UNICEF Highlights Role of Journalism in Advancing Children’s Rights

KINGSTON, MAY 14, 2026: As Jamaica observes Child Month, UNICEF met with recipients of the UNICEF Media Award for Excellence in Reporting on Children’s Rights. The engagement underscored how powerful storytelling can bring into national focus, the lived experiences behind statistics on violence and learning loss, deepen public understanding of children’s issues, and help drive systemic change.

It provided an opportunity for award-winning journalists Corey Robinson, Senior Staff Reporter, and Jovan Johnson, Investigative and Multimedia Journalist, both of The Gleaner, to meet with the UNICEF team to discuss priority issues affecting children and explore opportunities for continued collaboration to strengthen public awareness and advocacy.

The discussion focused on critical areas including access to quality education, mental health and psychosocial support for children and adolescents and public financing for children, with UNICEF highlighting the importance of sustained attention to these issues in shaping positive outcomes for Jamaica’s children.

“Journalists play a pivotal role in bringing visibility to the realities children face and in influencing the national conversation around their rights and wellbeing,” said Ms. Olga Isaza, UNICEF Representative. “We value this opportunity to engage with reporters whose work reflects a strong commitment to responsible storytelling and to advancing the rights of every child,” she added, urging continued reporting that centres children’s perspectives, is grounded in evidence, upholds their best interests, and compels society to take notice and act on the issues affecting their lives.

The journalists shared reflections on their reporting journeys, the importance of amplifying children’s voices and shedding light on underreported issues affecting children’s lives and futures.

“Reporting on children’s issues comes with a responsibility to tell stories that are both accurate and impactful,” Jovan Johnson, noted. “Engagements like this provide valuable context and reinforce the importance of sustained focus on the challenges many children face,” added Corey Robinson, noting that his own experiences growing up in communities similar to those UNICEF seeks to support continue to inform his commitment to telling stories that reflect the realities of children often unheard.

The meeting created space for dialogue on how storytelling can further support national understanding and drive meaningful action, particularly in the context of data, policy, and lived experiences.

Andre Allen, UNICEF Social Policy Officer highlighted the value of continued engagement between the media and development partners, noting that building a deeper public understanding of the structural issues affecting children is essential to advancing reforms and achieving outcomes consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. He emphasised that informed, responsible journalism plays a critical role in shaping the environment for policy change and sustained investment in children.

UNICEF reaffirmed its commitment to working with media professionals to elevate children’s issues in an ethical manner and ensure children’s perspectives remain central to national dialogue, during Child Month and beyond.