Martinez Almeida: "In these times, it is more necessary than ever to thank the media and journalists for their role"

In times of uncertainty, the press has always been a safe way to know reality and try to understand it. Even more so, when, as for more than two months, the only contact with external reality has been the television news, the pages of the newspapers and the radio waves.
That is why journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and still has, a fundamental public service role.

This is what the International Press Club (CIP), the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (ACPE), the Association of Latin American Press Correspondents (ACPI) and the Association of Arab Journalists and Writers (APEAE) wanted to recognise with the '2020 International Journalism Awards'.
In an atypical presentation, where elbows, for once, meant congratulatory hugs, the press had its recognition in these difficult times for the development of the profession.

"We are celebrating these awards in a complicated context, but one in which the press has been fundamental throughout all these months, (...) for this reason it is also more necessary than ever to thank the media for their role, the role of the journalists, the correspondents in Spain, and to convey to them the encouragement, support and spirit of the Madrid City Council so that they can continue to carry out their work in the same conditions of freedom and independence", said the Mayor of Madrid and host of the event, José Luis Martínez- Almeida.. 

Almeida, in the opening speech of the ceremony, recalled the difficult times that the city of Madrid went through in the first months of the pandemic, and that it is still "having a hard time", but the spirit of Madrid is "to continue to fight, to keep the guard up, because Madrid is a wonderful city" where international journalists have "the privilege of being correspondents in this city".

The final touch was given by the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who thanked the journalists for their work during "these very difficult months" and asked them to "speak well of Spain and speak well of Madrid, because we need it more than ever, for it to be known that there is a free, plural and open society in every corner". He did not want to forget the work of the health workers and all those who were in the front line. "These are many of the examples of all that our society is capable of doing when it walks together," Ayuso said. During the closing ceremony, the President announced the construction of a new hospital, the 'Isabel Zendal' - the first nurse in history on an international mission to fight smallpox - to continue the fight against the pandemic.

The awards, which, as the President of the ACPE, Bertrand de la Grange, recalled, should have been held in May, but due to the health situation had to be postponed until the afternoon of 10 September, welcomed journalists, writers and various cultural and sporting personalities who have exercised their profession in an exemplary manner during the pandemic and have therefore deserved recognition.

The event, presented by José Ribagorda, recognised the work of the journalist Vicente Vallés with the "Innovative Journalism" award, where the values of independence, professionalism and freedom made Vallés one of the winners of the night. Within the world of journalism, Teresa Montoro, director and presenter of the 'Hora América' programme on Radio Exterior de España, was also awarded for her work in spreading the news about the second largest continent on Earth through multiple voices. Casa América was also awarded the 'Cooperation' prize for being the most active institution in reflecting the reality of a continent of great interest and multiple links with Spain.

Paola Del Vecchi, Italian journalist and correspondent in Spain for twenty years, was also recognized for her work, as well as the work of Pablo M. Díez, ABC's correspondent in Asia for his coverage of the COVID-19 crisis that began in the Chinese province of Wuhan; the documentary photographer and documentary filmmaker Álvaro Ybarra, who has worked in more than 40 countries for Time magazine, The New York Times, Le Monde, Libération and Grupo Vocento media.and the writer and columnist, Almudena Grandes.

A special and emotional moment was the posthumous recognition of two journalists who died during the pandemic: Jesús Picatoste, who received an award for being an example of democratic journalism, and José María Calleja, for his work in always seeking the truth and giving a voice to the victims of ETA terrorism during the hardest years in the Basque Country.

The work of Riay Tatary, former president of the Islamic Commission of Spain, former president of UCIDE and former president of the Islamic Council for Cooperation in Europe, who died in April as a result of the coronavirus, was also recognised. In his place, the new Secretary of the Islamic Commission of Spain, Ayman Adlbi, accepted the prize, recalling Tatary's career, whose main objective was to 'build social peace, coexistence', in which 'religious plurality, cultural diversity and inclusion' have helped to overcome difficult times.

The Sport and Improvement award went to the Rafael Nadal Foundation, for reinforcing the integration and personal development of children and young people so that they have equal opportunities and for promoting sporting talent. The Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain was awarded in the category of "Tourism with Identity". The Association was born with the idea of making known the beautiful villages that are sometimes somewhat forgotten and that are often part of that empty Spain.. 

In the category of 'Culture and Science', the Thyssen Foundation was awarded for being one of the most active in the Spanish cultural panorama. Special mention was also given to the chef José Andrés, for his solidarity work with the NGO, which he directs, 'World Central Kitchen', an organisation that has played an essential role during the pandemic and other disasters, in providing a plate of food for the most needy.

Special recognition was given to Dr. Antonio Zapatero, the current Vice-Minister of Public Health and COVID Plan of the Community of Madrid, and to the Director of IFEMA, Eduardo López Puertas, for the work they both did at IFEMA during the most serious months of the pandemic by building the largest field hospital in the world, which made it possible to care for more than 4,000 patients. This special award, created in view of the circumstances of the last few months, aims to assess the work of IFEMA and all its staff, together with the Government of the Community of Madrid, the Ministry of Health and the Military Emergency Unit.

The last award was for Ana Blanco, in recognition of her career. A visible face for 30 years on the news programmes of Radio Televisión Española, she was recognised for her solvency, professional integrity and ability to respond to all kinds of events: from the opening of Expo92 in Seville to the election of Barak Obama and Donald Trump.