ACM elections training for T&T journalists
ACM, February 23 - Trinidad and Tobago journalists will receive training in the coverage of elections on March 6, courtesy the Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers (ACM), in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) and with the participation of the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT).

The one-day workshop will be led by ACM President, Wesley Gibbings, and veteran journalists Lennox Grant and Raoul Pantin. Gibbings and Grant are editors of the ACM Election Handbook for Caribbean Journalists published in 2009. The handbook will also be launched at the Port of Spain workshop.

Similar training efforts by the ACM have already been hosted in St Kitts and Nevis, Barbados and Guyana and the handbook has been launched in Jamaica. A workshop is also being scheduled for Suriname in March and work is underway for further training in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Trinidad and Tobago workshop will be hosted at the offices of the United Nations Information Centre for the Caribbean Area.

Read full release..

ACM and IPI talk possible Jamaica venue for World Congress
ACM, January 30 - The International Press Institute (IPI) is collaborating with the ACM on the possible hosting of its 60th General Assembly and World Congress in Jamaica in 2011. The ACM has, in turn, engaged the support of the PAJ, the Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ) and Caribbean Institute for Media and Communication (Carimac) in the planning process.

Veteran communication specialist/journalist, Clare Forrester, has been identified as the main ACM Focal Point in Jamaica for the event, while Trinidadian journalist, Adelle Roopchand, will oversee general logistics.

An IPI team met with the ACM and the Jamaica-based organisations on Friday January 22. The meeting was chaired by Carimac Director, Dr Canute James. A Local Organising Committee (LOC) is to be inaugurated soon.

Read full release..

'Work harder to preserve free expression" - New ACM President
St. George's Grenada, December 12 (ACM) - The newly re-elected president of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) Saturday called on committed Caribbean people to "work harder" to preserve freedom of expression.

The regional journalist Wesley Gibbings was speaking after his election to a second two-year term as president of the regional network of media associations and professionals, at its fifth biennial general assembly here.
"I admonish people who are committed to freedom of expression to work harder for the preservation of this right. Free expression is an esssential prerequisite to development and true independence of our people," Gibbings said.

The ACM is a regional network of media associations, journalists, and media professionals spanning the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Dutch, Spanish and French-speaking Caribbean. The ACM's aims including promoting public access to government information, media freedom, and the independence of journalists.

Read full release..

ACM Concerned: Threat To Surinamese Journalist
November 12 - The Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers (ACM) expresses its deep concern at the news that Mr Ivan Cairo, a journalist with De Ware Tijd newspaper in Suriname, has been the subject of a threatening phone call following publication of several articles in his newspaper on the disappearance of more than 90 kilogrammes of cocaine from the vault of the police department’s elite A-Team Unit.

Both the Minister of Justice and the Police, Chandrikapersad Santokhi and the Attorney-General, Subhaas Punwasi have been informed about the incident. The Association of Surinamese Journalists (ASJ) has condemned the threat and says it is treating with it seriously.

The Association has also called for police guarantees for the safety of the journalist and for an investigation into the development.

The ACM endorses these calls by the ASJ and expresses support for Mr Cairo and other colleagues who have also covered the story. Mr Cairo has had a long association with the ACM and is one of its founding members in his role as a former President of the ASJ.

We believe the nature of this situation constitutes a grave threat to the safety and well-being of the journalist.

Read release..

'ACM V' Biennial General Assembly
ACM, October 6, 2009 - The Fifth Biennial General Assembly of the Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers (ACM) will take place in Grenada on Saturday December 12, 2009 at 1.00 p.m. at the Blue Horizon Garden Resort.

Member national associations and designated Country Focal Points are invited to attend and to make arrangements for regularising of their memberships for the period 2009-2011.

National Associations and Country Focal Points are invited to submit items for discussion at the General Assembly including resolutions and any other issue requiring attention at this level.

Delegations are also expected to provide written State of the Media Reports on their countries. A Country Report Format is attached. These should be submitted by November 2, 2009. We hope to compile them in time for the General Assembly.

An attempt is being made to have discounted airfares in place for the event/s. There is no funding for airfare and accommodation.

Please indicate your interest in attending either of these events by October 23, 2009 by emailing us at: acmmail@gmail.com or by contacting: Anika Kentish, General Secretary – anikaek@yahoo.com.

Full details...

'Climate Change Handbook' Goes Online
ACM, October 6, 2009 - The Pacific Regional Environment Programme recently sought and received permission to use extracts from our Climate Change Handbook for Caribbean Journalists as they prepare to launch a project to promote greater awareness of climate change among Pacific journalists.

We are aware that many of our members have requested a downloadable version of this publication, and we are pleased to announce its availability today.

Download Climate Change Handbook.

'Election Handbook' launched as 'practical resource'
The ACM launches its Election Handbook for Caribbean Journalists to critical acclaim in both international and regional fora and has been designed by journalists for journalists.
The handbook was researched, written and designed by the Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers (ACM) with support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), Eugenio Maria de Hostos Law School, Puerto Rico, the Austin Forum of the Knight Centre for Journalism in the Americas, and the United Nations Information Centre for the Caribbean Area.The publication is meant to serve as a practical resource in equipping journalists to meet public and professional expectations for superior election coverage.

The editorial team was led by Lennox Grant and Wesley Gibbings and included: Peter Richards, Vernon Daley, Raoul Pantin, Naylan Dwarika, Sheila Velez Martinez and Tony Deyal.