Letter of the Day | Barbara Gayle was a journalist par excellence
Published:Saturday | December 21, 2024 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
The brutal murder of The Gleaner court reporter and journalist Barbara Gayle has shocked the entire country and especially within the savage way in which she met her death. Without a doubt this vividly demonstrates how criminals pose serious threats to the law-abiding citizens. The overall crime situation is getting worse and I do think that it is highly appropriate for the government of the day to seriously consider reinstituting capital punishment for all murders. Apart from the police apprehending and having the murderers convicted, they should face death penalty after exhausting all appeals.
Barbara Gayle was one of the country’s most distinguished, accomplished and successful journalists professionally covering court issues, and other justice issues for The Gleaner for approximately five decades and did so with distinction, and professionalism.
The indefatigable Barbara Gayle was highly respected within the profession and admired by many judges and senior staff members within the courts and judiciary. She was a journalist of impeccable integrity, character and morales and never allowed anyone to compromise her integrity and professionalism. I distinctly remember reading her Legal Wranglings columns where she astutely wrote on several legal issues.
Clearly, Gayle was one of Jamaica’s most accomplished journalists and was a significant asset to the journalism profession and The Gleaner. She honed her craft exceedingly well and used her writing talent to the full benefit of the profession and to the people of this country who followed her writings and reporting on justice and courts issues for decades. A prominent scholar within the field of journalism and she will be greatly missed.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the People’s National Party sent public condolence messages. She served The Gleaner newspaper exceptionally well and has positively contributed to its journalism upward development over many years. She mentored many young journalist and interns who came to work at The Gleaner over the years and did so dutifully and humbly. Her journalism work was unambiguously of a world-class standard and quality and her death is a prodigious loss for The Gleaner and journalism profession and indeed Jamaica has loss an outstanding daughter of this country. My sincere condolence to her dear family, may The Gleaner staff and management remain strong with knowing that Barbara Gayle lived a life of integrity and was a model of excellence in journalism. Gone too soon, but will always be remembered for many decades to come.
“Man cannot possess anything as long as he fears death. But to him who does not fear it, everything belongs,” Leo Tolstoy.
ROBERT DALLEY