Reports on pediatric healthcare in Venezuela and illegal plastic surgery in Colombia were awarded with the Roche Health Journalism Prize on July 5.
The prize, organized by Roche América Latina with the Technical Secretariat of the Gabriel García Márquez Foundation for New Ibero-American Journalism (FNPI), “seeks to recognize excellence and promote quality journalistic work in the coverage of health issues in Latin America.”
A collaboration between 40 journalists in Venezuela won in the internet category. “Huérfanos de la salud” (Orphans of health) looks at the “crisis of the public health care system in Venezuela and its impact on the State's ability to guarantee the rights of children,” according to the report. The six-part multimedia report was carried out under the editorial direction of David González Travieso and published in IPYS Venezuela and digital site El Pitazo.
“It is an outstanding production, combining rare breadth and depth. In six rigorously investigated chapters, it draws a detailed map of the Venezuelan reality in matters of child health, without forgetting the personal side through very well told stories,” the jury wrote, also noting the well-coordinated teamwork required to produce the report.
Colombian journalists Juan Camilo Chaves Rodríguez and Charlotte De Beauvoir took the prize in the radio category for their work in Cerosetenta (070) of Universidad de los Andes, done in collaboration with Radio Ambulante. The report, “Doctor: ¿Esto es normal?”(Doctor: Is this normal?), looks at illegal aesthetic plastic surgery in Colombia through the experience of a young woman.
“It is an integral journalistic work, ‘a complete package,’ that addresses a scientific issue with a social mindset,” the jury wrote. “It tells a good story that manages to catch its audiences from the start and prolongs suspense throughout the story.”
Other finalists in the internet category included:
Other finalists in the radio category included:
The prize received 435 submissions, according to the award site. The awards ceremony for the winners was held on July 5 in Cali, Colombia during Roche Press Day.
