TT hosts first Journalists Week

A MAJOR programme of events has been scheduled to mark National Journalists Week, an historic first for this country. The week, to be observed from May 2 to 8, has been declared by Prime Minister Patrick Manning on the initiative of the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) and the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT), with full endorsement from the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA). The Prime Minister will deliver the feature address at the opening ceremony, which will also mark the official launch of the CJA headquarters in Trinidad and Tobago. The full week of events will be held at UWI, St Augustine.

Major highlights of the week’s programme are: a week-long Exhibition of Caribbean and Commonwealth Media and a three-day Media conference at UWI, St Augustine. The Conference, a joint collaboration between the CJA and the Conference of Caribbean Media (CCM), enjoys the support of the regional media, the private sector and UNESCO whose very timely theme for World Press Freedom Day — May 3, is Freedom of Expression and Conflict Management in Crisis Situations.

A critical element of the opening day’s programme on May 3 will be the Press Freedom Status Reports delivered by journalists from countries across the Commonwealth. Two panels on Day One of the conference will focus on journalism under conditions of conflict: “Journalism Under Siege” and “Shoring up the Defences.” The discussion on Day two will deal with current imperatives in the Media: “The Convergence Wave” and  “Journalism 2020: Redefining and Re-Training.” Other issues on the day’s agenda include “Survival Strategies for Public Service Media” and “the Quota Question: To legislate Local Content Or Not?”

Day three focuses on the coverage of Aids: “When the Big Story Breaks: An assessment of media coverage of the ids Crisis.” Another panel examines how recent entrants into the media are changing the field with new models of journalism: “The New Breed: Breaking the Rules.” The conference winds up with a discussion of the challenges facing the next generation of media leaders on the panel. “Passing the Torch.” Each day’s proceedings will open with a feature speaker specially invited by the CJA.

Other events on World Press Freedom Day 2004 include the Inaugural CJA Press Freedom Dinner Lecture and the launch of a new magazine published by the CJA, Commonwealth Journalism Review, dedicated to covering media issues across the 53 countries of the Commonwealth. Guest speaker at the dinner lecture is Nqobile Nyathi, editor of the Zimbabwe Daily News, which was at the centre of one of the most high profile press freedom cases over the past year.

Nyathi herself was among the senior personnel of the Daily News to be arrested and jailed after the newspaper defied the Mugabe government’s ban on public action by non-licensed agencies. Prime Minister Manning will deliver the feature address at the formal opening on May 3, World Press Freedom Day. Professor Rex Nettleford, a Caribbean legend in the field of media and culture, will do the honours at the opening of the Exhibition on May 2. The exhibition offers a range of the media output of the countries of the Commonwealth. MATT will also host an exhibition booth dedicated to the theme of Press Freedom in Trinidad and Tobago, while the Association of Caribbean Media Workers will present an exhibition on “Press Freedom developments throughout the Caribbean.”

The CJA will present an exhibition on the media of the Commonwealth region entitled “Come Experience the Commonwealth Media” as well as a booth dedicated to Press Freedom throughout the Commonwealth. UNESCO will also mount an exhibition with a focus on the empowerment of communities through media. Journalists, communication professionals, researchers and members of the general public who are interested in attending the conference will be required to register, either online or by contacting the CJA’s office at the Frank Stockdale Building, UWI (662-2002 ext 2427). There is no fee for registration but prospective attendees are being urged to formally register in the interest of conference management.