Feature image created using Canva Pro elements. On October 11, the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica issued a directive to all broadcast licensees aimed at “keeping [the] airwaves clean”: #Banned! All content promoting illegal activities are banned from broadcast transmission! […] The Broadcasting Commission has issued a directive to all broadcasters to immediately prevent the transmission of any recorded material on tv, radio, or cable that glorifies, promotes, or otherwise encourages illegal activities: ⛔ #Scamming ⛔ #DrugAbuse/illegal drugs including #molly. ⛔Jungle justice ⛔ Illegal or harmful use of guns and other offensive weapons. ⛔ Use of expletives and other offensive lyrics/profanties. ⛔ All other illegal activities you can think of 😌 The Commission further tweeted: #BCJUpdate The Broadcasting Commission has issued a directive immediately banning the transmission of all content promoting illegal activities. Keeping our airwaves clean!#BCJ #BCJamaica pic.twitter.com/rMFx3Hw7qt — Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (@BCJamaica) October 11, 2022 Founded in 1986, the Broadcasting Commission is mandated by Jamaica's Broadcasting and Radio Re-diffusion Act to monitor and regulate free-to-air television, radio, and cable services “to ensure their operation at appropriate levels in relation to technical, programming, and service standards. The announcement threw sections of the media, the entertainment industry, and the general public into confusion, though reactions were very mixed. Against the backdrop of escalating gang activity, a rise in murders, and a pervasive atmosphere of violence in some Jamaican communities, many people welcomed the move, including Minister of Information Robert Morgan, who asserted that it was not designed to restrict freedom of speech: The thing about radio is [once it is on], I’m not the only one who is hearing it. It is a public facility [that] is licensed by the government [and] is regulated by particular laws. So, it is not about fighting crime; it is about decency and standards. Executive Director of the Broadcasting Commission Cordel Green appeared on several media platforms defending the directive. He suggested that broadcasters who oppose the ban should “step away,” and maintained that recording studios and artists will not be affected. Green added that “the gatekeepers are the commission's focus.” Even when the Broadcasting Commission fines a station found to be in breach of the regulations, and the station is directed to air an apology, “rarely, if at all, you hear a reference to the particular song or the artistes”: #StarEntertainment: “This is not about entertainers. We can't tell an artiste what art to create. Artistes are informed by their own experiences whether they be dysfunctional or liberating. Some of them care about the society, some of them don't.” More: https://t.co/y3ZxCXGlVb pic.twitter.com/Be46dYiLLK — Jamaica Star (@jamaicastar) October 14, 2022 One supportive youth leader tweeted: Big up to the @BCJamaica for such a BOLD & TIMELY move. — Rushane Ferron (@FerronRushane) October 11, 2022 A US-based Jamaican blogger lamented: Dancehall was intended for fun, fashion, creativity, expression. How did we get to promoting drug use, murder, scamming? I agree with the ban on dancehall lyrics promoting these things. Dancehall must go back to the 90s. Most dancehall artists today make music for depraved minds — Maroon Spirit 🇯🇲 (@MaroonSpirit21) October 14, 2022 The underlying question lingers: does Jamaican popular music really encourage and incite ordinary Jamaicans to commit crimes? A recent public opinion poll suggested that most Jamaicans believe there is some connection, with only 22 percent believing that there is little or no correlation between the music and criminal activity. However, numerous questions surfaced on whether—and how—the directive was to be enforced. Would it flag specific artists or songs? Would it include older tunes, or only current music? Has the dancehall genre itself been singled out as a harmful influence on Jamaican youth and society? In criticising the vague wording of the directive, attorney Kenyatta Powell suggested that dancehall is indeed the scapegoat.