En español
“Where will the water come from to meet the demand of the new people? How much money has the government invested in the development projects of the region?”
The questions flew thick and fast. Twenty Mexican journalists were demanding answers from government officials who were promoting massive housing developments in Loreto, Mexico, a tiny town of 10,000 on the Gulf of California. It was one of the few opportunities local journalists had had to get access to official information. The journalists, who came from eight Mexican states, were part of the training program “Sustainable Development: Coverage of Northwest Mexico,” administered by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).
The seminar was designed to give journalists of Northwest Mexico tools to do a better job of covering growth in this region, which includes states such as Sinaloa, Jalisco, Sonora, Nayarit, Baja California and Baja California Sur. Journalism instruction ranged from basic reporting skills to computer-assisted reporting on environmental issues, and development topics varied from housing and tourism to shrimp trawling.
The three-day seminar started on May 4th in La Paz, a coastal city of around 200,000 people, and ended in Loreto. Like much of the Gulf of California coast, this is a region where the construction of hotels, resorts, condominiums and marinas promises money and jobs, but may threaten the fragile ecosystem—especially fresh water supplies—and change the communities’ way of life.
Northwest Mexico already has placed heavy fishing pressure on its marine resources. It is aggressively pushing to expand tourist infrastructure and services, which, if unconstrained, could harm globally important regional habitats.
"The region's potential for unbridled growth of industries, tourism and fishing cries out for in-depth reporting," said Rob Taylor, Science & Environmental Programs director for ICFJ. During the seminar journalists had the opportunity to visit different local development projects and do on-site interviews with developers, scientists, government officials and local residents. Several journalists have published articles on the topics.
The Sustainable Development: Coverage of Northwest Mexico workshop was sponsored by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University and the International Community Foundation.
Articles
Teorema Ambiental Reporter Scoops Top Prizes in National and Baja California Regional Mexican Biodiversity Reporting Awards
Baja journalists increase environmental awareness
Baja California regional Mexican Biodiversity Reporting award winners
1st prize- Las delicadas riquezas del Mar de Cortéz
2nd prize- Descubren a Hacat: un nuevo tiburón
3rd prize- Manglares, vida y muerte
Other prizewinners
La otra colonización
BCS: sucumben ejidatarios ante la fiebre turística |
