PAJ News Blog
Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Members and Past Presidents Gather for Launch of PAJ’s 75th Anniversary
Tags: PAJ 75, Press Association of Jamaica
Dear Members:
Presidents’ Plaque
L-R Ben, Dionne, Byron, Jennifer, Jenni, Canute, Glen
On Saturday evening we held our Pinning Ceremony and Members’ Lyme. The evening
L-R Presidents Patrick, Canute, Jennifer, Ben, Dionne, Glen, Byron
was a great success! Thanks to those of you who came and I am sorry you could not all have been there.
We officially welcomed over 20 new members into the organisation, launched our 75thanniversary celebrations, and unveiled a part of the special exhibition on the history of the PAJ which the Gleaner is preparing for us as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations. As I said on Saturday, we have found that we have spent so much time telling other peoples’ stories, our own has not been recorded, and we need to rectify that.
Dionne pins Lloyd B. Smith
We were blessed to have had seven of our Past Presidents there, Past Presidents Ben Brodie, Byron Buckley, Jenni Campbell, Jennifer Grant (first female President of the PAJ) Canute James, Glen McFarlane, Patrick Harley, who were recognised, pinned, and all officially designated Life Members as agreed at our last AGM. We also unveiled a new Presidents’ Plaque as another part of our effort to record our history. (Patrick came a little late so was not pinned and so is not in one picture, and Jenni had to leave after and so is not in the other picture attached).
Part of PAJ’s exhibition on history of organisation
We were also pleased to have hosted Barbara Blake-Hannah, daughter of Evon Blake, one of the co-founders of the PAJ, and her son Makonnen, to share details of her father’s life.
We were especially happy to have welcomed several new members from NCU, and Lloyd B. Smith made the trip from Montego Bay to be with us! We also had several Caribbean journalists in attendance who had attended an investigative journalism workshop in Kingston last week.
Afterwards, we had time for food, fellowship and some shoulder flinging and genna bouncing lol.
Again, it was a wonderful evening. Thanks to everyone for the support and see you at our upcoming Sports Day (watch out for the date!)
Warm regards,
Dionne
PAJ Mourns Janice Budd
Tags: Janice Budd, journalism
“Journalist and communications professional Janice Budd was one of the hardest-working and most talented people in the business. Her death is a significant loss to the profession, as well as a deeply personal loss to the many people whose lives she touched,” says President of the Press Association of Jamaica Dionne Jackson Miller.
This following Budd’s death Tuesday, after an illness of several months.
“Janice was a joy to work with. She was multi-talented, and moved seamlessly between radio, TV and print, a testament to her core skills of news reporting and writing. She was an exceptionally talented writer, an excellent editor and excelled at almost every task in the newsroom, from radio or TV presenting, to hard news reporting and feature and documentary writing,” added Jackson Miller, who worked with Budd in the RJR Newsroom. Read more
APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR PAJ EDUCATION GRANTS
The Press Association of Jamaica is partnering with Digicel for the provision of Education Grants to assist communications students at the island’s universities.
Digicel will be financing four Education Grants in all, valued at fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) each, for final year college students. One grant each will be awarded to a student at the University of Technology, Northern Caribbean University, and the Kingston and Montego Bay campuses of the University of the West Indies. Read more
PAJ URGES PRIME MINISTER HOLNESS TO HOLD PRESS BRIEFINGS IN NEW YEAR
Tags: andrew holness, media access, Press Association of Jamaica, press freedom
December 19, 2016: The Press Association of Jamaica has written to Prime Minister Andrew Holness noting his failure to hold press briefings since assuming office, and urging him to do so in the New Year for benefit of the public.
The PAJ stressed that it was very concerned about media access to Ministers of Government, and particularly to Mr. Holness as Prime Minister.
PAJ President Dionne Jackson Miller acknowledged in her letter to the Prime Minister that he had given several interviews to local media houses since assuming office, including one to her, and the RJR Communications Group for which she works.
However, the PAJ President noted that although these interviews are important, they are necessarily selective and exclude many reporters and media houses, and therefore do not provide the kind of broad-based access to media which press conferences do.
