asked to look at just how free the media is.

It is not a good picture: Thirty six journalists were killed last year; Dozens are in prison around the world; True press freedom exists in only 30 countries where fewer than one billion people live while press freedom does not exist at all in 20 countries that are home to about two billion people.

The Iranian government has cracked down on the reformist press in that country, closing three newspapers. In Zimbabwe, journalists covering the farm crisis have been assaulted and arrested.

Four in ten US journalists admitted having softened or avoided stories to benefit the interests of their own news organisations. The biggest cause for this is market pressure that causes news organisations to soften to avoid stories that appear too boring or too complicated; in other words, the dumbing down of the news to attract a greater number of readers or viewers.

The journalist's job is to make the complex understandable, not to avoid reporting it. And sometimes, as a matter of public interest, investigating what appears at first glance to be a dull story is essential. A Government Auditor's report may appear to be dull, but contains vital information on the management of the public purse.

A free press which promotes the exchange of ideas and is accurate and fair is a crucial part of any democracy because it helps to create an informed and knowledgeable electorate.

Bermuda has a vibrant press, which covers the local news in more detail, and with a greater degree of sophistication, than most other communities of 60,000 people.

Still, there are threats to press freedom in Bermuda. To be truly free, the media must be independent, both of political leaders and of powerful economic interests.

The danger to a free press in Bermuda comes not from censors or governments threatening to close down a newspaper or broadcaster, but from within. The need for access to government and politicians and pressure for advertising in order to make a profit create the risk of the reader not getting the information they need.

Indeed, there seems to be a view in some quarters that because the current Government was elected with a large majority of seats, and a significant majority of votes in the last General Election, the media should support it as a matter of course, or out of some undefined sense of patriotism.

Everyone has the right to choose not to speak to the media, but they cannot then complain if their side of the story is not told. The media should make every effort to ensure the stories they tell are fair and accurate, but cannot be put in the position of not reporting a story because one side of the story is denied to it.

For the subjects of stories, learning the lesson that not every story -- or photograph -- will show them in glowing terms is hard, but necessary. Openness and transparency are the best solutions to ending a bad press. Silence and putting up walls around the truth are the surest way to ensure that a bad press will get worse.

For the media, making sure that what they publish is accurate and credible is key. So is admitting when mistakes are made, and doing it quickly and fully.