Veteran journalist and Our Today team member Durrant Pate was selected by the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) to be awarded for his notable contribution to journalism at a luncheon ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel last week.

Pate has made his mark with his solid and reputable work at a number of Jamaica’s leading media houses for close to four decades.

His citation at the Veteran’s Award ceremony read: “The Press Association of Jamaica proudly celebrates Durrant Pate, an accomplished veteran whose 36-year career in journalism, communications, and public relations exemplifies innovation, professionalism, and dedication. A versatile and results-driven practitioner, Pate has shaped Jamaica’s media landscape with his expertise in producing impactful newsletters, corporate profiles, and information bulletins, alongside his deep knowledge of international political economies and financial systems.

“Pate’s academic foundation includes a Postgraduate Diploma in Media and Communications, and his professional journey spans notable contributions to esteemed organizations such as the Jamaica Record, Jamaica Observer, Jamaica Herald, Business Access TV, KLAS FM 89, Power 106 FM, Hot 102 FM, Nationwide News Network and Jamaica Business Magazine. His coverage of critical beats like courts, crime, parliament, business, and finance has positioned him as a trusted and respected voice in Jamaican journalism.

“His work has earned him numerous accolades, including the PAJ Digicel Award for Technology (2014), the Carlton Alexander Award for Business & Finance Journalism (2013), the Hector Bernard/Theodore Sealy Award for News (2008), and the PAJ Best News Story Award (2006). Pate’s investigative prowess also garnered recognition from the Pan-American Health Organization with its top award for Best News Story in 2006.

“Beyond journalism, Pate has demonstrated exemplary leadership as a manager, mentoring teams under tight deadlines and budget constraints.  A dedicated advocate for community development, Pate has served in roles such as Convenor of Residents United for Peace and Development and Public Relations Officer for the City Centre Police Youth Club. His contributions to the PAJ include participation in the Task Force reforming its Constitution and drafting the Media Code of Ethics in 2010.

“Durrant Pate’s legacy of excellence in journalism, his commitment to public service, and his dedication to fostering informed dialogue solidify his place as an outstanding figure in Jamaican media.

Our Today’s founder and CEO Al Edwards congratulated Durrant Pate, adding: “This PAJ Award for his work as a journalist is well deserved and well earned. Durrant is mercurial and dedicated to his craft. He has an inquiring mind and is very resourceful. Since we launched Our Today, his contribution has been invaluable and prolific. He can be relied upon to deliver and this speaks volumes about his character and work ethic. Younger journalists and those who aspire to enter the profession can learn from him. I am proud to have him as a member of our team and his input has played a part in us establishing ourselves as a media house.

“On a personal note, I can say he is a thoroughly good chap. Not many people also know he is a furniture maker. Maximum respect to Durrant. We salute you mate!“

Asked to reflect on his long career and on winning this prestigious award, Durrant Pate said: “As I reflect on my past, I can’t believe that it has been 36 years already and it’s not that I’m old but because I started early at age 18 and stayed too long, 36 years later.

“Despite having graduate and postgraduate qualifications in two distinct disciplines, I seem to have buried myself in journalism because of my love of the profession and the ability to bring light and justice to the underprivileged, dispossessed, and the poverty-stricken, who have no voice to articulate and enforce their rights constitutional and otherwise in this current Jamaican society, which has lost its way in looking out for neighbours and doing good for all.

“My motivation for giving voice to the voiceless is influenced by my own upbringing being a ghetto youth from the bowels of poverty in West Kingston, where even today I remain, based as a motivator, mentor and symbol that good does come from bad. The ghetto is not where you are, but the state of your mind.

“My greatest achievement is not the many journalism awards and academic achievements attained, but the ability through my journalism work to rewrite a wrong, bring justice to where there was none. One of my greatest pleasures was coming from a news conference at the Ministry of Finance a week before Christmas and while my colleagues drove off after the press conference, not one journalist save and except for myself, stopped to notice two female demonstrators; a mother and daughter holding placards seeking justice. Having interviewed them and followed up on the story, justice was finally dispensed with the payment of an outstanding court award by the government two years later.

“They didn’t have the money to afford high-profile attorneys to argue their case but they found a curious journalist who knew how it is to be poor with no access to justice. Sadly, the mother never lived to see justice dispensed but her daughter did. It is situations like these that have kept me in journalism and may keep me there forever.”