Thank you for joining us on this historic and special occasion.

I express a special welcome to Mrs. Dorothy Derrick, the wife of the late Samuel "Fergie Derrick and to his children. Special welcome as well to the extended Derrick Family. Winston is not physically with us this morning, but I am certain he has joined us via the Internet.

Thank you for agreeing to have an award in the form of a full tuition journalism scholarship as a memoriam to the life of Fergie. Fergie's media revolution had at its core the concept of open public expression. This revolution was taking place at a time when the previous administration distinguished itself by obscenely oppressing press freedom. The ALP Government operated a state owned television monopoly from which opposition views were banned.

It has been advanced in some quarters that this suppression of freedom of the press began when the Antigua Christian Council's Sunday night programme "Common Ground" was discontinued.

By 1993, Observer by Fax had become an important forum for public expression. It was providing a medium for important public expression. The editorials and features in the Observer by Fax, and subsequently in the Daily Observer, were examples of writing excellence that struck a chord with the reading public. The motto of the Daily Observer is "Let there be Light", and since the advent of the Daily Observer on January 27, 1994, Antiguans and Barbudans have had a medium through which public commentary and critiques have been unfettered.

The struggle by the Derricks to establish Observer Radio then followed. I say struggle because that is exactly what it was. The epic struggle was marked by an oppressive state regime that confiscated the studio equipment of Observer Radio, which was then housed at Scott's Hill. The fight, which lasted six years and comprised several legal battles, culminated in a successful legal appeal to the Privy Council. The roles of the attorneys-at law in this case at the Privy Council cannot be understated. I speak of Sydney Christian, QC, Geoffrey Robertson, QC and our very own, Hon. Harold Lovell, now Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

And so, ironically, the existence of Observer Radio, which operates only be edict of the Queen's Privy Council, validated the ALP's endemic fear of freedom of expression.

The same virtues of excellence in journalism that applied to the Daily Observer Newspaper have been applied to Observer Radio, and Observer Radio has been well received by the public.

Today, the Daily Observer and Observer Radio are widely regarded as examples of excellence in journalism in Antigua and Barbuda. These examples of excellence helped change a Government. These examples of excellence also played a catalytic role in changing a Government and changing the face of the Nation forever.

The launch of this scholarship, the Samuel "Fergie" Derrick Memorial Award for Excellence in Journalism, is, therefore, a fitting tribute to the memory of Samuel "Fergie" Derrick.

The Government's commitment to this full tuition scholarship was conceptualized in 2004 by my Cabinet colleague, Hon. Dr. Jacqui Quinn-Leandro, who at that time was the Minister of Information. Thank you Dr. Quinn-Leandro for your vision and commitment. The scholarship is, in part, a fulfillment of one of our commitments in the UPP Manifesto, Agenda for Change, to provide training opportunities to facilitate a qualified cadre of media professionals.

The launch of this scholarship has had the full support of the Hon. Bertrand Joseph, the Minister of Education and the Board of Education, represented here today by the Hon. Gisele Isaac-Arrindell, who is also a Member of the Selection Committee. Thank you both for your support for this historic initiative.

I also want to express my personal gratitude to the other Selection Committee Members: Winston Derrick (who is currently off-island and who is being represented at the Selection Committee meetings by his brother Bob Derrick), Keva Margetson, Yvonne McMillan, Agnes Blaize and Selvyn Walter. Ms. Blaize had a previous pressing commitment and Mr. Walter is currently off-island. Thank you to all of them for agreeing to serve on the Selection Committee.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the record struggle for the "freeing up of the media" has other important chapters. You will recall that the then Opposition Leader, now Prime Minister, Hon. Baldwin Spencer, also challenged the Government of the day in respect of access to the state-owned ABS TV.

The judgments of both the Privy Council ruling and those of the Antigua and Barbuda High Court in respect of the struggle for freedom of the press must be compulsory reading for every student of journalism and every media practitioner. Ladies and Gentlemen, the reports of the international media and international organizations on these matters must also be compulsory reading.

Ladies and Gentlemen, what is the role of the media in building our country, our community? What is good journalism all about?

We live in an era where certain media houses distinguish themselves by preaching and advocating and adumbrating hate, ethnocentrism, racism and anti-social behaviour. We live in an era where certain interests, certain secular interests with access to media operations, are attempting to dictate what the agenda of the Government ought to be. I put it to you, ladies and gentlemen, that these interests are reflected in commentaries and editorials and talk shows that are not only jaundiced but smack of gutter journalism.

