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| Bahamian journalist and BPC member Deandre Williamson was awarded a Walter Cronkite Bust. |
Ms Williamson, an editor /journalist, was also invited to address the 3rd Annual Walter Cronkite Conference on Media Ethics and Integrity, held at the Missouri Western State University, November 3 to 5, 2016. She returned home November 9.
She also became the first international journalist to be awarded the Walter Cronkite Bust for coming first in the conference paper competition.
President of The Bahamas Press Club Anthony Newbold had this to say about such an outstanding achievement.
“Deandre has proven once again that Bahamians can compete at the highest levels in the world in any discipline and we are happy that she is a member of our profession. The Press Club is especially pleased that she chose to address the topic of media ethics and integrity, because they are both areas we feel strongly should be the north star for all of us as practicing journalists.”
The Walter Cronkite Conference on Media Ethics and Integrity is noted as both a celebration of the legacy of Walter Cronkite and a discussion of the future of journalism. The conference is two days of intimate sessions featuring journalism professionals and students who will discuss how ethics have affected their practices.
Ms Williamson a presented on the topic 'Ethical Challenges in Bahamian Journalism: The Case for a Code of Ethics.'
“This is a research study I did for my master's thesis as a student at Point Park University. I'm proud of my work in journalism research, which took me two years to complete,” she says.
The study explores the ethical challenges of Bahamian journalists and presents the case for a code of ethics. The findings for the study were taken from a survey among professional Bahamian journalists and a series of in-depth interviews among veteran Bahamian journalists. The study also presents a series of real-life case studies demonstrating the ethical dilemmas of Bahamian journalists.
“This study is significant to the field of media ethics because it suggest ways to improve media ethics in The Bahamas, which includes drafting a nation-specific code of ethics. This study is also worthwhile and significant to the development of journalism in The Bahamas,” Ms Williamson says.
Ms Williamson found out about the conference through her professor at Point Park University, Dr. Timothy Hudson. He also served as her thesis chair.
She said she was excited to have been chosen to present at the international conference.
After the conference, Ms Williamson visited KQTV, a local television station in Missouri. While there, she shadowed KQTV's reporters and assisted with their coverage of the United States Presidential Election.
Ms Williamson is a former editor and reporter at The Bahama Journal. She received her Master’s Degree from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA in 2014; and a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgia State University, Atlanta in 2009. Ms Williamson received her Associates Degree from the then College of the Bahamas in 2007 (Now University of The Bahamas).
She was a Student Speaker at Point Park at the Graduate Hooding Ceremony in 2014. She also received Academic Excellence Award in Journalism and Mass Communication at Point Part in 2014.
Ms Williamson interned at KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh and at CNN Headline News in Atlanta.
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