–Mohabir, Marshall excel at PAHO/WHO Media Awards
SINCE its re-introduction in 2014, the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health
Organisation (PAHO/WHO) media awards for excellence in health journalism has generated much interest and revived enthusiasm among local journalists.
It is the only annual journalism award which has provided an opportunity for the work of journalists to be assessed, recognised and rewarded on the basis on competence. Since then, the Guyana Chronicle has stood out as an entity which has nurtured journalists, who have displayed stellar performances at these awards. Notable among the lot are Svetlana Marshall and Tajeram Mohabir – two individuals who have dominated the PAHO/WHO awards over the last two to three years.
In 2014 when the awards were re-introduced, Mohabir copped first place for Best News Story with his piece “Ebola monitoring in Berbice weak.” No stranger to excellence in journalism, he continued this winning streak in the same category in both 2015 and 2016. In 2014, too, Mohabir was also awarded second place for Best Feature story.
Marshall however, was not introduced to the awards until 2015, after she joined the Guyana Chronicle team and was encouraged by Mohabir to participate in the competition. Making her entry that year with her piece “Enough not being done for ‘sicklers’ – says victim, Dr Norton pledges gov’t support,” Marshall copped first place in the News Feature Category.
Determined to better this performance, Marshall was adjudged the overall winner in 2016, having secured first place for Best News Feature in both print and online categories, second place for Best News Story (online), and an honourable mention in the Best News Feature (online).
And according to the mother of one, who graduated with a distinction in Communication Studies from the University of Guyana (UG), she feels empowered and satisfied within herself when she can provide assistance to the average Guyanese.
“I like to stay away from politics. I like to deal with the regular people on the ground and health journalism helps me to do that. When I can bring awareness to an issue and educate people, it helps me as an individual and I feel satisfied within my heart,” she said.
Marshall shared that while PAHO/WHO has rewarded and recognised her contributions to health journalism, her greatest reward is knowing that she is positively affecting the lives of Guyana in small ways.
“At UG we were always told that we should be the watchdogs, but this is not limited to politics. For health journalism, I get to tell stories and inform people who need help and positively influence policy,” the award-winning Journalist said.
And while Mohabir agrees with her, he says that participation in the awards is a test of competence, “so it is always great to win.”
“It gives you the motivation to really improve your work or strive for higher standards in terms of providing detailed information and bringing clarity to the issue you are covering in a fair and objective way,” the young journalist said.
He continued that journalists should be thorough and fair in their reports for it to positively impact social change, not just in health, but every other area including crime, culture, agriculture and politics. Both journalists credited the efforts of photographers whose invaluable contributions have complemented their work.
Marshall, for instance, singled out Photographer Samuel Maughn, whom she said has played a supportive role in making stories interesting by providing visually engaging materials for the Chronicle’s 35,000 readership.
