A three day media course focusing on reporting on children’s issues came underway on Monday, November 21st. The workshop was a collaborative effort between UNICEF and the University of the West Indies UWI. The course took place at the UWI campus in Belize City and was offered free of cost to journalists across the country.
The training was facilitated by Janelle Chanona, independent journalist and Holly Edgel, international journalists and a member of the United States’ Association of Professional Press and Ms. Diane Shaw, Consultant to UNICEF.
According to Ms Edgel, the first objective of the course is to try to give the journalist some actual information and data on the situation of children and youth in Belize. The second part is trying to ensure that journalists are able to step back while reporting on children and do so in a way that the child’s basic rights are not being infringed upon.
The training took participants through International Standards as well as the Belize Broadcasting Authority’s Guidelines for reporting on children. Participants had an opportunity to interview a child of their choice and present their interviews to the group.
Present for the training were 21 media personnel from the various media houses around the country as far south as Punta Gorda.
At the end of the training each participant received a Certificate from UWI as well as an in-depth understanding of reporting on children in the country. The training concluded on Friday November 25th. A highlight of the training was the brainstorming of ideas for the creation of a Belize Media Association which will be spearheaded by Ms. Chanona.
