On May 13th, three members of the MATT executive, including president Ira Mathur, treasurer Mark Lyndersay, and floor member Robert Taylor received a donation of twenty copies of Newsroom Law: A Legal Guide for Commonwealth Caribbean Journalists contributed by Guardian Media Limited.

Managing Director of Guardian Media Limited Dr Karrian Hepburn Malcolm, said she was delighted, to be able to contribute 20 copies of Justice Kathy Ann Waterman Latchoo’s legal guide for journalists, ‘Newsroom Law: A Legal Guide for Commonwealth Caribbean Journalists’ to MATT to be distributed among its members.

As the oldest daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago and operating with the motto ‘Guardian of Democracy,’ as publishers we have consistently understood that media owners’ responsibilities go way beyond those of any other corporate citizen,” Ms Malcolm said.

“We know that to support a journalist is to strengthen democracy. We trust these books by a former journalist, and the eminent Justice will contribute to greater excellence in journalism in this country.”

MATT president Ira Mathur and GML MD Karrian Hepburn Malcolm discuss the books acquired for the donation. Photo by Kerwin Pierre/Guardian Media

Journalists in T&T, as watchdogs of democracy, have long been subject to litigation and threats of libel and defamation by those we hold to account.
MATT believes that the strongest defence against the potential restrictions of press freedoms and self-censorship is to be armed with a better knowledge of the law.

On March 5th, 2022, Matt hosted an open discussion On Media and The Law, which was widely attended by the membership.

A former journalist, keynote speaker Justice Waterman-Latchoo, provided vital information to guide the media to operate less encumbered in doing the work of the Fourth Estate.

Her book, ‘Newsroom Law: A Legal Guide for Commonwealth Caribbean Journalists, is an essential guide for all journalists.

MATT is grateful to Guardian Media for twenty copies of the book, which we distribute on a first-come, first-served basis. We also appreciate and acknowledge the support of the Media Institute of the Caribbean (MIC), which has donated a further ten books.

The Express has also kindly offered to support this effort with an as yet undecided sum of books, and we look forward to delivering those on behalf of our journalists.

We look forward to the support of more corporate sponsors and civic citizens in pursuing our ultimate goal to ensure that every working journalist in this country has a copy of this book.

MATT would like to acknowledge the team effort of the executive in this venture, including the members missing from this photograph, James Saunders, floor member, Kandace Jackson, vice-president, Nicole Romany, secretary, and Clayton Clarke, assistant secretary.