Cliff Hughes tops PAJ awards

RADIO AND television broadcaster Cliff Hughes on Wednesday night won his second consecutive Journalist of the Year Award at the 2004 Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) awards function at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston.

Hughes won the award for his body of work on 'Impact', a television programme which "exemplifies an informative, investigative and rounded approach," the judges said.

The Gleaner's Lascelles 'Las' May and Anthony Foster also won awards. Las May walked away with the Livingston McLean Award for cartoon while Foster received the Hugh Crosskill/Raymond Sharp Award
for Sport.

THE BOLT STORY

Foster's piece published in The Gleaner, titled 'Bolt absent from national junior camp', brought readers up to date with World Junior 200m record holder Usain Bolt, as all eyes were on him with days
left before the championships in Italy. The story was also credited for not only talking about Bolt, but included the activities of those surrounding him.

The Morris Cargill Award for Opinion Journalism went to Sunday Gleaner 'In Focus' columnist Ian Boyne, for his piece which explored the social and historical factors surrounding dancehall dilemma.

Dave Reid of the Jamaica Information Service took home the Aston Rhoden Award for News Photography while The Observer's Bryan Cummings walked away with the Junior Dowie Award for Sports Photography. The Sunday Herald won the Canute James Award for Finance and Business, The Voice captured the Maurice Garrison Award for Small Newspaper Publication, TVJ took the Ken Dawson Award for Videography, while the President's Award for Investigative Reporting went to the television programme 'Impact'.

RESPECT AND TRUTH KEY

Guest speaker was Portia Simpson Miller, the minister of local government, community development and sport. "Genuine relationships are based on respect, trust and truth," she said. "The politician
must respect the press enough to know that it is mandated to fulfil its primary obligation, which is to be the guardian of the public interest.

"It is a matter of disrespect for the politician to expect the journalist to compromise his or her integrity, just because he and the journalist have a good relationship. For the journalist, there is no higher interest than the public. That is not negotiable," the minister said. She also implored journalists to be guided by the ethics of their profession.