President, former mayor, TTPBA mourn Madeira

PRESIDENT Christine Kangaloo, former Arima mayor Ashton Ford and the TT Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) have expressed their sadness about the death of veteran journalist and former Newsday editor-in-chief Jones P Madeira.

Madeira, 80, died on January 10.

In a statement, Kangaloo said, "Mr Madeira had a distinguished career spanning six decades in the print and electronic media in Trinidad and Tobago and across the Caribbean."

In a Facebook post, Ford said, "We have lost a national icon and an Arima stalwart who was highly respected for his valuable contributions towards the development of the Royal Chartered Borough (of Arima)."

Ford recalled that Madeira received the Chaconia Gold Medal in 2018 for his contribution to public service and journalism.

He said the recommendation for Madeira to receive a national award came from then-Arima mayor Lisa Morris-Julian.

Morris-Julian and two of her children died in a fire at their Arima home on December 16.

In a statement, the TTPBA said Madeira was a mentor to journalists throughout the Caribbean and beyond.

"The history of media in TT and the region cannot be written without reference to this icon of professionalism and excellence in media and mass communication."

TTPBA said, "Overseas assignments in different capacities took him to all corners of the world including Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, the Pacific and Latin America."

The association also noted Madeira's contributions to different media organisations such as the Caribbean News Agency (CANA) and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) during his career.

In a statement, the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) said Madeira became a household name as a well-respected news anchor on television and radio.

ACM founder Wesley Gibbings said, "There is no history of regional media to be written without mention of his name."