“Journalism is always necessary, and in these times of health, economic and social crisis, especially necessary,” King Felipe VI said as he presided over the 37th annual King of Spain International Journalism Awards in Madrid this week.
Held at the Casa de América, the ceremony also included the presentation of the 16th edition of the “Don Quixote” Journalism Award to Mar García Abad, co-founder of the Yorokobu magazine.
During his speech, the King emphasised how “it is time to exercise journalistic leadership of authenticity and quality, and these attributes are precisely those exhibited by these awards, attributes conceived as a right to information for citizens, where the media are the voice of the people, and honesty its guiding principle.”
“The six editions that I have presided over allow me to affirm that the King of Spain International Journalism Awards and the Don Quixote Award represent an example of credibility,” he continued. “They are a great exponent of journalism exercised with the utmost rigour.”
The awards, according to Casa Real, “recognise the informative work of journalism professionals in the Spanish and Portuguese languages of the States that make up the Ibero-American Community of Nations” as well as nations with which Spain maintains ties of a historical or cultural nature.
His Majesty stressed: “Where there are good journalists there is rigor, truthfulness, research and critical analysis.” Those honoured at the ceremony this year included:
The Press Award to Luis Fernando Soria Sejas from El Deber, Bolivia; the Ibero-American Journalism Award to Ricardo Calderón Villegas and team, from Semana magazine, Colombia; the Television Award to Gustavo Marcelo Costa and team, from Record TV, Brazil; the Radio Award to Linda Carolay Morales Pérez, from RCN Radio and Colombiano; the Digital Journalism Award to Miriam Herranz, representing the RTVE_El Lab de RTVE team.es, Spain; Ibero-American Special Award for Environmental and Sustainable Journalism to Sofía de Palma Rodrigues and team, from RTP Africa/Divergente.pt, Portugal; Award for Outstanding Media in Latin America to Agus Morales and team, from 5W Magazine, Spain; and Cultural and the Sustainable Development Award to César Vallejo and team, from RTVE_ la and Playz, Spain.
The King of Spain International Journalism Awards has been granted each year since 1983 when they were created by the EFE Agency and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation. The Don Quijote Prize for Journalism was created in 2004 on the occasion of the commemoration of the IV Centenary of the first edition of Don Quixote.
