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INPRIMATU
Death of Miren Jone Azurza, former director of 'Zeruko Argia'
  • See Jone Azurza Aristigieta dies on 16 May at age 92, according to Berria. Born in San Sebastian in 1929, she was one of the pioneers of modern Basque journalism and the first woman to run a Basque media. He was the director of ARGIA in the final straight of Franco, between 1969-1975. A decade later, he continued in journalism, in Deia.
ARGIA @argia 2022ko maiatzaren 16a
Miren Jone Azurza, Argiaren proiektuko lehen zuzendari emakumea. (Dani Blanco)

Born in the Old District of San Sebastian, he entered the headquarters of the Secular Missionaries of Vitoria in April 1950. After two years of training, he joined teaching at the Residencia Ciudad Ducal de Ávila and was director, as you can read in the biography of Wikipedia. In the late 1950s, he was proposed to write in the Catholic journal Vida Nueva. After spending a couple of years as a journalist, he decided to take the title. He did the internships in the newspaper La Gaceta del Norte de Bilbao.

In the early 1960s he moved to Madrid to study journalism: “I spent three years, I didn’t study anything, but I did get the title. However, the atmosphere there was strange. I have always been Euskaldun and Abertzale, there I was not very happy and I returned to San Sebastian if I started working.” At home they bought Zeruko Argia and the friars of the magazine also left their card immediately, which they called two years later. Andoni Iturria was then director and editor Azurza, but he left him and in 1969 the Capuchins dedicated his direction to the latter. The issue 400 of the journal was made on November 1, 1970 and was celebrated with a special issue.

“At the time of the 60s it was also the Light of Heaven, but they appeared with small letters of Heaven and with a great LIGHT. The church and religion were alive at that time and, therefore, there was news about them, but they wanted to be dealt with in parallel with other issues,” said Xabier Letona and Estitxu Eizagirre.

A year after his appearance in the Light of Heaven he was appointed director. At that time, Zeruko Argia was primarily a compilation of opinion articles. Watch Jon clearly saw the need to professionalize and modernize the weekly to work all the journalistic genres (interviews, reports...). He wanted to make a comprehensive and legible journal for all Basques, in which Mikel Atxaga, his close colleague, was present. They formed a writing team with experts on different topics and sought local collaborators to write local chronicles.

By then, the publication had already taken the leap from the rural environment to the city. Mari Karmen Garmendia, Begoña Arrangi, Carlos Santamaria, Rikardo Arrangi, Nemesio Etxaniz, Txillardegi (Larresoro) and many more were writing there.

Due to his discrepancies in the direction of the journal, he abandoned the Luz del Cielo and conducted History Studies at the University of Deusto. He also worked in the journal Deia, writing about the culture and themes of San Sebastian. He also had a column of opinion with the nickname Juan Olalde.

He subsequently collaborated in other media: For Garaia and Muga. From 1990 to 1996 he volunteered at the press office of Bishop José María Setien.

For all the work done in this professional career, journalist Miren Jone Azurza has received many awards and awards. In 2011 he received, for example, the Rikardo Arrangi de Honor Award, along with Inazio Agirre. In 2018, Euskaltzaindia appointed him an honorary member.

He studied history at the University of Deusto. In the late 1970s he started in Deia and from 1990 to 1996 he volunteered at the press office of Bishop José María Setien.