PAJ honours veterans for 200 years of service to journalism
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The Gleaner’s Rudolph Brown is presented with a citation in recognition of his 37 years of service to photojournalism at the Press Association of Jamaica’s veteran luncheon held on March 4, 2026 at J. Wray and Nephew’s office, Dominica Drive, New Kingston.
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The Gleaner’s Rudolph Brown at the Press Association of Jamaica’s veterans luncheon held yesterday at J. Wray and Nephew’s offices in Kingston.
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From left: Rudolph Brown; Simone Clarke; Marlene Stephenson Dalley; Pete Sankey and Milton Walker pose with their citations after being recognised as veteran journalists at the Press Association of Jamaica’s veterans luncheon held on March 4 at J. Wray and Nephew’s office, Dominica Drive, New Kingston.
A combined 200 years of service to journalism was celebrated on Tuesday as the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) honoured six long-time practitioners at its Veterans Awards Luncheon at J. Wray and Nephew in New Kingston.
The ceremony, part of the PAJ’s 2025 National Journalism Week, recognised Simone Clarke, Marline Stephenson-Dalley, Pete Sankey, Rudolph Brown, Kingsley ‘Super T’ Thompson and Milton Walker for decades of service, editorial leadership, mentorship and commitment to press freedom.
The PAJ was forced to postpone the observation of the 2025 National Journalism Week due to the effects of Hurricane Melissa.
Brown, who has been a photographer with The Jamaica Gleaner for over 30 years, has documented every Jamaican prime minister from Hugh Shearer to Dr Andrew Holness, as well as numerous global leaders, including Pope John Paul II, former United States President Barack Obama, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Among his many iconic images is the award-winning photograph of a young boy lifting Queen Elizabeth II’s dress during her 1994 visit to the island, a moment that captured the nation’s innocence and spontaneity.
Brown has covered every general election since 1997, major crime scenes, historic sporting moments, and the 2010 Tivoli Gardens security operation, often at great personal risk.
Thirty-year veteran broadcaster and media trainer Clarke, TVJ’s Smile Jamaica Morning Time host and creator and host of Sim Soul Session; Group Head of News and Sports Milton Walker, with 35 years in journalism; and current Schools’ Challenge Quiz Master Marline Stephenson-Dalley, a practitioner for over three decades, were the other members of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group who were also honoured.
CVM TV correspondent and Western Mirror contributor Kingsley ‘Super T’ Thompson, having started his career in 1988 at JBC Radio West, was honoured for a near-40-year career.
Thompson was unavoidably absent as he was attending his daughter’s graduation. His citation and awards were collected by Giovani Dennis, CVM’s managing editor for news.
SAFEGUARDING DEMOCRACY
Sankey, a 39-year veteran, began his career as a correspondent and reporter with the St Catherine Reporter, rising through the ranks of journalism with stints at the Jamaica Record, the Daily Herald and the Jamaica Observer.
Speaking at Tuesday’s awards luncheon, Daniel Caron-Boulard, managing director of J. Wray and Nephew Limited, hailed the veteran journalists for their contribution to national development.
“Your legacy is not just your body of work. It is a foundation on which the next generation of journalists stand. It is your resilience, your pursuit of truth, and your unwavering devotion to Jamaica’s story that ensure this sector continues to evolve with strength and purpose. In an age where the information landscape shifts constantly, where misinformation spreads quickly and public trust is often tested, the work you do remains essential. You safeguard democracy, holding institutions accountable, and ensure Jamaicans have access to responsible fact-based reporting, even in the most challenging moments,” Caron-Boulard told the audience.
Speaking on behalf of her fellow honourees, Stephenson-Dalley lauded her colleagues for making a difference as purveyors of truth.
“I think that if we can strive daily for things like accuracy and integrity and excellence, even if we don’t get to the sky, but we make it a daily habit to try in all of our endeavours for those three virtues that you mentioned earlier on today, then we would have set a foundation, a solid foundation for the next generation of media practitioners, wherever they serve, ” Stephenson-Dalley said.
National Journalism Week, which is being held under the theme ‘Truth Always’, continues on Thursday with a media workshop titled ‘Ethical Reporting on Children’, it is being held in partnership with UNICEF Jamaica, and concludes on Saturday with the highly anticipated National Journalism Awards Show and After-Party at the S Hotel in New Kingston.
karen.madden@gleanerjm.com