Jamaica bans broadcasts deemed to glorify drugs, crime

By MEGAN JANETSKY
Associated Press

HAVANA (AP) — Jamaica’s broadcasting regulator has banned music and TV broadcasts deemed to glorify or promote criminal activity, violence, drug use, scamming and weapons. The government said the ban is meant to cut back on material that “could give the wrong impression that criminality is an accepted feature of Jamaican culture and society.” Jamaican artists criticized the measure, saying it cuts populations affected by heightened gun violence out of the conversation, and that it will do little to stop crime. The ban comes after years of struggle by the Caribbean nation to halt high levels of gun violence.