Welfare fund established to assist journalists in need

Seeing colleague journalists struggle quietly with medical challenges and other personal crises is what moved veteran practitioner Janet Silvera to propose a welfare fund for Jamaican journalists.

Silvera, who is also an entrepreneur, will make the first contribution of $1 million to the Journalism Welfare Fund from the proceeds of the Jill Stewart Mobay City Run she founded.

“Over the years, I have watched too many colleagues struggle quietly when illness or personal crises strike,” she told The Gleaner yesterday.

“In the past year alone, I have personally contributed close to $700,000 to assist journalists who are battling various illnesses cover their medical bills.”

Dashan Hendricks, president of the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ), announced the creation of the fund during the PAJ’s annual national awards ceremony in St Andrew on Saturday.

He said the fund will provide support to journalists facing hardships, whether due to illness, financial challenges or unexpected personal challenges.

Hendricks told The Gleaner yesterday that the executive of the PAJ will meet to discuss how it will be structured.

Further, he said the PAJ will hold a number of activities to raise money for the fund.

Hendricks noted, while addressing the PAJ awards, that journalists work under significant stress in circumstances where financial security is uncertain.

“Many journalists dedicate decades of their lives to informing the public, holding institutions accountable and serving the national interest, yet the financial rewards do not match the value of that service,” Hendricks said.

Silvera said she envisions the creation of a revolving support fund that is managed by people of integrity who can provide dignified assistance to journalists facing personal challenges.

The veteran journalist said she would like to see the fund reach $5 million by year end, but suggested that the contributions should come from within the media fraternity, including media owners and managers.

“Journalists cannot go out and beg the very people that they report on for financial help. That would compromise the independence and dignity of the profession. Instead, we must find creative and ethical ways to support our own,” Silvera said.

“This is not about charity in the traditional sense, it is about solidarity within a profession that serves the public every day.”

Silvera said if the fund is constructed the right way, it can become “a lasting safety net for the most vulnerable among us”.

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