Belizean Journalists Attend ‘Fish School’

Over the weekend, the local media participated in a one-day training workshop entitled “Fish School.” Organized and funded by OCEANA Belize, the training was facilitated by Margot Stiles, Marine Scientist and Chief of Strategy at OCEANA.  Journalists from different news agencies including News Five received information about Belize’s marine ecosystem and the many challenges it faces. Half of the country’s population relies on a healthy marine environment for their food, livelihoods, and a shared cultural heritage. This is why,

Janelle Chanona

OCEANA’s Vice President, Janelle Chanona, says journalists, with the help of local experts, will be able to effectively share comprehensive news items on the topic.

Janelle Chanona, V.P., OCEANA Belize

“The point is very simple. It is to get scientist and journalist in the same room so that there can be that free flow of interaction so that the journalists can ask the scientist how do you break down in small change the scenario that you are laying out so that the science becomes less intimidating. Also, it is helpful for the scientists to hear from the journalists how from the onset they can be communicated in a way that they can be efficient as well as user-friendly. At the end of the day what will happen is that the Belizean public becomes more informed because as journalists if we can explain in our stories more effectively then at the end of it, the Belizean public is more informed about what is happening and why things are playing out the way they are.”