Tributes pour in for legendary editor Owen Baptiste

Family, friends and colleagues of media legend Owen Mark Baptiste are mourning the loss of the larger-than-life journalist, who passed away at the West Shore Medical Private Hospital on Tuesday following complications with diabetes. He was 87 years old.

Baptiste was born in Port of Spain on May 17, 1933, and attended the Tacarigua EC Primary School and St Mary’s College (CIC) Port of Spain. He began working as a trainee reporter at the Trinidad Guardian in September 1951, quickly moving through the various departments – sports, court, news editing. He trained and worked with the London Overseas Mirror Group of Newspapers on Fleet Street to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Manchester, which prepared him for the role of editor. He became editor-in-chief/managing director at the Trinidad Express which he co-founded in 1967.

Veteran media personality Jones P Madeira said Baptiste epitomised excellence in journalism.

“He came at a time when journalism was being revolutionised and reordered. You had biting commentary that offended many in power and you had to stick to your words and deeds and he did just that as an example to young reporters. His columns were studied, well-researched and offended those who were trying to deal with what journalism is all about – a quest for the truth.

"His passing represents the passing of another generation of journalists who inspired the growth and development of the profession. It’s quite sad that he’s departed. If heaven has a press and room for publication, I think we’ll find that Owen Baptiste is going to be one of those who will be operating it, because of how he approached his profession when he was among us.”

Baptiste was well-known for two of his columns, Benedict Wight and No Sacred Cows. His son Simon said No Sacred Cows were “a thought provoking, sometimes, scathing series of journalistic pieces that were unafraid to tackle social, economic, political or everyday issues.”

Veteran news editor Sunity Maharaj said Baptiste was the one that placed her on the path of news editing. She remembered the energy Baptiste brought into the newsroom and his passion for journalism.

“He would walk into a new newsroom and turn the place upside down, change it around, just for the sheer joy of recreating whatever he was working on. He would redesign the newspaper, spend days and nights there, it was clearly what he was most passionate about. He devoted himself to dramatic transformation and saw himself as what he could bring to a newspaper, giving it a new image, a freshness and a kind of dynamism. He embodied the passion of creativity and design and built a real team of people who were loyal to him.

"He took chances on people, he took a chance on me as a young journalist. He gave you a great deal of freedom and expected you to sink or swim.”

MATT president Dr Sheila Rampersad said the organisation recognised Baptiste’s passing with deep sadness.

“Known to his peers as OB, he was and will always be Mr Baptiste to the generation of journalists he hired and trained during his lifetime of dedication to journalism and the institution of a free press in TT and the Caribbean. Surely, Mr Baptiste must have been proud that the generation of journalists he nurtured finds themselves today as senior members of the industry who, like him, guard fiercely the institution of a free press against incursions from those centres of power to whom the free press speaks truth.”

“As MATT President, with more than three decades of journalism behind me, I feel a personal sense of loss at the passing of this newsroom giant who took a chance to hire me, a young, inexperienced child who arrived outside the Express Independence Square office with my A’Level certificates in a manila envelope. I will be forever grateful for his faith in me, his instruction on the fundamentals of this noble profession, and his encouragement over the years.”

Rampersad said as MATT extended condolences to his wife, Rhona, and his surviving son, Simon, it recommitted to its duty of giving voice to the voiceless, comforting the afflicted and doggedly pursuing truth, transparency and accountability.

Those who worked with and for Baptiste remembered him as an advocate for training young people.

The Ken Gordon School of Journalism said Baptiste made an indelible mark on the industry in the 1980s and early 1990s "as a fearless editor who led from the front taking on the issues of the day but one who also upheld the journalistic standards of accuracy, fairness, balance and accountability.

"We remember his role and benefited from his contributions as a consultant when we set up the Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communication Studies back in 2011. May his soul rest in peace as his legacy in journalism lives on."