I also put it to you that it is very critical that media houses maintain a position in the country and in the community that manifests itself by a commitment to the basic fundamentals of good journalism.

The media has an important role to play in building community.

We live in an era today in which both journalists and the discerning public have started to struggle with the concept of what constitutes good journalism.

It's no longer enough for journalists themselves to think they are doing a good job. For journalism to continue to attract readers, listeners and viewers, readers, listeners and viewers have to agree that journalism plays an essential role in our democratic society.

Recently, though, there is increasing anecdotal evidence that this is not the case. There is a growing resentment toward some sections of the media and its practices. Arrogant, insensitive, biased, inaccurate, and sensational are the words some members of the public use to characterize certain media houses.

We must move beyond simply diagnosing the problem and come up with some prescriptions for solutions. In truth, many journalists (and even the arm chair experts who are frequent contributors to radio call in programmes) are more comfortable with diagnoses than prescriptions. What is the role of the journalist in community building?

One of the models that journalists pay great lip service to is what's called the "watchdog" model. While this is a role that has a lot of intrinsic and community value, there are sections of the public that increasingly have misgivings about that role, and even journalists agree that the press is often doing more than simply covering stories-they are often driving controversies, especially in looking at the decisions that arise as a result of the policies of Governments and in the personal and decision-making behaviour of public figures.

New models are being tested around the world. One is that of a "guide". Can there be journalism that not only gives people news and information but also helps them do their jobs as citizens? That doesn't just deliver hate and abuse in the form of the political talk show of the day, but actually challenges people to get involved, get engaged and take ownership of problems? One that doesn't position them as spectators, but as participants?

I am actually speaking about civic journalism. Civic journalism does not advocate abandoning the watchdog role, but rather adding further responsibilities.

Civic journalism is aimed at nourishing some experiments in newsrooms to see if there could be different models, models that still adhere to the core values of journalism - accuracy, objectivity, independence, fairness - but are also useful to citizens.

Civic journalism is now a broad label put on the efforts by editors and news directors to try doing their jobs as journalists in ways that help people to overcome their sense of powerlessness and alienation. It aims to educate citizens about issues and current events so that they can make civic decisions, engage in civic dialogue and action, and, generally exercise their responsibilities in a democracy.

Civic journalism is not about telling readers, listeners and viewers what to think or how to act. It is about creating a neutral zone of empowerment, arming citizens with information and sometimes with methods to shoulder some responsibility and offer some imaginations or solutions for fixing a problem.

One way that civic journalists try to do "different journalism" is to seek new definitions of news. Most journalists define news as conflict: incumbent vs. challenger, winner vs. loser, pro vs. con.

Civic journalism seeks to expand that definition. It seeks to go beyond covering an event, a meeting, or a controversy. It tries to convey knowledge, not just news developments. It's about covering consensus as well as conflict, success stories as well as failures---stories that may help other communities deal with difficult issues.

Civic journalism is about reframing stories to make them more relevant to readers.

Civic journalism is about redefining balance.

Civic journalism is about providing entry points to involve people and encouraging interactivity between journalists and citizens. It seeks to create two-way conversations with readers, in contrast to a one-way downloading of information - dumping a lot of facts on the public - as is seen so frequently in traditional journalism.

And I don't speak as a novice here, having been at one time very active in the media, dating back to 1980 and more recently in my stints on Observer Radio's "Have Your Say".

So what's civic journalism's bottom line?

For the community:

• We see quality journalism that also improves a community’s capacity for dealing with problems
• We see that when you provide readers with means to act, they will act.
• We have seen that civic journalism efforts have measurably increased readers’ knowledge of a particular subject.
• We have seen that civic journalism efforts have positively influenced people’s perceptions of the media.

For journalism:

• We see in-depth reporting that has resonated more authentically with the community, rather than journalism that parrots just two sides of an issue.
• We see journalists rediscovering their communities – and cracking some old stereotypes.
• We see all kinds of innovations in newsrooms. New page, new jobs, new criteria, new mission statements.

" We see all kinds of innovations in newsrooms. New page, new jobs, new criteria, new mission statements.

Finally, civic journalism has produced an environment that has allowed editors to take new risks.

I don't think civic journalism has all the answers to what ails the media in Antigua and Barbuda. But it can take a big slice of credit for coming up with some remedies. And I believe, as St. Paul advised in one of his letters, that we need to "try all things and hold fast to all that is good"

Thank you and God bless.

Digital photos by Maurice F. Merchant