News 5 reporter wins top environmental prize

But while environmental groups received funding for their projects, they were not the only ones who received attention. Four Belizean journalists were recognized for excellence in their coverage of environmental stories in 2007. Kainie Manuel and Maria Novelo from the San Pedro Sun took the third place award for their piece on solid waste management, Plus TV’s Shannon Arnold received second prize for a report on water, while News Five’s Janelle Chanona was given top honours for her story on the remarkable comings and goings of Five Blues Lake in Saint Margaret’s Village. Perry Beenan of the International Centre for Journalists said he was impressed with Belize’s journalism while Chanona shared that she has a passion for nature.

Perry Beenan, International Centre for Journalists
“I’m very proud to have seen what’s happened here. There is good journalism being done here. We didn’t come here to tell people how to do their job. We just wanted to see if we could help with some resources and talk a little bit about what they might do to add some depth, maybe more sources, a little bit more information to these stories in realising that these are really very small media houses by anyone’s standards. There aren’t very many people to go around; there aren’t very many reporter hours to go around.”

Janelle Chanona, Journalism Award Recipient
“I like my job and it’s always nice when you hear people like what you are doing. Anybody that knows me will tell you that I’m a bush girl at heart so if I can get these types of recognition for doing something I like in a place I love, I’ll keep doing it.”

For her winning work, Chanona received a certificate, a statue, and fifteen hundred dollars. Arnold took home eight hundred dollars, while Manuel and Novelo returned to san Pedro with four hundred dollars. News Five’s Kendra Griffith received an honourable mention for her report on a series of fish kills.”