By Zoila Palma: Channel 7 News Director Jules Vasquez has been named the2026 CBU-CMIA Caribbean Defender of Media Freedom, receiving the inaugural regional award during the opening ceremony of the 57th Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Annual General Assembly at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Georgetown, Guyana.
The award, established through a partnership between the Center for Media Integrity of the Americas (CMIA) and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, recognizes outstanding journalism, courageous reporting and meaningful contributions to protecting and advancing media freedom across the Dutch, English, French and Spanish Caribbean.
In accepting the award, Vasquez reflected on the personal sacrifices made by journalists and their families throughout their careers. “When we stand here solitary, there is a suffering family behind us that you don’t see, a family who misses their father or mother,” he said.
He also acknowledged the team behind his work, noting, “Behind me is a committed team of professionals, past and present, whose dedication is a true bedrock of our newsroom.” Vasquez specifically recognized his professional partner of three decades, news anchor Indira Craig.
Vasquez also spoke candidly about his own journey in journalism and the determination that has sustained him throughout his career. “I was born with a stutter and a face and a figure that my mother might say is best suited for radio,” he joked, before adding that he was born with “the gift of a certain determination and audacity.” He further described his approach to journalism, saying, “I have an ability to disregard fear, to somehow think myself invulnerable, an affinity to face down danger in the pursuit of the greater good that the public needs to know.”
Freelance journalist Jose Sanchez, in a tribute to Vasquez following the announcement, described him as a distinctive figure in Belizean journalism.
“People do not necessarily go home to watch the news. They go home to watch ‘Jules,’” Sanchez wrote.
He recalled Vasquez’s ability to challenge political leaders and noted that “few journalists could sit across from former Prime Minister Dean Barrow and match his verbosity, literary references and anecdotes in the middle of an interview.”
Sanchez also highlighted Vasquez’s impact beyond traditional news reporting, particularly through his Monday “beef” segment, which he said “has become something of a litmus test for the national mood.”
Sanchez concluded that the recognition was particularly fitting for a journalist who has spent decades questioning those in power and challenging official narratives.
Breaking Belize News journalist Zoila Palma also congratulated Vasquez, “Congratulations to Jules Vasquez on this historic and well-deserved recognition. His decades of journalism and fearless approach to holding power to account have made an important contribution to Belizean media and the wider Caribbean.”
Vasquez was selected from three esteemed nominees, including Wesley Gibbins and the Media Institute of the Caribbean.
The post Jules Vasquez: The Fearless voice of Belize honored across the Caribbean appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Channel 7 News Director Jules Vasquez has been named the2026 CBU-CMIA Caribbean Defender of Media Freedom, receiving the inaugural regional award during the opening ceremony of the 57th Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Annual General Assembly at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Georgetown, Guyana. The award, established through a partnership between the
The post Jules Vasquez: The Fearless voice of Belize honored across the Caribbean appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.