Media awards for Caribbean journalists

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

WASHINGTON, USA: Top journalists around the Caribbean and further afield will be recognised for excellence when the Fifth Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) Journalism Awards takes place in Barbados next month.

Local, regional and international journalists, editors, producers, writers are invited to submit their own, or a colleague's work in all aspects of sustainable tourism in the Caribbean region. Contestants need not be at the conference itself.

Any work, dealing with aspects of sustainable tourism, whether print, radio, television or even on-line, published between May 15, 2003 and November 25, 2003 is eligible. Any coverage of the CMEx IV conference in Jamaica last spring that has been forwarded to conference organizers will be entered automatically. As always, the judges appreciate keen, fearless and investigative work - but they'll settle for interesting as well.

Several regional reporters were recognised for excellence in sustainable tourism reporting at the CMEx IV Awards celebration, sponsored by Ruder Finn and held at Sandals Montego Bay. 

Ian Williams, CMEx's media consultant and chair of the judging panel, acclaimed the growing quality of entrants with each competition, and suggested that this showed the benefits of CMEx's work in alerting media to the importance and potential newsworthiness of tourist issues in the region. The successful entries showed acute awareness of the impacts of the industry, and good journalistic sense in presenting them in a sensitive yet reader-friendly way.

Miranda La Rose, a two-time CMEx fellowship recipient and senior reporter with Guyana's Sunday Stabroek, copped top honours for her story of an environmental reserve and the efforts of its managers to involve the indigenous people.

 Gizelle Morris of the Trinidad Guardian was recognised for her study article on the rising incidence of sex tourism and the consequent risks of HIV/AIDS during Carnival season; while her newsroom colleague Lisa Allen-Agostini was honoured for her work on the increasing importance of tourism to St. Vincent and the Grenadines as the old staple crops like bananas lose their value.

Don Bobb, a Vincentian broadcaster, based at the United Nations in New York, was recognised for his excellent reporting of Caribbean tourism issues to the international community of nations. 

New York-based photo-journalist with the Barbados Nation, Clyde Jones, also received a CMEx Special Award, which made it about the only CMEx incident he has not photographed himself, while respected Kingston-based public relations consultant, Marcia Erskine was hailed by the organisers for her tireless contribution to the CMEx process since its inception.

Bahamian press officer Clarence Rolle and Cuthbert Didier, General Manager of Rodney Bay Marina in St. Lucia won honours with respective theatrical and musical presentations at the acclaimed "No Talent Show" that capped the night's awards celebration. 

This year's awardees, including "No Talent" winners, will receive complimentary airline tickets and hotel stays.

CMEx has developed into the region's premier conference on sustainable tourism education for local, regional and international journalists and editors.

For further information, visit http://www.caribbeanmediaexchange.com

  Back...

  Most popular articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed

  Printable version