Observer promotes four career journalists
Four career journalists at the Jamaica Observer have been promoted, as the newspaper moves to consolidate its gains as the leading paper on weekdays. The journalists are: Pete Sankey, Cassandra Brenton, Michael Gordon and Bryan Cummings.
Sankey who has been National News Editor since 2001, is now the paper’s Senior Associate Editor. He retains overall responsibilities for the news but will undertake additional responsibilities to assist with the management of the editorial department.
Sankey began his 19-year journalism career with a small community paper – the St Catherine Reporter – founded by veteran journalist, Basil Walters.
His big break came in 1988 when he was employed, first as the St Catherine correspondent with the now defunct Jamaica Record and later as a staff reporter.
During this time the Dinthill Technical old boy went on a fellowship to the International Institute for Journalism in Berlin, Germany, and then pursued a diploma in mass communication at the Caribbean Institute of Mass Communication (CARIMAC) at Mona.
He worked as a reporter at the Jamaica Herald, before being promoted to chief sub-editor and later to the position of news editor.
In 1995, Sankey joined the Observer as Current Affairs Editor. In 2001, he won the Press Association of Jamaica award for human interest journalism.
Brenton, who was the assistant news editor, has been promoted to Associate Editor News with greater responsibility for the Observer’s news desk and human interest coverage.
She joined the newly established Observer as a reporter in 1993 from the Institute of Jamaica. In 1998, she was given the responsibility of co-ordinating the weekly religion section of the Sunday Observer and later the Agriculture section and the Western Edition.
She was soon after promoted to the position of senior reporter, doubling as night copy editor, before being given additional duties to edit the opinion columns of the Sunday Observer as well as copy editing for the News and Sunday desks.
After completing a masters in Journalism at the University of Westminster, in London, she returned to the Jamaica Observer where she was promoted to the position of Assistant News Editor.
Brenton has won many scholarships and awards including the British Chevening Scholarship in London, Reuters Foundation Fellowship, London, and Press Association of Jamaica Journalism awards in 1996 and again in 2000.
An old girl of Merl Grove High school, Brenton studied web design, video editing, enhanced CD creation, magazine design and photography and film processing at the University of the West Indies, where she earned a diploma in mass communication and a first degree in media and communication.
Gordon, a veteran journalist, is the new Senior Photo Editor for the Observer which he joined shortly before it began publishing in 1992. He resigned his job after 18 years at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), sacrificing his pension and other benefits to join the new publication as its one-man photo department.
As a boy, Gordon worked with his father in his photography business and in 1969 joined his uncle, Louis Gordon at his Church Street store in downtown Kingston.
He got his first taste of working in media when he was assigned to shoot pictures for the Agriculture Information Service.
With this promotion, Gordon, previously the photo editor, will be less visible on the road as he will be involved in more of the managerial functions of his department. Gordon has won numerous PAJ national awards for outstanding photography.
Cummings who started photography as a hobby, is the new photo editor of the Observer. He studied History and Social Sciences at the University of the West Indies, with no special plans to do photography.
He joined the Observer in 1993 as a freelancer and the following year was made a full-time member of staff when the paper went daily.
As photo editor, his duties will include day-to-day assignment of photographers and to assist in monitoring the overall quality of the pictures published in the paper.
The Munro College old boy has won numerous awards for himself from the Press Association of Jamaica and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission.