[UPDATED] The Vibes bags two gold, five merit awards in Kinabalu Press Awards

KOTA KINABALU – The Vibes has bagged two gold awards and five merit awards at the Kinabalu Press Awards held here, marking the one-time largest haul for the news portal in its three years of operation.

The awards recognise the efforts of the portal’s journalists Jason Santos and Rebecca Chong.

Chong’s article titled “Kaamatan festival – KadazanDusun parents reflect on the importance of language” won the gold award in the Entertainment, Culture and Arts category.

Another story of hers, titled “10-year-old Sabahan becomes world champ after eight months of Muay Thai” won gold in the Sports Journalism category.

Chong received a merit award for her series of reports on the government’s demand on fishery export tax in the Business and Economic category.

Santos, meanwhile, also bagged a merit award for his story “Sabah pangolin poaching bust: when will it be taken to court?” in the Environmental Journalism category.

Both Chong and Santos also bagged a merit award in news reporting categories for their joint coverage of the bankrupted Sabah paper mill, Sabah Forest Industries.

Also, they each won merit awards in the top Journalism Award category.

Chong won this for her two-part feature on migrant mothers resorting to home births to avoid hospital fees and arrest. The two-part series was titled “Migrant mothers resort to home births to avoid hospital fees, arrests”, parts 1 and 2.

Santos, meanwhile, won for his story titled “The invalid Sulu claim over Sabah: a historical explanation”.

At the ceremony, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor called on media organisations should ensure the journalism industry in Sabah continues to thrive by involving more youth in the field.

He said not many among the younger generation wanted to make journalism a career option nowadays, with among the key reasons being the less attractive salary packages.

“Perhaps it is time for media organisations to offer appropriate salaries and incentives to ensure that more among the young generation take up journalism in the future,” he said while officiating the Kinabalu Press Awards 2023.

Also present were Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Sabah Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, and Sabah Journalists Association (SJA) president Datuk Muguntan Vanar. – The Vibes, October 29, 2023