Speaking at the 66th Press Association of Jamaica National Journalism Awards at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel last Friday, she said the exclusion of the press does not bode well for the concept of justice being done.

"Very often, the persons whose hearings you are excluded from are the must vulnerable children in the Family Court, the very poor in the Gun Court. Again, I borrow from Justice William Douglas, who noted, "It is the underdog, the uneducated, the economically deprived who are most likely to need protection.

"Perhaps it is time to reopen the dialogue again to secure re-entry by the press into these courts so that, in a responsible way, you can help us to help the public understand and take responsibility for the increase in crime and the deterioration in the social structure," she said.

Samuels-Brown said the presence of the press in the courtroom often guards against "arbitrariness, excess and cavalier behaviour".

Unveiling secrets

She also called for the revision of the Official Secrets Act and encouraged the press to utilise the Access to Information Act, despite difficulties in gleaning information.

"The entire Official Secrets Act needs to be replaced and a new statute appropriate to modern-day transparency and accountability substituted."

Samuels-Brown also called for the active consideration and implementation of the recommendations of the committee set up to review the defamation laws. She said that this would go a long way in making the concept of a free press a reality.