Getting “made up” for International Television

Some of the earliest posts in this blog, and many posts since then, have talked about the situation of the lobster divers of Honduras and the work Dr. Elmer Mejia does in caring for those divers. I’m happy to say that the documentary project I created while working on my Certificate of Documentary Arts at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University has been used for background by the New York Times and NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams.

A couple weeks ago, a journalist from CCTV was in Honduras working with Dr. Mejia on her own story. Dr. Mejia recommended that she speak to me because I have been to Puerta Lempira (where the divers live) twice. After a number of phone calls and emails, we finally worked it out that I would head to Washington DC to be interviewed in their new studio for the show Americas Now. And that was how I ended up getting “made up” by a makeup artist before heading to the studio.

Never heard of CCTV before? It stands for China Central Television. At the beginning of February, they launched a new show called Americas Now from their still-under-construction studio in DC.

“CCTV America (as it contributes to global CCTV News) aims to inform, engage, and provide debate on a range of issues of relevance to American and global viewers with a particular interest in China and Asia. It aims to highlight coverage in underrepresented regions of the world with diversified perspectives and alternative views.

“On Sundays, CCTV America will feature a unique magazine program. “Americas Now” will focus on issues in Central and South America. Recognizing an absence of in-depth reporting from the region in the US media, “Americas Now” will provide long-form investigations across Latin America.”

After getting thoroughly made up, I was interviewed in the studio by Americas Now anchor Elaine Reyes. We talked for about 25 minutes with two cameras going the entire time. It’ll be cut down to probably five minutes, but that is the nature of television. The story is scheduled to air on April 1. Should be interesting to see how it all comes together.

As you might have noticed, this is one of those stories that has gotten under my skin. I hope the continued attention will help find a way for the Moskito Indians to earn a living without sacrificing their bodies for lobster. It’s been interesting. Some of the reactions to these stories have been negative. People have said “It’s their fault. They know the risks.” Or variations on that. I don’t really believe they do. But when the only way you can feed your family is doing this job, you do it. I see no difference between this situation and people working and dying in sweatshops or in coal mines 100 years ago.