The Tribune

A RECENTLY launched Bahamian media company has been given a leading role in facilitating the coverage of the Pope’s visit to the United States this week.

Willie Lora, the Managing Editor and Partner of the Caribbean Digital Network, has been appointed the Production Manager and Media Co-ordinator at the International Press Filing Centres for the Papal visit to Washington, DC, and Philadelphia, responsible for the logistics at the Filing Centres of about 8,000 journalists from around the world.

Dr Debbie Bartlett, the founder and CEO of the Caribbean Digital Network, said the appointment of Mr Lora is a significant accomplishment for the Latin American and Caribbean communities. “Mr Lora earned and attracted the confidence of the Papal officials at the US Conference of Bishops for his wealth of experience in mainstream media and multi-media platforms,” Dr Bartlett said. “He was a former CNN executive responsible for the Newsgathering, Operations and Political Director for CNN en Español.”

The Caribbean Digital Network was unofficially launched five months ago and claims to have attracted more than 50,000 views per month. Dr Bartlett describes Mr Lora as a “visionary leader whose passion and understanding of the Caribbean and Latin American markets is attracting the respect and interest of global leaders with strong influence in Washington, DC, key Latin American markets, the Caribbean and some European markets”.

The Caribbean Digital Network is a Bahamian company with executives and senior correspondents operating from Atlanta, Miami, Mexico, Barbados, Honduras and Uruguay. An affiliate relationship in Brazil is being finalised.

Mr Lora said: “There is an omnipresent awareness of the need to strengthen and expand the media platforms that gives voice to the diaspora and the people of the Caribbean and Latin American markets.”

Dr Bartlett, who worked for the Bahamas Broadcasting Company for 20 years in various capacities in front of and behind the cameras, established the GEMS New Media network in The Bahamas in 2006.