MIAMI – Peter, Webley, publisher of the South Florida monthly newspaper, Caribbean Today, will be inducted into the Miami Dade College (MDC) Alumni Hall of Fame in the field of journalism.
Described as one of the pioneers in Caribbean media in South Florida, Mr. Webley founded the Caribbean Today newspaper in 1989, now in its 21st year.
Mr. Webley said that he launched the monthly newspaper realizing the need for greater and better news coverage of the Caribbean region and of the Caribbean Diaspora in the South Florida community. Today, the newspaper which is free to the public, enjoys circulation of nearly 40,000 in cities across the Southern and Northeastern United States, Chicago and throughout the Caribbean.
Peter Webley, Publisher Caribbean Toaday
A graduate of Calabar High School in Kingston, the Miami Dade College, and University of South Florida in Tampa, Webley began his career delivering newspapers for the Miami Today, a weekly publication. Then he worked in several departments at that publishing company, including Circulation and Auditing. He also worked in reporting where he noticed the detriment caused to the people of the Caribbean by the negative reports being published.
With a meager savings and the knowledge gained from his work experience, Webley decided to pursue what he thought was a voice for Caribbean immigrants.
As publisher and owner, Mr. Webley proudly described the newspaper as a communications vehicle that has contributed greatly to raising the positive profile of the Caribbean Diaspora across the United States and the Caribbean region. He told JIS News that the monthly paper has helped the community to understand the diverse cultures that embrace the various communities across the USA. “Readers of Caribbean Today have, over the years, enjoyed a refreshing positive portrayal of minorities including our Caribbean people.”
His acumen for business and community development in South Florida has earned him several outstanding awards such as the City of Miami Hall of Fame; Caribbean Peer Awards Lifetime Achievement Award; the United Coalition of Minority Business Enterprises; the Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week, 2003; the Broward Black Elected Officials Business Leader Award, the Consulate General of Jamaica, Miami, Community Service Award in 2007.
He is also a founding member of the Jamaica USA Chamber of Commerce (JAUSACC) in South Florida, the Kendal South Dade chapter of the Kiwanis Club and the Caribbean American Journalists and Media Association (CAJMA) in South Florida.
Consul General, Sandra Grant Griffiths penned a letter of congratulations to Mr. Webley, expressing that the “recognition bestowed was for his notable achievements as a son of Jamaica,” noting that his “sterling contribution will continue to impact positively on the Caribbean Diasporic community and the wider society to the benefit of future generations who can aspire, guided by your example.”
Watch a recent interview with Publisher Peter Webley on WPBT with host Jessy Schuster discussing, the coverage of Caribbean-American stories in American mainstream media compared to Caribbean-American publications:
http://channel2.typepad.com/pulse/video.html
