TTPBA awards journalists for media excellence

Two veteran journalists and a grassroots NGO were recognised at the TT Publishers and Broadcasters Association’s (TTPBA) 16th Annual Dinner and Awards for Media Excellence on November 22 at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

Radio personality Michael Laing was posthumously awarded for outstanding contribution to the development of broadcast radio in TT as programmer, manager, innovator, and mentor, guiding the future of radio through his expertise and dedication.

Laing was one of the first broadcasters at Radio Trinidad, the first local station in TT, when it began in 1947. He served as country manager for Trinidad, and later developed the programming on Rediffusion Trinidad which became known as the Golden Network.

Under his leadership, Radio Trinidad covered a number of important social events. Laing was well known as a cricket commentator and was invited by the BBC in 1954 to Old Trafford in the UK to commentate a West Indies/English match.

TTPBA director Peter Ames accepted the award on behalf of the Laing family. In his acceptance speech, Ames said,

“I think this award is long overdue because here was a man who was a pioneer in radio in TT. Why it took this long to get this done I don’t know. His invitation by the BBC cements his position as being a man of considerable talent.”

Veteran journalist Wesley Gibbings was awarded for outstanding contribution to the development of print and broadcast journalism in TT, and the Caribbean, as mentor, author, trainer, and consultant.

Gibbings has been a journalist for over 40
years, and is a media trainer and press freedom campaigner. He has worked with many of TT’s media entities, and freelanced with regional media organisations.

He has written many papers on Caribbean media development and press freedom, and has authored, co-authored and contributed to journalism training resources. He consulted for several international organisations, guest lectured at the UWI Mona Campus, and trained media practitioners under the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, and the Media Institute of the Caribbean, which he co-founded and led in 2001 and 2015 respectively.

Gibbings is the first and only Caribbean member
of the Council of International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), and a member of the steering committee of the Global Forum for Media Development.

He was unable to attend, as he was in isolation for covid19, so his son Mikhail read a speech in which Gibbings said the award meant a lot to him.

“Stay long enough in the business, and you learn that this is an industry that attracts as much appreciation as it does intentions of harm. There are people out there who do not wish us well, but there are many more who recognise the value of free and independent thought and expression – facilitated by a media environment that is strong and resilient. It is a message I have taken beyond our shores over the years in order to insert a unique Caribbean voice around the table.

“I have earned some personal recognition for it. But none of this can ever be as precious as the accolades of peers and comrades at home in whose interests the battle has always been waged.

"This TTPBA award means a lot not only to me, but to my fellow travellers of the past and the present. On our collective behalf, I thank you for this, from the bottom of my heart.”

NGO Roots Foundation and its founder Mtima Solwazi were awarded the TTPBA Community Excellence Award for dedication to the social landscape of TT, as a non-profit entity and for commitment to pioneering social work, creating positivity within the national community by engaging with young people via innovative projects and programmes for the betterment and empowerment of the communities served.

Roots Foundation's programmes include the spoken-word festival Cascadoo: Caribbean New Voices; the youth intervention programme Abyssinia: A Journey of Change, which targeted youth in gangs, groups associated with violent extremism, and high schools; and the Big Man Ting public-service announcements featuring Big Man Dan.

Solwazi, in accepting his award, said he was grateful but tired, as the work of sustaining the NGO was difficult and challenging. He said he and his wife had begun fostering a ten-year-old this year, and he looked forward to passing on the foundation to him.

TTPBA president Douglas Wilson said the awards recognised those whose sterling contributions have raised the bar in TT’s publishing and broadcast industry.

“We are the fourth pillar in a democracy, a role which we seek to fulfil through the protection and preservation of the right of the people to know. The TTPBA is determined to encourage practices that will strengthen and maintain the broadcast and publishing industry, improve industry standards through education, acknowledge organisations and individuals who have contributed significantly to the industry, and strengthen the legislative and regulatory framework.”

Feature speaker
Unit Trust Corporation executive director Nigel Edwards urged media practitioners, publishers, and broadcasters to continue to be educators, to think about their value to companies and redefining their business model to be responsible and unearth the truth, and retaining and training talent.