A Short Personal Profile on Ian Boyne

The passing of veteran journalist Ian Boyne came as shock to many. We all knew that his illness that prompted a coma was grave however his subsequent recovery was greeted with joy. Yet we are here standing in the aftermath of his passing, left to ponder his many words and musings but happy to have shared our time with him.

Ian was one of Jamaica’s few truly unbiased reporters and possibly the most well-read. I remember enjoying his Gleaner columns that while some left me dumbfounded on his logic or others nodding in agreement, I could always leave knowing that I had learnt a great deal from his writings. Perhaps his most defining trait from his musings was that he while being a staunch Christian did not feel the need to impose his religion onto others and even accepted that Christianity had its shortcomings along with its blame as a tool for misinformation in Jamaica. Coupled with the fact that he could argue a point with facts and data rather than the loudness and bravado that many opted for and we have a truly rare individual.

Mr Boyne was not an uptight individual however, he had a subtle sense of humour and I remember reading his reply of why he doesn’t generally interview politicians on his acclaimed program Profile to which his answer was “Because they are boring.” He went on further to explain his point in a more reserved manner but that answer stuck with me because it was so unlike him at the time. This one instance showed a more casual side of the academic and often unflinching individual that was Ian Boyne.

It was always a running joke among my peers that Ian Boyne’s -whom we referred to in jest as “Ian Boring”- most defining trait was his interview style or more precisely his question format. He had the habit of going back to a topic that you thought had been wrung dry and ask a question that was completely out of the blue. In fact, it reminds me of a lecturer confronting a cheeky student in the back of the class and I am pretty sure that there are memes and jokes aplenty about him conducting interviews with individuals in the afterlife.

Possibly even sitting with Jesus right now:

Jesus: “So as you can see, my going to Earth was long foretold and…”

Ian: “Interesting. So you’re telling me your own Father, an individual of immense power sent you down to Earth to die for ALL our sins?”

Jesus: “Yes, but you see that was a part of…”

Ian: “Hold that thought, we’ll be back with more after this short break.”

I now realize that we took Ian for granted. He was always going to be there, a fixture on my television that I could watch argue religion and theism on Religious Hard Talk, gently grill his guests about their past on Profile or reading his musings on the political topic of the week. His passing is a monumental loss both for the media and the Jamaican people. We will miss you Ian but we know you probably have a new Profile in the works for us and we will carry on in your spirit.