«Journalist to the soul and 100% from Limón», is how Jason Jaén Ureña, young dreamer, journalist for CRHoy.com, originally from the Caribbean of Costa Rica and intern of the twelfth generation of Punto y Aparte in 2021, describes himself on social media.
“I am proudly from Limon and a true lover of journalism. From a very young age I discovered that my life would be telling stories. I am passionate about communication because with it we can change lives, give a voice to those who are ignored and present solutions to the problems that our communities face. Always with balance, respect and responsibility”.
In 2021 we met Jason, a humble boy from the Caribbean province, a student at the San Judas Tadeo University, eager to do good journalism.
Always with his eyes on his beloved coast, Jason started working at Limón TV around 2013, just out of school, and three years later he founded the digital newspaper Limón Hoy. He was also an important voice in the province as a correspondent for Telenoticias for a year and a half (June 2020-December 2021).
In the first months of 2021, he applied and entered Class 12 of Punto y Aparte. For four months he investigated climate change and its effects in the Caribbean. After that period, he published three parts of the feature story “Cuando el mar CAMBIÓ: la amenaza que tiene en jaque a las playas de Limón” (When the sea CHANGED: the threat that has the beaches of Limón in check) on Telenoticias, on December 20, 21 and 22.
Part of the judges’ comments about his work highlighted: “The theme seemed very appropriate, especially for a local audience. The fact that he has achieved so much broadcasting on television only confirms to me that he is a highly qualified and respected professional. I found his work very pleasant and entertaining: characteristics that are not always achieved in environmental or «hard» issues for which journalists face a lot of apathy from the audience”.
Just a few days later, at the beginning of 2022, at the age of 26, he left his land to go to the capital to take on a new challenge: to do journalistic coverage at a national level from the CRHoy.com newsroom. There he covers the source of health. Even so, Limón would continue in his pen.
“When I decided to study journalism, I knew that one day I would have to leave my land: Limón. Today that day has come, but I am leaving with the commitment to remain close to its people and its communities. Listening to them and telling their stories of improvement, of needs, of abilities”.
His name, however, has been at the center of controversy in recent months. First, with just about nine months of covering the health source for CRHoy.com, Jason had to go out and deny a series of montages that circulated on social media with an alleged conversation of his on WhatsApp.
Daniel Blumberg, former adviser to the deputy of the Social Democratic Progress Party (PPSD), Ada Acuña, published on Facebook on October 18 a montage with false screenshots that sought to harm the journalist and CRHoy.com by simulating conversations on WhatsApp in which the journalist would admit receiving money to write notes against President Rodrigo Chaves and government ministers.
Blumberg’s publication was made a few hours after Jason published the news titled “Ministra de Salud pidió al MEP verificar vacunación en menores; un mes después anuló su propia orden” (Minister of Health asked the MEP to verify vaccination in minors; a month later he canceled his own order).
The former adviser tagged the Minister of Health, Joselyn Chacón, in his Facebook post.The article was shared almost 200 times in less than 24 hours.
Recently, on January 9, at a press conference, the name of Jason Ureña was once again in the news after President Rodrigo Chaves criticized and insulted the journalists who denounced payments made by the Minister of Health to the troll Piero Calandrelli to attack journalists and deputies.
The president pointed to La Nación, CRHoy and Telenoticias for the publications made. Despite the fact that Chaves and Chacón acknowledged the payments, the President described two CRHoy journalists as “political hitmen” for “ruthlessly attacking” the minister during the 8 months that the Government has been in office. However, he only mentioned the name of Jason Ureña.
Both referred to him as «cursed», a term that the Minister had already used when she gave the troll instructions to attack him. «She told me through messages, for example, ‘hit Jason Ureña from CRHoy hard, hit him with everything, because he is a cursed man,’ said Alberto Vargas Zúñiga, character manager Piero Calandrelli.
According to the Minister, since she began her administration, Jason has attacked her daily and not for reasons of her administration, but for personal reasons. To refute the above, CRHoy published on January 10 an account of the coverage carried out on Chacón.
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