The diary 20 minutes celebrated its most special night this Tuesday, with the second edition of its awards during a gala at the Teatro Real in which it recognized works that value talent, social commitment and culture. These awards were created a year ago to distinguish the essential work of institutions, personalities and entities that contribute to building a better societyand this year the writer and philologist have been recognized with these merits Irene Vallejo20minutes Award; the White FoundationSocial Action Award; and Seville, designated as a featured city in 2024.
The gala, hosted by journalist Noemí de Miguel and sponsored by CaixaBank, Iberdrola, Iberia Express, Telefónica and Veoliabegan at 9:15 p.m. with a performance by the Midnight Plumbers string quartet, which drew applause from the around 200 guests. Among them, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz; the minister for Digital Transformation and Public Service, Oscar Lopez; the presidents of the Community of Madrid and Aragón, Isabel Diaz Ayuso and Jorge Azconrespectively; the president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo; the general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra; the vice mayor of Madrid, Inmaculada Sanz; the PSOE spokespersons in the Madrid Assembly and the City Council, Juan Lobato and Reyes Marotorespectively.
The director of 20 minutesEncarna Samitier, who has defended journalistic work in general and that of this newspaper in particular, a journalism that must be governed by “principles that lead us to get the right words right, produce truthful and rigorous information,” an “entertaining journalism , solvent and useful for readers, who needs the oxygen of freedom so that democracy does not die in darkness“. In the Ballroom of the Teatro Real and before the guests at the awards, Samitier has “renewed” his “vows” with this journalism and these values that, as he recalled, he has been exercising since he was 21 years old.
It was precisely the last speech of Encarna Samitier as director of 20 minutesbecause during the awards gala the president of the Henneo Group, Fernando de Yarzahas announced that in the coming days, and after seven years at the helm of the newspaper, Samitier will now take over the presidency of the newspaper. The journalist and current deputy director, Jesus Moraleswill take over as head of the newspaper.
The director has given a brief review of her work at the newspaper, where she arrived in 2017 and where, as she calculated, she has spent “four million minutes.” The last words of his speech were to thank the trust of readers, the support of editors and the work of the “best team you could dream of”. He has conveyed his “affection and gratitude” to all of them, which are, to paraphrase the award-winning Irene Vallejo’s favorite adjective, “infinite.”
In a night full of emotions, the writer and philologist was the honoree of the gala, as she collected the 20minutos Award, which she dedicated to Encarna Samitier, “a great journalist and teacher of journalists”, a profession to which she showed her ” admiration” because “it demands courage and bravery”.
The author of the bestseller Infinity in a reed He has also made a strong defense of public health because it “set him free” by saving the life of his son, who was born with a rare disease and could not breathe. “Public healthcare allowed me to make my dream come true. Today my son breathes and I write. It is the collective decision not to abandon anyone. “I’m not going to forget it,” he said.
As a firm defender of the word – “we speak because we are, we are because we speak” -, Vallejo has called not to use it “as a weapon” in these turbulent times and in the midst of the “chaos of the world” because “without words there would be no history.” “There are many people who understand that the battle is complex, imagine stories that are kind and that shelter us from the storm. Here’s to infinite wisdom and joy“, he concluded.
The Social Action Award has gone to the White Foundation for the Support of Athletes, which works to accompany and improve the personal and professional conditions of highly competitive athletes, and which bears the name of one of the most important athletes in history. from Spain, Blanca Fernández Ochoa. The award was collected by Lola Fernández Ochoa, who has drawn attention to the need to “ask for forgiveness” because “A large part of society has not been able to see the problems that many people with mental disorders have”. She has apologized to her sister Blanca for having been “complicit in her shame and her silence” by not asking for help before her suicide. But he has also thanked and praised all the institutions and organizations that focus on mental health.
For its part, the 2023 Outstanding City Award has traveled to Seville in this edition. Its mayor, José Luis Sanz, has defined it as “the best city to visit, to live and to invest.” “The world is divided into two groups of people, those who know Seville and those who want to know Seville. Seville deserves many more awards like this,” he emphasized.
Representing the Henneo Group, this second edition of the 20minutos Awards was attended by, among others, its president, Fernando de Yarza; Paloma de Yarza, president of Herald of Aragon; Íñigo de Yarza, CEO of Henneo; Miguel Ángel Liso, Editorial Director of Henneo; Pilar García de la Granja, deputy director of Editorial and International Relations; Eliseo Lafuente, general director of Media; and Jesús Aspra, general director of Alayans.
Other authorities and representatives of society, culture and journalism also attended the event, such as the head of the King’s House, Camilo Villarino; the prosecutor Javier Zaragoza; Rocío Mora, director of the APRAMP Foundation; and the president of the Madrid Press Association (APM), María Rey.
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