Liz Williams: “Some friends become enemies, [there’s] a lot of social media bullying”

“[…] It takes a lot of hard work, late nights, missing out on family time, some friends become enemies, a lot of social media bullying.

“Holidays for the public are work for us; [there are] threats made on your life, just to name a few…”

Wired868 sheds light on the everyday lives of Trinbagonians in our ongoing series: ‘A day in the life…’

Today, we hear from Elizabeth Williams, also known as ‘Liz’ Williams, who is a prolific Tobago-based journalist:

What is your home town?

I live in both San Juan, Trinidad and Mt Pleasant, Tobago.

How would you describe yourself as a person?

I am a ‘gets the job done’ kind of person.

What do you enjoy doing during your free time?

Travelling the world, eating, exercising, doing household chores and shopping.

What is your philosophy as a journalist? And what inspired you to join this field?

My philosophy is: ‘Be passionate about what you do and get the job done’.

[My journey] started years ago as I grew up attending San Juan Wesleyan Holiness Church. During public speaking in a youth month, the judge told my mom I should consider media.

My late mom took me to Port of Spain and we started looking for radio broadcasting courses. We found one led by the late Holly Thomas and from there I followed my passion for the media.

What ethical dilemmas have you faced in your journalism career, and how did you handle them?

Ethical dilemmas? I face them one at a time.

Can you give any examples?

I wish not to venture further into specifics.

In a world full of fake news, what precautions do you take to ensure your collected information is accurate?

Sometimes fake news does look real. There are people and situations that pretend and we do get caught at times as we are human, so we have to keep our guard up.

I try my best to double check before putting out information. [Recently], there was a shooting at one of Tobago’s hotspots, Egypt Bethel, and [regarding] the number of persons being shot, a number of inaccurate information was in the space.

I visited the scene and focused on what was told to me by police and thankfully when I requested the official report my information was accurate.

Considering all the major stories from last year within both islands, which would you have liked to cover? And why?

I embrace news in various aspects and I am not zealous [about] stories. I have the philosophy where I embrace the stories I cover and do this to the best of my ability.

What role do you think social media plays in modern journalism?

Social media plays a great role in modern journalism as we don’t necessarily have to wait till 7pm for the news anymore. The news is on the hour, minute, second of our daily lives. I embrace social media as a marketing tool for my day-to-day delivery.

I know that your beat is the news of Tobago, and on the island, there are multiple stories—so how do you stay updated with current events and trends?

I am close to the people on the ground. They assist me even when I am not in the country. It’s sometimes overwhelming but my passion overrides my busy days.

I am also aligned to groups outside of Tobago.

Would you be hesitant to ask potentially uncomfortable questions? And can you tell me a story you covered in which you had to?

I am never hesitant to ask uncomfortable questions and I have many times with top politicians in the country, for example Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine.

No matter their response I roll with the punches and do not harbor hate or bitterness, as we need to remain respectful to our leaders.

Can you give an example of one awkward interview or interaction?

I interviewed a family member once on a sensitive topic; the next day another family member saw me, walked up to me and threatened me. A report was done on this interaction.

Years later the same person who threatened me walked up to me requested a report being done on his behalf. It actually took me by surprise.

What pushes you to succeed?

What pushes me to succeed is God and the fact that I am passionate about my work. The support of my companion and my daughter Reziel also assist me in moving forward.

One night I was leaving home to respond to a murder, my daughter told me mummy be safe. I nearly broke down in tears. I told her thank you so much, so kind of you.

Her saying ‘be safe’ meant the world to me. My daughter Reziel and my companion, Jeffery: they are the epitome of support and appreciation and I love them dearly.

What is your biggest accomplishment as a well-known journalist in Tobago?

I take each day, when I’m able to wake and do the best I can in my field, as a great accomplishment—to do even better at each story filed to radio i95.5fm, television CCN TV6 News or the Express Newspaper.

What do you think is your best quality as a journalist?

The ability to usually get someone to give me information they told me they preferred not to say.

What is something that many people don’t know about journalism?

It takes a lot of hard work, late nights, missing out on family time, some friends become enemies, a lot of social media bullying… Holidays for the public are work for us; [there are] threats made on your life, just to name a few.

What are the two most important lessons you picked up over the years as a journalist?

Remain determined and use disappointments to propel you to be even better at your craft.

What advice would you give to a young journalist?

Be bold, be brave, be passionate about your craft and embrace your daily challenges, as no media environment is perfect.

Editor’s Note: You can follow Elizabeth Williams on Facebook as Liz Williams, on Instagram as Lizwilliamsn, on TikTok as Lizwilliamsn, and on Twitter as EWilliamstv6.