The PAJ noted that Mr. Holness, since assuming office in March, had yet to hold a comprehensive press briefing in the capacity of Prime Minister, which all media representatives could attend and ask him a range of questions, for the benefit of the public.
The PAJ urged Mr. Holness to remedy this deficiency as early as possible in the New Year, and to make these briefings a regular staple on his schedule.
The PAJ’s letter has been acknowledged by the Office of the Prime Minister, with a commitment to respond to the concerns expressed at the earliest possible time.
“We are Richer for Having Known Them” – PAJ Remembers Veteran Journalists
Tags: Gary Spaulding, Glenroy Sinclair
Gary Spaulding
The Press Association of Jamaica is offering sincere condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of veteran journalists Glenroy Sinclair and Gary Spaulding who, within the past few days, passed away within hours of each other.
“The media community has been dealt a severe blow,” says PAJ President Dionne Jackson Miller. “Media circles in Jamaica are relatively small, so many of us worked closely with, and were good friends of both Glenroy and Gary. Because of that, the sense of loss is really very severe right now.”
PAJ Expresses Regret at Passing of Junior Dowie
Tags: Junior Dowie
PAJ Expresses Regret at the Passing of Junior Dowie
The Press Association of Jamaica is expressing its sincere regret at the passing of former award-winning Gleaner chief photographer, Junior Dowie.
A master of his craft, Dowie, who was honoured by the Government of Jamaica with the Order of Distinction for photo-journalism, died at a corporate area hospital today, after several months of illness. Read more
PAJ Calls for Debates to Go On
Tags: democracy, general election 2016, Jamaica, National Political Debates
Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller
Photo: Wikimedia
The Press Association of Jamaica is alarmed at news that the National Political Debates may not be held.
The PAJ wishes to put on record its belief that it is of national importance that the Debates be held, with the participation of both major political parties.
“The election campaign is very short, which already limits the amount of time the public and media have to probe the positions of the individual candidates and their parties. To eliminate what has become an important source of information for the public would be a huge step backwards, and one we would condemn strongly,” says PAJ President Dionne Jackson Miller.
The Association believes it would be unacceptable in a modern Jamaican democracy for either of the parties to refuse the public the opportunity to see and hear its representatives questioned about issues of national importance. The PAJ is therefore urging the two parties to find other avenues to work out their differences, and not use the political debates for that purpose. The Association in particular calls on the People’s National Party, as the party which has not yet signed off on the agreement for the debates, to do so in the national interest.
The PAJ commends the Debates Commission for its tremendous work over the years in staging the national political debates, and calls for all well-thinking Jamaicans and civil society organisations to speak out, and join the call to ensure that the National Political Debates are again held, as the public expects.
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Media Mergers to be Focus of Major Event for National Journalism Week
A public discussion on the swiftly-evolving media landscape and the implications for consumers will be a major focal point of National Journalism Week 2015, which kicks off Saturday, November 21 and runs until November 28th.
The panel discussion is being sponsored by the US Embassy, with the topic “Modern Media: Competition and Customer Choices” and will take place on Monday, November 23 from 6 – 8 pm at the Jamaica Pegasus. The event is free and open to the public. Read more
PRESS ASSOCIATION OF JAMAICA REGRETS PASSING OF MICHAEL SHAW
The Press Association of Jamaica notes, with regret, the passing of veteran news photographer Michael Shaw. Shaw, as he was popularly known, was a 44-year veteran of the profession. He was fun-loving, dedicated, easy to get along with and an uncomplicated worker, who loved his job, took great pride in how it was executed and the outcomes of that pursuit. There is no greater demonstration of that than where he died … on the job, among his colleagues and practising the profession he loved.
PAJ Raises Additional Concerns About Access, Calls for OPM to Schedule Briefings with PM
Tags: Jamaican media, media access, Office of the Prime Minister, OPM
The Press Association of Jamaica notes the conflicting statements from the British High Commissioner and the Office of the Prime Minister about the discussions that resulted in the initial decision to deny local media an opportunity to ask questions of Prime Ministers Cameron and Simpson Miller during Prime Minister Cameron’s recent visit to Jamaica.
We take no public position on what may have taken place, and who is correct, but are pleased that both offices appear to have recognised that the lack of access was an issue. We wish to take the opportunity to make two further points.
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