International Press Club pays tribute to David Beriain and Roberto Fraile

"Mine is not a vocation, it is a mission" said the Pole Ryszard Kapuscisnki when referring to his journalistic career, and the fact is that in this profession "one suffers like a dog, but there is no better profession", as Gabriel García Márquez recalled.

In the current context, governed by immediacy, the precariousness of the work and the continuous struggle for the search for truth, despite the difficulties, journalism continues to try to fulfil its social "mission" of service to the population and sincerity. So much so that many journalists, in this race for authenticity and facts, endanger their lives and often lose them in the pursuit of good journalism.

Despite the disagreements about being able to go to the scene and make the news, there are many journalists who are willing to continue to fight to bring the values of journalism to the highest positions. In this situation, the International Press Club hosted the organisation's awards ceremony in the emblematic Jardines de Cecilio Rodríguez in Madrid's Parque del Buen Retiro, in a ceremony marked by the loss of journalists David Beriain and Roberto Fraile, murdered in Burkina Faso while filming a documentary on poaching.  

Journalist Víctor Arribas opened the ceremony by saying that for journalists "it is a satisfaction to celebrate the best of our profession. A very grateful profession, but also a profession of sacrifice and high risk". In this way, he recognised the work of both journalists after stating that they have always done "quality work, work always marked by the interests of their audience, we do not forget them and that is why today we are going to present them with an award in recognition of their work".

Following this line, the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, paid tribute to them, saying that "they have given a lesson in courageous and humanistic journalism, in truthfulness and comradeship, as none of them wanted to save themselves if they did not save everyone else, giving us a lesson in generosity (...) they are heroes, and all Spaniards are proud of them". After this, the minister concluded by saying that "only by taking risks can the truth be told".

Before the family of both journalists collected the Degoussa "Golden Rose" award, the journalist and director of Atalayar, Javier Fernández Arribas, said a few words as a professional who has dedicated part of his journalistic career to international correspondence.

"It is worth it," said Javier Fernández Arribas, "what we are looking for is to tell the people, Spanish society, everything we can, and also at a time when the economic situation is not buoyant for this type of coverage.

"Many times when we have been in Sarajevo, in dangerous places, we have wondered what we have missed there, but then when you get home you say to yourself: I have to be there to be able to tell the story, it is a kind of vertigo that those of us who have spent a period of time providing coverage in these circumstances feel", he said. 

"I would like to say to everyone and to the relatives, who are the ones who suffer the most, that it is worth the sacrifice they are making now, that they were making. It is worth it because society has to know what is happening, they were doing a necessary job. David and Roberto believed in it", he concluded.

Afterwards, David Beriaín's wife, Rosaura Romero, collected the award and gave a few words of gratitude.

For its part, the Women for Africa Foundation, created and directed by María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, was awarded the prize for solidarity and defence of human rights. In her speech, she said that "it is an award that is very important for the foundation" because of the difficult, dangerous and silent role played by journalists. "Human values are at the heart of the foundation. These are what drive us and they are what we are tenaciously cultivating". In reference to the murdered journalists, the former minister affirmed that "they left with their shirts on, having enough courage to do a difficult job" in a conflict zone, for which reason "we must recognise a work that will be remembered". 

On the other hand, the writer María Dueñas was awarded the prize for outstanding author for her international impact. The writer confessed that her "frustrated" profession has always been journalism. "I was very interested in telling stories, in being able to inform, to be in the news (...) in the end other paths led me to writing, but I have always felt a special vocation for the journalistic profession, for being in the place of the news".

In addition, the journalist Carlos Herrera was awarded the prize for his professional career. "I was born for medicine and fortunately I degenerated into journalism, more specifically radio, which is also journalism and something more," he said. 

Herrera went on to say that "we journalists, the narrators of reality, have been two feet away from the fires and we have met the arsonists, but above all the firemen. Journalism is now experiencing a kind of flood of information in which we are becoming accustomed to a lack of analysis, a lack of sifting, and even so, despite the damned rush, the press has acted as a mouthpiece for society's demands, has provided a space for debate and has denounced excesses".

This profession still consists of "going out into the street to look for a story, check it out and tell it. "Our profession, as old as any other, is going through a dark period, with drops of degradation, with aromas of not very credible foundations, with few editors and with few owners of chains that are vocational," he denounced. 

The journalist Susana Grisó then collected the 2021 journalism prize, presented by Bertrand de la Grange. After receiving it, the presenter expressed her gratitude and pledged to continue fighting for "committed, rigorous and courageous journalism (...) in order to continue raising her voice for and on behalf of the people who are unable to do so".

Likewise, in the category of Best Foreign Correspondent in Spain, Daniela Santiago of Radio Televisión Portugal RTP was the winner. In her speech, Santiago expressed her excitement at the ceremony and said that journalists "must be committed and show themselves to be human, empathetic, honest and courageous". 

In addition, this year's International Photojournalism Award was presented to the photojournalist Jordi Socías, who received the prize from his friends and colleagues Magin Revillo and Jesús Ruiz Mantilla.

Finally, during the ceremony, the awards of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (ACPE), the Association of Ibero-American Press Correspondents (ACPI), the Association of Arab Journalists and Writers (APEAE), Placido Domingo for the Culture Award, Pau Gasol for the Sports Award, the Historic and Singular Parks of Madrid for the Tourism Award and the Jesús Hermida Centre in Huelva for the Communication Award, among the most important awards, were presented.