Media veteran Keith Subero said he was the only inexperienced reporter who joined the Express when it opened on June 6, 1967, following the closure of the Mirror. He remembered Baptiste as the consummate journalist.

“He could have written and sub-edited a story, done the layout and act as the news editor. He was an editor and a columnist. His passing marks the death of an era and that of one of the greatest journalists to pass through TT. It’s a great loss to TT journalism.”

Newsday columnist and author Debbie Jacob said Baptiste not only gave her a chance when no-one else would have, but also had a formative effect on her career.

“A lot of people think journalism is just reporting events, but he taught me it’s not the event that’s important, it’s the people involved, and I have always remembered that through my writing, journalism, the work I do in the prisons, it’s the people that matter. To have worked with him was the greatest honour anyone could have. He was an extraordinary person who practiced world-class journalism, and the integrity he had for journalism was so important.”

Former Express editor Lennox Grant said Baptiste shaped the Express into a paper that was respected. He said, while he was initially a sub-editor with the Express, Baptiste recognised him as a writer and transferred him to the Sunday Express as a writer and sub-editor.

“This was quite a significant factor in my career and even though we lost touch, I retain a profound respect for him.”

Baptiste later led the start-up of the Jamaica Observer in 1993 where he was both CEO and editor-in-chief. He held the position of executive chairman of the Caribbean News Agency (CANA) and was the editor of Caribbean Contact. He opened an indigenous publishing company called Inprint Caribbean Ltd and later on Caribbean Information Systems.

The Association of Caribbean Media Workers extended condolences to Baptiste's family and friends as they mourned his passing.

"Baptiste was a hard-hitting newspaper columnist and editor whose influence extended throughout the Caribbean. He played a key role in the launch of the Jamaica Observer and was associated with the Stabroek News of Guyana and the Barbados Advocate. He was also responsible for spawning several publications under the Inprint label and mentoring generations of journalists and writers – many of whom now serve or have served in leadership positions in the national, regional and international media."

"His columns, written in the name of Benedict Wight and under the banner of No Sacred Cows, have been published in three volumes and he is also the author of The Seagulls Won't Come Down: A Caribbean journalist's account of his 12 years' odyssey in the Middle Kingdom, and Independence Day 31st August 1962: A Play. Baptiste is also editor of numerous volumes on TT and Caribbean public affairs."

In 1999, Baptiste accepted an offer from the People’s Republic of China’s government in Beijing to teach English to young teachers of English at a training college in Guangzhou. He did that for 12 years before returning to TT in 2011 where he continued to research and write at home. In 2013 he was awarded a National Icon Award for Media by the TT government in celebration of the nation’s 50th Anniversary.

Communications Minister Symon de Nobriga, in extending condolences to Baptiste’s family, said, “The media has lost an advocate but his legacy will live on in all those he mentored and those with whom he graciously shared his talent and time. Those who worked with him said he always found ways to ensure he improved the lot and craft of journalists. He undoubtedly loved what he did and his passion and dedication will be missed.”

Simon Baptiste said his father was ailing for some time, and while the family had hoped he would hold on for a couple more months, his health rapidly declined.

He said being in and around newsrooms with his father growing up was exciting.

“That was an age when people had the highest respect for journalism. It was a craft. In those days journalism had an edge where people loved and respected the art form and stayed true to it though sadly that doesn't seem to exist now. Back in those days, it was a marvel to behold how the 80s and 90s were when it came to the art of journalism. I would like to think we could get back to those days.”

Simon said his father was a phenomenal character who was always giving, but he was also a strict disciplinarian.

“We had to exemplify the traits he had learned, like being respectful, kind, and showing gratitude, keeping your grades up. He was a lovely man but he was also a teacher, so you had to obey the rules and be on our Ps and Qs. The values he instilled in us were really important. He did the basic things with us as a family that were necessary for us – we had to have breakfast and dinner together and share what we did during the day. My success is forged on the teaching of being a good human being that he imparted on me, on us.”