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PAJ President Desmond Richards speaks on The state of journalism

WITH THIS WEEK being Press Freedom Week, President of the Press Association of Jamaica, Desmond Richards, has been chosen as our 'Newsmaker of the Week'.

Richards, a veteran journalist who is also Managing Editor of the Sunday Herald, promised to change the conditions under which journalists worked when he was elected last year.

STAR: What do you think about the level of journalism in Jamaica today?

DESMOND RICHARDS: There are lots of room for improvement. I'm dissatisfied with the level of ethical standards. Not only are we dissatisfied with the ethical standards, we as an organisation are taking steps to deal with that. The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) is revising the Code of Ethics where journalists can be held accountable. We don't want to reach a stage where outside people will regulate us.

I'm also dissatisfied with the level of investigative journalism and the PAJ has taken steps to provide scholarships for members. I'm dissatisfied with the remuneration for our members and the members of our profession who are destitute.

Do you think CARIMAC (Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication) is assisting in turning out quality journalists?

There are some shortcomings. The major shortcoming is the time spent on the job (on attachment) is too short. You can't be training reporters and only send them to the newsroom for only two weeks. I think CARIMAC has recognised this and is putting in place measures to remedy the situation.

When elected, you said one of the things you wanted to achieve was to take journalism in Jamaica to another level. How close are you to achieving this?

I'm still far away from the target. The first thing we need to attack is the training. If training is achieved then we can go to the next level. We have set up scholarships for members and we are speaking with organisations to assist in training as well. We have started repairs on the PAJ headquarters and we are decentralising the PAJ and setting up branches. We have set up one in Ocho Rios and one in Mandeville.

Since taking over, has there been an increase in membership of the PAJ?

Yes. We have had an increase in membership and the numbers have gone up. People are expressing interest in the organisation. I recently held a meeting in Ocho Rios and 15 persons were burning to be a part of the organisation.

Do you think there is a high level of payola among journalists in Jamaica?

I don't have any evidence that journalists are taking payola.

If it is happening, how do you think this affecting the profession?

If it is happening that would be a betrayal of trust and mission. They are putting the profession in crisis. That is one recipe to undermine the profession.

People who know you say you take yourself and your job too seriously. What's your response to that?

One of the things that motivated me was that after 60 years the association needed some motivation and to be re-energised. I see this organisation as being a viable one and representing the interest of journalists in Jamaica.