• Carlos Dada: "Journalism has to take a stand against power. Always"
  • Joaquín Manso: "In this context, journalism is the voice that challenges official narratives and exposes the authentic truth"

Please allow me to express my gratitude to EL MUNDO and all the members of the jury. However, it is ironic to be rewarded for my bravery, as I have always been and still am filled with fear. Many say that courage is not the absence of fear, but acting in spite of it. However, the world has become a place full of frightening facts.

What humanity has built so far seems to be too fragile for us to feel safe. As human beings, we are too vulnerable to act out despite our fears and be brave all the time. What we can do is not fight our fears, but make friends with them. Continue our journey with them, as companions. This is a time when we need to learn to befriend our fears. In that sense, this award does not eliminate mine, but it does give me the strength to continue my Odyssey.

XXI EL MUNDO Journalism Awards

Ece Temelkuran.

"True journalism begins when you realize that objectivity is not neutrality"

  • Written by: JORGE BENÍTEZ Madrid

"True journalism begins when you realize that objectivity is not neutrality"

Prize-giving.

"Trust in democratic society is degraded when lies prevail"

  • Written by: ESTHER MUCIENTES Madrid

"Trust in democratic society is degraded when lies prevail"

The EL MUNDO award helps me to better understand the fears of the world and to calm them. I believe that today, our task as journalists and writers is not only to understand and convey the truth, but to find ways to heal the anger that is often caused by deep fears.

As you know, I am far from my country, from my home. A wise man who, like me, left home once said, "Home is not where you remember people, but where they remember you." When you're away from home, the hardest thing is the constant sense of being nobody. From there, the Odyssey, the journey, becomes a struggle against this degrading sense. And when no one remembers you, it's not easy to remind yourself that you're somebody, a person who matters. Today, EL MUNDO, by recognizing my work, gives me a foothold in time and space, and this already makes Madrid, Spain, a bit of a home for me, a place where I am remembered. I am deeply grateful for this sense of home away from home.

That said, I want to remind you that we all need to be recognized as human beings. To be recognized as someone is a deep-seated human need. This may sound like a very simple phrase, but in a world where some of us are considered "human animals," it is a fact that we must hold on to and defend. And it is this fact, the fact that we are all humans with stories worth hearing, the truth that requires courage to express.

Today my story is appreciated in the magnificent Prado Museum, in the presence of the Queen and many distinguished guests. However, I am aware that many others with different titles, such as immigrants or refugees, have much more interesting stories than mine and still do not have the platform to tell their testimony in these difficult times. I'm sure their bravery is far greater than mine. With this award, I want to say to all of them, "You're somebody. I recognize you. I remember you. You're not just anyone."

On a personal note, my mother is here. He traveled all the way from Turkey to see me receive this award. And I want to say in my native tongue, "This is for you, Mom. Thank you for everything." Thank you, THE WORLD. And thank you very much again to all the members of the jury.

*Ece Temelkuran is a writer and political analyst and winner of the Press Freedom Award from EL MUNDO


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