00:00Caribbean Communications Network, by way of its subsidiary, the Trinidad Express,
00:04has come out in winner's row at the 37th Annual Caribbean Broadcasting Union Awards in Guyana.
00:12Journalists Mark Basant and Carolyn Kissoon copped the awards for their work in two crucial areas,
00:17investigative journalism and shedding light on issues pertaining to the rights of the child.
00:22Alice Ibushi has the highlights from the awards ceremony in Guyana.
00:27The media is regarded as the fourth estate tasked with keeping the public aware and holding officials accountable.
00:35This is the 37th year that the Caribbean Broadcasting Union has paid recognition to quality work in journalism and, by
00:42extension, media.
00:43There were 92 awards and special mentions, signaling how stiff the competition was and the magnitude of the pieces submitted.
00:51Caribbean Communications Network, by way of the Trinidad Express, was no exception.
00:57The winner of Best Investigative Items, sponsored by Massey, is...
01:02Please put your hands together for Mark Basant out of Trinidad and Tobago with their piece,
01:07Secrets of Life Sport Revealed, Part 1, the $440 million Life Sport Rip-Off.
01:12Senior multimedia investigative journalist at CCN, Mark Basant, has 10 awards to his name.
01:18But this win stands out.
01:20Well, certainly this one was very special to me because I dedicate that win to my mother who passed earlier
01:29this year in February.
01:30So, you know, around that time when I was working on this piece, we spoke briefly in November of last
01:36year, you know, when I was a little bit better then.
01:39The piece surrounding the 12-year-old Life Sport Corruption case included the testimony of a witness who was under
01:46witness protection in Europe and delved into the gang activity and ghost contracts.
01:52Basant says despite the amount of time that had elapsed, questions remained and he provides some insight into the process
01:59of probing the story.
02:00Well, certainly I must thank Omati Laida, my editor, as well as others who contributed in terms of guidance and
02:07assistance.
02:08And it's a process, of course, because you sit down there, you pull over a 72-page document and you
02:14try to pull out and sift through it,
02:16trying to figure out in stages what to put first, what to do second, what to do third day and
02:22so on,
02:22because it was a three-part series that aired both on television and newspaper.
02:26So, you have to be methodical.
02:27The Express also won the UNICEF-sponsored category, Best Item on a Children's Rights Issue.
02:34And now the winner out of Trinidad and Tobago.
02:37Please put your hands together for Carolyn Kissoon with their piece, Mariah's Painful Life and Brutal Death.
02:47It's an award that a news editor finds near impossible to celebrate because of the tragedy both in life and
02:53in death that Mariah suffered.
02:56Kissoon says she felt compelled to uncover answers to questions that she believed not many people appeared to care about
03:03at the time.
03:04She found herself immersed into the world of a child who had endured serious poverty and abuse.
03:10I wanted her story to raise difficult questions about how we protect children who are vulnerable
03:17and whether we are doing enough before it is too late.
03:21Kissoon is grateful to the CBU on behalf of herself and the Trinidad Express, but...
03:27The truth is, I would give up this award if it meant Mariah never having to suffer the way she
03:34did.
03:35This award is dedicated to Mariah and to every child whose voice may otherwise go unheard.
03:42Special mention was given to CCNTV6 multimedia journalist Cindy Raghubatikasingh for her piece,
03:49Vacation Camp Needed, under the category Best Item on a Children's Rights Issue.
03:55The CBU is reporting significant growth in participation.
03:59According to Chief Judge Andrew Millington, in 2025,
04:04541 submissions were reviewed across 61 categories,
04:08representing a 13% increase from the year prior.
04:12This year, and I'm sure you've heard the number,
04:16we received and deemed eligible a total of 684 entries,
04:24which is an increase now of 25%.
04:26I'm happy to report that I receive no complaints from any of the judges about the increased workload
04:35and the quality of work.
04:37They were very happy once they reviewed.
04:40The top performers were Barbados with 15 awards and 8 special mentions,
04:45followed by Jamaica with 14 awards and 4 special mentions,
04:49and Trinidad and Tobago, which copped six awards across its media network
04:53and received nine special mentions.
04:57Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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