PMA highlights: CBU’s 53rd Annual General Assembly in Tobago

30th August 2022
The Public Media Alliance recently attended the 53rd Annual General Assembly of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU). Here are the highlights from PMA’s time in Tobago.
PMA hosted a closed-door roundtable event for senior Caribbean media executives on 16 August in Tobago. The roundtable was held during the Caribbean Broadcasting Union's 53rd Annual General Assembly.

PMA’s CEO Kristian Porter and Projects Manager Jasmine Chandler attended the AGA from 15-17 August. The event presented an opportunity for PMA to not only offer value to Caribbean broadcasters, but also to reconnect after two years of virtual meetings.

Some notable highlights include:

  • Sally-Ann Wilson receives CBU President’s Award – on the opening night (15 August) of the AGA, PMA’s former CEO, Sally-Ann Wilson, was honoured with the 2022 CBU President’s Award for her stellar contributions not only to broadcasting internationally but also to the Caribbean media landscape. In her acceptance speech, Sally-Ann used the opportunity to highlight the values of public service media and good journalism and emphasised the need for broadcasters to address issues such as gender inequality and climate change. Her award was received on her behalf by her successor and PMA’s current CEO, Kristian Porter.

  • PMA’s Conference Day events – the AGA’s Conference Day (16 August) was packed with two PMA events: a media literacy panel show and a closed-door roundtable for Caribbean media executives. These were held as part of our project to thwart disinformation in the Caribbean.
    • The panel show – titled ‘The Disinformation Challenge’ – was a moderated discussion featuring five Caribbean experts from academia, broadcasting, and library services. The show was interspersed with live polls for the audience, video messages from partners such as ARTICLE 19 and the Jamaica Broadcasting Commission, and a live call with Flora Carmichael, the Editorial Lead of BBC’s Trusted News Initiative.
    • It was followed by a closed event for Caribbean media executives to discuss the feasibility of a Caribbean news initiative and the need for increased cross-border collaboration.
  •  PMA out and about – Kristian and Jas were able to further represent PMA at other CBU events, including the Caribbean Media Awards and at the end of the Members’ Plenary session. At each speaking engagement, Kristian spoke about issues such as the challenges and opportunities facing Caribbean broadcasters; the value of public service media; the importance of collaboration; and broader global media trends. Check out the media gallery below to see what PMA got up to!

“More than two years on from the start of the pandemic, the 53rd CBU AGA was an important opportunity for regional media practitioners to reflect on the vital importance of quality independent news and media literacy to society, especially during times of crisis. The opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences in-person has been sorely missed and I look forward to working with the CBU to build on the outcomes of this meeting.”

– Kristian Porter, PMA’s CEO

PMA extends its sincere thanks to UNESCO for supporting this project and to the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) for its support in facilitating the PMA panel show and roundtable. We also thank our partners – the Media Institute of the Caribbean and the Association of Caribbean Media Workers – for their invaluable input and guidance; our panel show panelists; and everyone who attended both of our events.
Congratulations to CBU, its executives, and its local organising committee for a successful annual general assembly. We look forward to CBU’s 54th AGA!

The project is implemented by the Public Media Alliance (PMA) and our regional partners, the Media Institute of the Caribbean (MIC) and the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM). It is supported by the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean and UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC).