence are indisputable, for he is beholden to no man, institution or party. He holds no sacred cows in awe, and is not afraid to ‘mash anyone’s corn’. No one questions his courage. When police reported death threats against him, he did not go into hiding or tone down his arguments. He kept publicly telling it as he saw it.

Yet Mr. Perkins at times clearly judges statements not by what is said, but by who says them. He occasionally sounds ungenerous and mean spirited. He often seems more interested in winning arguments than in letting all sides be heard. He can be rude, and is not above cutting off callers. He appears to assume that anyone he disagrees with is wrong, regardless of the soundness of their arguments. Is this increasing intolerance of opposing opinions a symptom of encroaching age?

When Mr. Richard Coe accused journalists of ‘the irresponsible use of freedom of speech’, and when Dr. Peter Phillips referred to the constant criticism of the country as ‘a crime’, everyone assumed they were talking about Mr. Perkins. This assumption, also made by Mr. Perkins, says a lot about how he is perceived.

Many say he is quick to point out Jamaica’s faults, but seldom discusses its merits. He talks as if none of our politicians since Busta and Norman have had the nation’s interests at heart. He offers criticisms in abundance, but rarely solutions. He lays out the country’s problems clearly enough, but often makes them seem insurmountable. He arouses not a desire to help to build the country, but an urge to emigrate.

Others argue that he only berates the intelligentsia, the police and political leaders. He repeatedly reiterates that with education and opportunities, the Jamaican people are capable of anything. But many find his approval so abstract as to mean little, while his constant concrete attacks sap the spirit.

The ‘beating down’ charges sometimes ring true even to the staunchest free speech defenders. An increasing sense of hopelessness is enveloping the country, and the danger of the nation’s spirit being broken is real. They say there is nothing to fear but fear itself. And in T.S. Eliot’s words ‘Human kind cannot bear very much reality.’

Media personalities are more than purveyors of news and opinions. They have a responsibility to criticize when it is warranted, but also to praise when it is due. Mr. Perkins especially is an opinion leader. His unquestioned integrity has won him a very loyal audience which takes what he says as gospel. Mr. Perkins is too honest to say something he does not believe just as a sop to public opinion. But if he can see no positives at all in this country, why does he continue to live here?

Yet the fact that he is totally free to criticize anything and everyone in the country should be a source of pride to Jamaicans. It is incontrovertible proof that we are a free people, and while men remain free all things are possible. Only childish individuals and countries can not bear criticism. Constructive criticism is always welcomed by grown ups, while only fools pay attention to foolish talk.

I find Mr. Perkins’ perspectives limited and his show monotonous. He boils everything down to politics and often ignores the bigger picture. But in Voltaire’s words ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.’

The fundamental tenets of liberal democracy - the most successful form of government ever invented - are a free press and a free vote. A free press allows the unfettered national debate that in time provides solutions to a country’s problems. A free vote allows an informed electorate to choose those solutions it thinks best. And as Thomas Jefferson once said, a free press is even more important to democracy than a free vote.

Nothing Mr. Perkins has ever said is as depressing as the apparent opinions of Richard Coe and Peter Phillips that he should not be allowed to speak as he wishes. The moment a man is not free to express his opinion, liberal democracy is in danger. As a minister of government Dr. Phillips’ statement is especially worrying. The Oxford English Dictionary defines crime as ‘a serious offence punishable by law’. If that really is Dr. Phillips and the government’s opinion on the statements of Mr. Perkins or any other journalist, then Jamaica’s situation is truly hopeless.