Gordon Robinson | Local Domino Awards 2019

These awards are (mostly) meant to be humourous. The Dunce was a happy-go-lucky character who took nothing seriously. So if you get an urge to rattle off irate emails, don’t. They’ll go directly to ‘junk’.

Dunce Award: This year’s winner by acclaim is RUEL REID. His carefree approach to public service and family saw the ‘twain meeting in unusual ways. A legal process will decide whether there are consequences but, for now, loss of his ministerial role and much public embarrassment has been his lot. Ruel, The Dunce’s a message for you: “If a macca, mek it jook yu!”

Dunce Move of the Year Award: PETER BUNTING’s misconceived, ill-timed, counter­productive challenge of PNP President Peter Phillips takes the cake (with candles), ice cream and chocolate sauce. The challenge itself was careless, but the insistence on, and the conduct of, an interminable, hostile campaign exposed and exacerbated deep internal party divisions with the potential to destroy any chance PNP had of winning a general election. This narcissistic decision was a ­caricature of a male Jamaican predilection known as ­premature adjudication and led the Dunce to send a message to this year’s winner: “If a macca, mek it jook yu!”

Now my journalism awards:

Journalism Dunce Move of the Year Award: On December 3, NATIONWIDE NEWS NETWORK ( NNN) produced an item of ‘news’ that eclipsed all ­contenders. Despite presumably having a reporter on spot; a news editor, programme producer and programme host (also NNN head honcho) at NNN interrupted its regular broadcast with a hyped announcement that Tesha Miller had been found “not guilty”. The only problem was that, in reality, the jury didn’t hand down a verdict for hours and, when it did, that verdict was “guilty”. Ouch! To NNN’s management team: “If a macca, mek it jook yu!”

Dunce Award for Journalism: Dorraine Samuels’ passing left a broadcasting void TVJ Prime Time News has struggled to fill. But young, promising talents, occasionally stumbling, are trying. The supporting cast (reporters, editors, scriptwriters) not so much. Over at CVM Live, production levels remain high but, since Richard Chen’s departure, the talent is sketchy at best and mainly inexperienced. Viewers are suffering, so this year’s award goes to TV NEWS in general, with a special certificate of merit to TVJ’s Kirk Wright, whose gaffes achieved new lows. He excelled himself at Eddie Seaga’s nine-night when he solemnly reported, “Already, nothing has happened...”

Kirk, the Dunce’s message for you: “If a macca, mek it jook yu!”

Serious Awards

Rising Star Journalist: I’m impressed by the body of work offered by DANIELLE ARCHER who co-hosts The Morning Agenda on Power 106. Her easy, balanced, charming style (especially when doing interviews); her apparent overdose of anti-tribal vaccine; and, most importantly, the research that obviously goes into her daily preparation makes me wonder when she finds time for her day job as a lawyer. Her coverage of Dominica’s recent election was of the highest quality.

Journalist of the Year: Not everybody gets a regular by-line or is seen on TV, but journalism would be impossible without the working journalists who seek out news every day. In that regard, DAMION MITCHELL has been described as the ‘engine room’ of The Gleaner’s drive to stay abreast of breaking news and ahead of the competition. He’s intelligent, committed and ­futuristic in outlook so, as integration editor, has been very effective at moving the news on to new platforms.

GENE AUTRY AWARD FOR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Jamaicans enjoyed two feel-good moments in 2019, so the award is jointly won by the ladies whose talent, discipline and determination produced those moments. Namely, World Championships 100m and 4×100m relay gold medallist SHELLY-ANN FRASER-PRYCE and Jamaica’s fourth Miss World, TONI-ANN SINGH. Both emphasised Jamaicans can beat the world at anything; why ‘Jamaican’ ends with ‘I Can’; and it doesn’t hurt to have a hyphenated Christian name ending with ‘Ann’.

Happy New Year and...

Peace and love!

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.