Above: MATT president Ira Mathur

On behalf of this amazing executive, Asha, Nicole, Laura, Mark, Kalain and James, Welcome to MATT.

It’s great to see so many of us here today. On Oct 2nd, although ostensibly this new executive came in unopposed, there was an election of sorts. We took a chance on the day we took office. We asked for three months to grow the membership free and with an online form. The membership on that day voted for us. Thank you.

In one month mailing list has grown from 30 to 196 members. The largest contingent is from the Guardian, Newsday and Express. But lots now from the electronic media including television and radio. Glad to see so many sports journalists, and a special shout out to the big turnout from Tobago.

Bloggers have joined,  bloggers and freelancers, people who make their living with journalism without institutional support. We welcomed photographers and technical people without whom many of us wouldn’t have and careers.

To those afraid of the dilution of journalism, I want to say that 12 % of our membership are associate members, and our constitution allows them to be part of our association.

We rely on and respect one another in this communication chain. I welcome all members warmly.

We have noted the legislation that potentially criminalises journalists and will not allow any interests to interfere in our inalienable rights to freedom of speech. As the fourth estate continue to hold those in power to account on behalf of our people.

It’s your right to ask me who do I think I am what right I must lead media. More than my academic qualifications I’m an immigrant and citizen like us all perhaps a newer one, having landed in Tobago as a child.

This country has welcomed us as citizens, provided us education and health care the same as everyone else and maybe we all ate cascadura but we love this country and we nah going back. My first and only allegiance is not to any political party but to this country.

As an organisation our only allegiance is to media workers and this country.

So, what’s different about us? As I reached out to colleagues, prior to October 2nd, I saw what my dear friend Raoul spoke of all the time. People facing PRESSURE, financial, physical, mental like many in the country during a pandemic, but with the added pressure of being a front-line worker. Many have been ill, laid off, and worked long hours for low pay.

Add to this the impending tsunami of a digital world and fake news, of social media threatening to fact-based news, and the choice was clear. We could stay the same, remain in closed silos, and sink quietly, or we could band together, look after one another mentally and physically and retool ourselves for the digital age.

Ours is perhaps the most crucial job in any democracy, that of looking over all the institutions of democracy. A floundering membership in a fourth estate is terrible for democracy. So, the first step to survival is to put the oxygen masks over ourselves, and buttress ourselves as a fraternity.

Media are no longer defined by a group of print journalists. And MATT can no longer survive by simply periodically shooting off angry letters. We are also not a conduit for complaints against journalists. We have met with the TTPBA (the TT Publishers & Broadcasters Assocation) to clarify this process so with the Media Complaints Council and we will soon publicise a transparent process.

Ishmael Salandy, MATT VP Asha Javeed and Robert Taylor after being presented with their certificates of recognition at Express House. Photo courtesy the Trinidad Express.

It’s been less than a month, but our vibrant executive already has a lot to report.

On the first day after we took office, we wrote to the Speaker and got a media pool photographer into Parliament to cover the Budget. It was not ideal, but we opened the door to more access. We don’t believe in agitation as a first course but negotiation.

Most recently we worked with the Ministry of Health for further access for independent media workers to questions in the Covid pressers.

As of today, MATT has secured free eye care and discounted frames with an optometrist for all members in Port of Spain and Couva. We are working towards providing Tobago with that access.

We’ve been actively working on a group health plan for any media worker without one. For this to work we need you to respond to a non-invasive questionnaire so we can check the numbers and negotiate the best one for us. So please do respond.

We are also making headway with corporations for a rewards card and negotiating for sponsorship for an accredited independent business journalism course. We want to meet you every month with issues that concern us all from mental health to digital media.

Also, as a community we haven’t limed, or laughed much. We want you all to come out for our Christmas talent show. We have two musicians amongst us,

After the panel discussion we are also honouring two photographers at the Express, Chief Photographer Robert Taylor and Ishmael Salandy, for their collaborative coverage of the Budget in a Pandemic.

Even as we honour Robert and Ishmael, we recognise they could not have contributed to the pool photographs without the Heads of Photography at the Guardian, Roberto Cadallo and Newsday’s Jeff Myers and the decisions of the Editors in Chief of Newsday, Guardian and Express to collaborate on this – Judy Raymond, Rosemarie Sant, and Omatie Lyder respectively.