Award-winning Journalist and Senior Producer at Sportsmax Limited, Donald Oliver.

Photo Credit: Contributed

By: Katrich Walker

Senior Producer at Sportsmax Limited, Donald Oliver is imploring upcoming journalists at the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) to build their credibility as they join the field.

He was speaking at NCU’s Department of Communication Studies (DCS) Week of Excellence (WOE) Symposium on Wednesday, April 14.

“One of the things that I would recommend to anyone who is coming into the field is to make sure that you build your credibility and once you build your credibility your stature will flow.”

The award-winning Journalist shared that credibility does not get one a lot of friends.

“As you build credibility, that’s when the stakes are actually going to become high. In building your credibility you’re not going to be making friends obviously. As a Journalist, if everyone likes you, you’re not doing your job right. If as a news journalist in Jamaica you’re not called PNP one week and JLP the next week you’re not doing your job right,” he said.

Oliver, who copped the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in 2009, further encouraged students not to be ashamed of the principles that they have built and not to let fame compromise their principle.

He also encouraged students to network, and seek mentors to assist with the passing on of knowledge in the workspace.

Oliver was specifically speaking during the event’s Journalism Breakout Session.

It was held under the theme, ‘Prioritizing Principles over Positions.’

The journalism breakout session was one of the presentations done along with radio, television and public relations.

The week of activities seeks to showcase and highlight the Department and the work it has been doing.

This year, the events were held virtually on zoom with some parts streamed LIVE on YouTube under the theme, ‘Developing Skills, Build on Character.’