The series “Transamazônica: 50 anos”, shown in the CNN Original Series, won the CNT Journalism Award 2021 in the video category. In five episodes, the team from CNN he walked the highway that crosses the Amazon Forest to show his problems and how the region’s residents live.
The National Transport Confederation award is one of the most important in journalism in the country and has existed for 28 years. The award brings the highlights of journalistic works that show how logistics and transport are fundamental for the development of Brazil.
In the winning series, the team from CNN traveled the highway that crosses the Amazon Forest to tell in five episodes how indigenous peoples, riverside dwellers, truck drivers and fishermen live.
The reports captured in a special way, with cinema-quality images, exclusively show the illegal transport of wood extracted from indigenous lands; hundreds of people living on undocumented land for fear of losing everything; the difficulties that the population faces because of the change in the Xingu River water cycle, caused by the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant; clandestine commerce and land grabbing that generate violence and fear; and the role of women fighting prejudice in the highway region.
It took 23 days to travel on the Transamazônica, which is famous for having been a project of the military dictatorship that was never completed. Initially, it was supposed to connect the cities of Cabedelo (PB) to Benjamin Constant (AM), but the road was opened up to Lábrea (AM) with 4,260 km. Half of the road is completely paved, and the other half is only 720 km paved — almost 1,500 km is still dirt, just like in the construction period.
The breath-taking journalistic investigation of CNN showed behind the scenes surrounding the highway and its inspiring stories.
Reference: CNN Brasil
