CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 8

Photo by Randy Richards

A JREAM Job
If, at this point, you are not feeling too exhilarated
or disillusioned, following the recent general
elections, or are able to exercise unadulterated
fairness, you can recognise the aroma of the
most pronounced lesson taught by the Jamaican
electorate; that is, the seemingly commonplace,
yet complex concept of ‘public interest’ should
be used to guide any activity that affects or elicits
the support of the people. This sort of clarity was
impressed upon the group of print journalists
emerging from the Caribbean Institute of Media
and Communication (CARIMAC) at the University
of the West Indies, Mona Campus. We understand
that public interest has its place, even in discussions
around those issues that some would prematurely
dismiss as trivial. Therefore, we believe it is our
practice to thoroughly scrutinise and mediate
fairly on behalf of those we seek to inform.

Yohan S. R. Lee

Editor-in-Chief

The creative process behind CARIMAC Times
2016, involved nothing less, as a group of six
students [the smallest ever], under the noteworthy
supervision of Dr. Corinne Barnes, over the past
year, reconsidered the function of this studentproduced magazine in the Jamaican society. A
collective decision was taken to have the identifier
of this year’s edition, not only be a name, but
also a representative philosophy. It has been
designated JREAM, which stands for ‘Journalists
Reviving Awareness of what Matters’. This acronym
indicates the criticality of professional journalists
as agenda setters and mediators with immense
social responsibilities. It is also communique that
says CARIMAC Times is not just a collection of
feature stories but a purposeful course of action.

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