The ACM. recognises
the problems and we are ready to provide assistance wherever necessary.
Another attempt is to be made to hold that crucial A.G.M. later this
month. MATT has been through rough times before and it is hoped that
these trying couple of years will see a stronger body, similar to the
organization which is hosting this week of activities.
I see where your
president is claiming, that the authorities here are no longer being
overt in their attacks on the media, but are doing it undercover.
That is the worst
kind of attack, ladies and gentlemen. Recognising the attacks when they
occur is absolutely important. When they come undercover, it is more
difficult to do so.
Using some of our own
to push agendas is not uncommon and happens everywhere. Poor salaries,
low esteem and tainted professional integrity make us good targets.
As an association,
you must be ahead of the game.
Early detection of
these infringes must be responsibly exposed, if not to the public at
least to the membership, so that the war can be fairly fought.
But even with these
challenges facing media organizations, focus on developing the
professional and the profession but not be forgotten. That ladies and
gentlemen must not only be the responsibility of MWAG, but yours as
well. Certainly the media body must play a significant role, but you
must not sit back and leaving development to any one agency.
Training initiatives
are critical in our territories.
People have asked
where do I see the need for training, and I say all over. I see that
need not just in Grenada, but also in Suriname, Guyana, St. Lucia, St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. The media
sector has been expanding in all these countries, but standards and
quality are not concomitant with that growth. More doesn't necessarily
mean better.
Waiting for media
owners to provide the necessary training is not always a very good idea.
Over the years, our media house owners have not done enough by way of
training and development. Therefore we in organziations have had to lead
the way. The Media practitioner must also know that developing skills
and professionalism are crucial to the outcome of the product. Respect
for ourselves and our profession must be encouraged. We must also
respect the listener, the reader, the viewer by committing ourselves to
bettering the product. And it should be noted that respect for our
public can be measured by the work we put out.
We must constantly
review our work as media practitioners. When we do that and take
corrective action to fix the ills, we make outside mal-attempts more
difficult. We strengthen the artillery and by extension weaken the
challenges posed by others.
The Association of
Caribbean Media Workers has since its inception committed itself to
training and development. We continue to search and find opportunities
which we pass on to our member organizations. These opportunities are in
the area of training. We believe that a well equipped and informed
practitioner can only be a plus for the individual, the profession and
the publics he or she serves.
The ACM. endorses the
need for us as professionals to recognise the opportunities and even the
challenges which will come to our territories with the CSME. But we need
to understand what it is and teach our respective publics. This
organization, even before I joined the executive, was very instrumental
in the setting up of a system via which free movement of media
professionals can take place. We have reached the point where this is a
reality. However in order to facilitate it, we as Caribbean nationals
must access the Skills Certificates, which in a real sense activate the
initiative.
We know there have
been problems with gaining such access to certificates. The ACM. is
hearing and trying to treat with some of those problems. Nevertheless,
we have to make it work for us. Apply for those certificates and let us
know when there are problems.
With these few words
I leave, ladies and gentlemen. I express my congratulations to the Media
Workers Association of Grenada for your vibrancy, your commitment to the
profession and your ability to stay on course, even when threats and
court matters intervene. The ACM. executive commends your efforts.
We applaud your
achievements, we encourage your growth and development, we note your
challenges and act when necessary. I thank you for your warm hospitality
and from afar, I will monitor the rest of the week.
I thank you.
Association of
Caribbean Media Workers
Trinidad, WEST INDIES
