Participants of the LIAT/CTO media workshop at Treasure Isle. Photo: Reuben Stoby/VINO

The one-week workshop started on Monday July 11, 2011 at the Treasure Isle Hotel and has attracted nine participants from seven countries.

Facilitator and Communications Officer of the CTO, Johnson JohnRose, said the collaboration between the CTO and LIAT came about because it was realised that there was a lack of quality journalism in the Caribbean and the two entities wanted to help to change that.

Mr. JohnRose said on contemplating on what he was going to say to the journalists at the presentation, reminisced on a speech he made at the Barbados Community College several years ago about the lack of quality journalism in the Caribbean. “And it struck me late last night that several years later really hardly much has changed.”

He noted, however, that journalism is faced with tremendous challenges but journalists have to be adaptable, while maintaining their values.

“Media houses across the Caribbean are coming under pressure because of staff shortages. We have media owners who are forever unwilling to hire qualified staff so they compromise quality…People have become very cynical of the profession. Many have come to believe that news is simplistic and journalists are shallow and pretentious.”

Communications Officer of the CTO, Johnson JohnRose (left) and Corporate Communications Manager of LIAT, Desmond Brown. Photo: VINO

Commenting further on the factors affecting quality journalism in the region, Mr. JohnRose said journalists too often neglect their responsibilities to expose secrets both in government and other entities and thus deprive the public of useful information and perspective that could influence decisions, while accepting what is fed to them by decision makers.

“Too often we forge relationships with elected officials and thus impeding media scrutiny to check the power of the powerful. Too often we are afraid to offend seemingly unaware that this causes journalism to lose its usefulness.”

He expressed disappointment also that media managers do not capitalise on opportunities to have their journalists trained.

Corporate Communications Manager of LIAT, Desmond Brown, emphasised on the critical role of journalists and encouraged them to be more responsible and effective. “The important role of the media and media professionals in today’s society cannot be overemphasised. It is hard to think of a future without news. You as journalists are in a very unique position where you can touch and change your community, change the region, and change the world. I encourage you to be the change that you would like to see happen.”

Speaking on the objective of the workshop, which have been held annually since 2009, Mr. Brown said LIAT views it as part of its social responsibility. “While LIAT is a corporate entity it is also a social partner and we are very pleased to provide this aspect of human resource development for this group of Caribbean media professionals. It was in 2009 that LIAT, thorough its communications department, began a strategic relationship with the CTO in which we came together to provide training for media practitioners in the Caribbean.”

Two workshops were conducted in 2009 in Curacao where 15 journalists from nine countries within the LIAT network benefitted while only one was conducted last year. It was held in St. Marteen where 12 journalists from seven countries from the LIAT network were trained. Two workshops have been planned for this year with the date and location for the other to be announced shortly.

The participants and facilitators of the LIAT/CTO media workshop. Seven countries are being represented. Photo: VINO

Speaking on why the Virgin Islands (VI) was chosen as a host country, Mr. Brown said LIAT considers the VI as a very important destination and “we want to create an awareness about the destination in the other countries in the LIAT Network. There is much to see and do in the BVI and we believe that everyone should know about this gem and also know how LIAT can get them here.”

LIAT provides air transport for the participants, the CTO provides the services of the facilitator, while the host country provides complimentary hotel rooms with meals along with ground transportation.

Mr. Brown also expressed appreciation to the BVI Tourist Board, which he said was very willing to host the workshop.

The countries represented at the on-going media workshop are Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Grenada, Anguilla and Dominica.