AccuWeather awards Environmental Journalism Scholarship for students of Puerto Rico
AccuWeather, a global leader in digital media and weather-related big data, together with its AccuWeather en Español project, created an Environmental Journalism Scholarship for students at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR).
"We were looking for journalism students that allowed us to share stories of progress, construction and areas where there is still a long road to recovery for Puerto Rico. We want to create a platform for Puerto Rican journalism students to tell their own stories on AccuWeather.com, from a perspective unique to those who experienced Hurricane Maria and the aftermath of the storm firsthand,” said Meghan Mussoline, managing editor for AccuWeather.
The scholarship is part of the company's efforts to help the island's recovery after Hurricane Maria impacted Puerto Rico in September of last year.
Also, the company based in State College, Pennsylvania, reaffirms its values of diversity and inclusion, by including in its news coverage Latino journalists on the island.
The evaluation committee
The works were evaluated by a group of journalists with experience in coverage of environmental issues working in news media such as El Nuevo Día (Puerto Rico), The Inquirer (Philadelphia) and AccuWeather.
"This scholarship offered by AccuWeather is an ideal platform for journalism students to insert in the news media industry, research relevant issues in Puerto Rico; it is an exercise that allows them to validate that they like what they study, while having the opportunity for growth and learning,” said Gerardo Alvarado, environmental journalist for the newspaper El Nuevo Día.
The multimedia projects that were submitted addressed issues such as the impact of Hurricane Maria on flora and fauna, the coasts, as well as human interest stories related to the self-management of Puerto Ricans, one year after the cyclone.
Read on to learn more about the winning projects:
Scholarship honoree
Project: Solidarity and self-management, a relief for Puerto Rico
Members: Ishbel Cora and Esteban Morales (UPR- Río Piedras)
Comments:
"The work done by Ishbel and Esteban is excellent; a very well written text, accompanied by images that add value to the story. The subject of the report is very accurate, because it exemplifies how citizens have had the recovery of the island without depending on nor waiting for third parties," Alvarado said.
Jesenia De Moya added that the winning project is distinguished for "being a solid job." De Moya, who is a journalist focused in Latino communities and environmental issues for the newspaper The Inquirer, pointed out that the work presented the human empathy in a disaster situation like Hurricane Maria, making use of photographs, videos and excellent narrative elements.
Mentions of honor
Project: Fauna recovers between changes
Members: Gabriel Soto, Luis Méndez y Alex Cruz (UPR- Arecibo)
Project: 'Resilientes', story about the abandonment of shelters for children after the disaster
Members: Yanitza Cruz (UPR- Río Piedras)
