Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin Vice Chancellor XI, The University of Guyana REMARKS
On behalf of the University of Guyana and, more specifically, the Centre for Communication Studies (CCS), which trains journalists and media practitioners from Guyana and other parts of the Caribbean, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2025 Caribbean Media Summit. The University’s Centre for Communication Studies and the Department of Events, Conferences and Communications (DECC), alongside the executive and members of the Guyana Press Association and the Media Institute of the Caribbean, have collaborated over these past months to plan this conference and to ensure that it provides a memorable experience and delivers an actionable agenda The theme of this conference is as relevant as it is provocative: Evolving Media Business Models in Turbulent Times ─ AI, Journalism and The Future. To my mind, this theme suggests that we would want to interrogate how AI (technology) is impacting the business of journalism in turbulent (hyper disrupted) times, and how this will in turn impact the future (the evolving now). In this context, we might ask ourselves if a revision of the role of the media and its products in response to irreversible and sustained change in human dynamics is required. Given the ubiquity of social media and the real-time dissemination of all forms of information, traditional news outlets must either leverage their unique strengths or undergo radical transformation to remain viable and relevant. The industry must explore new models to bring developing stories to the forefront swiftly. This may mean the creation of a new form of inter-organizational syndication. Journalistic investigation must now incorporate the myriad streams of information supplied by emerging technologies, which are sometimes employed in informal contexts. Media houses must leverage their vantage point to make effective use of ground-level information. They must become deeply engaged in mastering new technologies and learn to manipulate and deploy these tools to gather, parse, produce, and disseminate media content responsibly, accurately, widely, and with collective fidelity to efficiency, speed, and present realities. Additionally, the traditional formats of journalism must be reevaluated, as long-form reporting may no longer align with the evolving preferences of current and future consumers. Again, time and attention are key. What is needed is the adoption of QUUC—Quick, Understandable, Ubiquitous, and Comprehensive. Those journalists and media houses capable of achieving this balance are likely to succeed in the evolving media landscape. To the fraternity, let me say again: the work you do matters. The way you do it matters more. You must survive and thrive if our world is to evolve in a bearable, free and sustainable way.
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