WESTERN BUREAU — In celebration of World Press Freedom Day, the Caribbean chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC/Caribbean), will today host a one-day seminar at the Wyndham Rose Hall Resort and Country Club in Montego Bay.

The host is Marguerite Sullivan, a media trainer who has been press secretary in the office of two US vice-presidents. The workshop is aimed at public relations practitioners and other key personnel who supply information to the media, and another session will be staged at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on May 5th.

One topic to be covered at the seminar is crisis management. According to Gerry McDaniel, president of IABC/Caribbean there is a need, especially in the area of tourism, to address transparency and quality of information provided to journalists.

“Journalists need to trust what you tell them,” he said. “You often get the feeling that (the information received) is fluff and nothing substantial. There needs to be transparency across the board.”

Sullivan is currently vice president for communications and external affairs with the International Republican Institute, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide.

The IABC is an international network for professionals engaged in strategic business communication management. Members run the gamut from media practitioners to public relation personnel with 14,000 members in over 60 countries worldwide.

The forum will be used as a launching pad for a unit to be set up in Montego Bay.