Media freedom in the Caribbean was placed at center stage on Tuesday through a new regional award recognising the journalists and institutions working to protect the public’s right to know.
The Center for Media Integrity of the Americas and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union presented the inaugural Caribbean Defender of Media Freedom Award during the opening ceremony of the CBU’s 57th Annual General Assembly in Georgetown, Guyana.
The award brought together three nominees whose work represents different sides of the fight for independent journalism: Belizean journalist Jules Vasquez, Trinidad and Tobago journalist and media advocate Wesley Gibbings, and the Media Institute of the Caribbean.
Vasquez, the news director of 7News Belize, was selected for the inaugural award. His work has included investigations into corruption and public accountability. “I think also of the family of all those who are wedded to this profession,” he said during his acceptance speech. When we stand here solitary, there is a suffering family behind us that you don’t see, a family who misses their father or mother… And then it’s on to the next one, back on the rollercoaster that we are all on. I’m always aware that I don’t stand here alone. Behind me is a committed team of professionals, past and present.”
Wesley Gibbings, a Trinidad and Tobago journalist and broadcaster, was nominated for more than four decades of work building press freedom institutions across the region. He founded the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, serves as Vice President of the Media Institute of the Caribbean, and sits as the Caribbean’s sole representative on the Council of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange. As an Acting Independent Senator in Trinidad and Tobago, he has pushed legislative protections for journalists’ confidential sources.
Meanwhile, the Media Institute of the Caribbean was nominated for its regional reach since 2012, training over 800 journalists across more than 25 countries through more than 525 workshops. The institute led a regional push for Freedom of Information legislation in partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and runs digital safety and mental health support programmes for journalists working under pressure.
Together, the nominees reflect a growing challenge for Caribbean journalism:media freedom is not defended by one newsroom, one journalist or one organisation, but by those willing to keep holding power to account amid political pressure, financial uncertainty, disinformation and new technology.
Watch the 37th CBU Media Awards Gala live tonight at 7:00pm on News 5 Live’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
