Former Gleaner associate editor is new PAJ president

Award-winning investigative journalist Tyrone Reid was yesterday elected president of the Press Association of Jamaica at the association’s annual general meeting, held at its headquarters in St Andrew.

Reid, who is the managing editor at CVM Television, leads a nine-member executive that will serve a two-year term. Kimberly Hibbert was elected first vice-president and Kimone Francis second vice-president. The executive is completed by: Dashan Hendricks – treasurer; Neika Lewis – secretary; Javaughn Keyes – assistant secretary/treasurer; with Jovan Johnson, Zahra Burton and Janet Silvera as directors.

Reid, a former associate editor – investigations at The Gleaner thanked God and his peers “for deeming me worthy to be president of the Press Association of Jamaica”, calling it an honour to serve, but admitting “there’s lots of heavy lifting to do”.

“This whole business of press freedom, it’s important business, it’s serious business. There’s a saying, a famous quote that says ‘Democracy dies in darkness’ and the press serves as that spotlight to illuminate the path of democracy. So, we have to keep that going,” he added.

He said the new executive would follow in the footsteps of others who had done great work, and thanked the outgoing Executive and outgoing President Dashan Hendricks for the time he spent championing the cause of journalists across the country.

Reid is one of the region’s leading investigative journalists. He was Jamaica’s Journalist of the Year for 2015 and is a two-time recipient of the United Nations Population Fund Caribbean Media Award. His investigative work has been recognised in print, television and radio, and he has won more individual awards than any other journalist in the Jamaica Broilers Group Fair Play Awards. He has also served as research and special investigations editor at Nationwide News Network.