Grounded by faith

With his grounded beliefs and Anglican faith, Jovan Johnson, the Press Association of Jamaica’s (PAJ’s) 2023 Journalist of the Year, has thrived amid the challenges faced by all media workers in making their way in the industry today.

“The Church has really played a pivotal role in how I navigate my life,” Johnson said on Saturday night after collecting the most prestigious award that was up for grabs at the PAJ’s 2023 National Journalism Awards, held at The Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston.

Johnson’s body of work with The Gleaner over the past year also resulted in him winning for Best Breaking News, based on his revelations around the Stocks and Securities Limited scandal, and, particularly, its impact on the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt. He also won the Carl Wint Award for Best Print Human Interest Feature, for his article ‘I sat there with my dead baby in my hand’; the Award for Excellence in Reporting on Agriculture; and the Hector Bernard/Theodore Sealy Award for News in the print category.

Being named Journalist of the Year is not new to Johnson, as he previously won the award in 2021.

He told The Gleaner he was “thrilled” to again be formally recognised for his hard work, just two years later.

“It’s wonderful to be acknowledged by my peers, and congratulations to them as well. It’s a motivation for more work and I’m committed to doing that,” Johnson said.

On the part of the judges, they stated that Johnson was selected because “Jovan’s body of work is at an extremely high level of quality, impact and interest”.

“His quality of reporting and research compare well with the best globally,” they said.

The Gleaner’s Sashana Small was also victorious at the awards, walking away with her first PAJ Award for Excellence in Reporting on Children’s Rights, sponsored by the United Nation’s Children Fund.

“I feel very happy. This is my first award and it’s very special. The story was very special. Children, children’s rights and issues affecting children are a passion of mine, as journalism itself is a passion,” Small told The Gleaner.

Among other awardees on the night was Young Journalist of the Year Jevaughn Gordon of Television Jamaica.

Outstanding submissions

Chief judge Byron Buckley noted that, for the awards this year, the panel of judges found that several outstanding submissions exemplified the nation’s finest tradition of journalism, especially in the category of Journalist of the Year.

“Some submissions were extraordinary and riveting, demonstrating that there are a few practitioners who clearly understand how to communicate effectively with the audiences. Their stories had heart and emotion, which brought them to life,” said Buckley, a former president of the PAJ.

Former PAJ president George Davis, who spoke on behalf of PAJ president Milton Walker, who was unavoidably absent, said “this year marks another year where journalism has done right by this country”.

Said Davis: “The democracy is strong. We have a democracy where people can speak their minds freely and all of that is complemented by the robust nature with which the press does its work.”

The winners are:

Premium Award

1. Journalist of the Year (Sponsor – Sagicor Group)

Winner: Jovan Johnson, The Gleaner Company Media Limited

2. President’s Award for Investigative Journalism (Sponsor – Jamaica Broilers)

Winner: Giovanni Dennis, Dionne Jackson Miller, Glenford Campbell, Kemar Taylor, Paul Davis, Rodney Longmore, Sheree Rhoden; Television Jamaica

All Angles Investigates: Shark Attack - Fishing in Fear

3. Young Journalist of the Year (Sponsor – Jamaica Broilers)

Winner: Jevaughn Gordon, RJRGLEANER Group

4. Hector Bernard/Theodore Sealy Award for News Journalism (Sponsor – Jamaica Public Service)

Winner:, Print Media: Jovan Johnson, The Gleaner Company Media Limited

Winner, Electronic Media: Giovanni Dennis, Television Jamaica

5. Carl Wint Award for Best Feature (Sponsor – VM Group)

Winner, Print Media: Jovan Johnson; The Gleaner

I Sat There with My Dead Baby in My Hand

Winner, Electronic Media: Giovanni Dennis, Glenford Campbell, Uton West; Television Jamaica

Treacherous Trek

6. Best Television Feature/Documentary (Sponsor – Supreme Ventures Limited)

Winner: Janella Precius, Glenford Campbell, Uton West; Television Jamaica

Dead River

7. Best Radio Feature/Documentary (Sponsor – Caribbean Cement Limited)

Winner: Natalie Campbell, IRIE FM

‘Parched: Surviving the Drought

8. Aston Rhoden Award for News Photography (Sponsor – Red Stripe)

Winner: Naphtali Junior, The Jamaica Observer

A Mother’s Pain

9. Junior Dowie Award for Sports Photography (Sponsor – Jamaica National)

Winner: Naphtali Junior, The Jamaica Observer

Rasheed Fire

10. Errol Harvey Award for Human Interest Photography (Sponsor –NCB)

Winner: Naphtali Junior, The Jamaica Observer

Light the Way

12. DIGICEL Award for Technology (Sponsor - Digicel)

Winner: Kelesha Williams, Jeovanni Heslop, Uton West; Television Jamaica

My Teacher called AI

13. Excellence in Reporting on the Environment (Sponsor – NHT)

Winner: Janella Precius, Glenford Campbell, Uton West; Television Jamaica

Dead River

14. Excellence in Reporting on Health & Wellness (Sponsor – Sagicor Life)

Winner: Vashan Brown, Glenford Campbell, Jelani Campbell; Television Jamaica

Behind Closed Doors: Intimate Partner Violence in the Pandemic.

15. UNICEF Media Award for Excellence in Reporting on Children’s Rights (Sponsor - UNICEF)

Winner: Sashana Small, The Gleaner Company Media Limited

Children Hustling on the Streets

16. Ken Dawson Award for Videography (Sponsor - Supreme Ventures)

• Winner: Glenford Campbell, Television Jamaica

Dead River

17. Excellence in Reporting on Agriculture (Sponsor – Red Stripe)

Winner: Jovan Johnson; The Gleaner Company Media Limited

Rice Mix-Up

18. Hugh Crosskill/Raymond Sharpe Award for Sports Journalism (Sponsor – J. Wray and Nephew Ltd.)

• Winner, Print Media: Ruddy Allen; The Jamaica Observer

• Winner, Electronic Media: Sonya Stewart, Nigel Austin, Gavin Patterson, Cliff Hughes, Zash-Kae Dennis; Nationwide News Network

19. Morris Cargill Award for Opinion Journalism (Sponsor - NCB)

Winner: Kalilah Reynolds, Sashell Williams, Israel Ramsay; Kalilah Reynolds Media

20. Best Breaking News Coverage (Sponsor - Flow)

Jovan Johnson, The Gleaner

The SSL Scandal

21. Carlton Alexander Award for Business and Finance Journalism (Sponsor - GraceKennedy Limited)

Winner: Giovanni Dennis; RJRGLEANER Group