The Gleaner Grew Me - Lipton Matthews Jr of St. Andrew

Zoundria Kanhai, Youthlink Writer

LIPTON MATTHEWS Jr, a 20-year-old student of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, is not like many young men his age.

A characteristic that sets him apart is that he is a loyal reader of The Gleaner. "The Gleaner is operating in a very competitive environment, especially when one has access to the Internet and other sources of information - other newspapers, television and radio. However, the paper's breaking news feature usually provides readers with access to new information in record time. Additionally, The Gleaner is also quite adept at providing its readers with various international reports."

It seems the paper did not need to be introduced to him in his infancy as it was such a commonplace form of literature in his home. "No one introduced me to The Gleaner. In my younger years, some of my relatives would buy the newspapers every now and then and I would read it, and then I started to purchase it myself on a daily basis."

Another contributing factor to his habit of purchasing the newspaper daily is his appreciation of the coverage the newspaper gave following the passing of popular radio talk-show host and journalist Wilmot 'Motty' Perkins. "When Wilmot Perkins died, The Gleaner did a number of reviews on him and I really appreciated them because I was a big fan."

Even though he has sentimental feelings towards the newspaper for this reason, it also provides fodder for the young man's analytical mind.

"The Gleaner has a number of features, but I am really interested in the commentaries, particularly the In Focus. The newspaper still possesses excellent commentators."

Matthews does believe that the paper has flaws but believes, "The Gleaner is a grand institution and if the paper recruits young and independent columnists, the next 180 years will be greater than the past."