The cosmos: The cello melody of Pello Ramirez occupies the hall of the Bastero Cultural Center. Everything is ready. Posters of the Rikardo Arregi Awards on the wall. Chairs waiting for guests; microphone waiting for words. Chaos: a nervous reporter cursing wireless internet connections. In the end he can’t tell the event via Twitter and leaves the job for later. Take out more traditional resources – pen, paper – and try to take a photo of the event in the afternoon.

Four names: Beñat Sarasola, Imanol Murua, Baleike and Luz. When they received the award, everyone had something to say. Sarasola was the first to get on the stage. He received the Nueva Periodista Award for literary criticism published in the newspaper Berria and pointed out that, although he did not feel like an authentic journalist, his works for the press made literature very useful. The author of this chronicle has heard the words of Sarasola sitting next to a well-known editor; and the editor emphasizes that, as he knows, for the first time a literary critic has won one of our journalistic awards. It is also a sign of the development that the genre is having, therefore, this year’s New Journalist Award.

It was Immanuel Muro’s turn. The jury made a Special Mention to the journalist –the chronicler’s doubt: shouldn’t the office be written here in capital letters?–. The reason is:The Loyola Wings, of course. Murua completes the sequence of the 2006 peace talks in this book, revealing many nuances, clarifying the facts that were under the mist. Taking the floor, however, Murua criticizes his book for having a “bad” and “predictable” ending. And the press has reflected on the role it should play in our Problem – here the chronicler is less hesitant to put the big print on it. It is said that journalism cannot resolve conflicts, but it should at least try not to interfere with the solution. A note worth taking, no matter what happens in the future.

The magazine Baleike has won this year’s Grand Prix. They live on paper as well as on the web. The director, Gorka Zabaleta, who received the award and stood in front of the public, proclaimed the status of the popular press: “What matters most to the public is the information that is nearby.” Close, in the monthly magazine; close, every day on the Internet: news, blog community, multimedia... The Zumaia communication project will continue to play a role.

And, last but not least, the Light. The Dean of the Basque press has received an Honorable Mention as a reward for his 90-year career. The director, Xabier Letona, spoke on behalf of the entire Luz team and reflected on the current situation of communicative projects in Basque. According to Letona, it is important to preserve the historical heritage, but the projects that are alive, those that operate now and here are the most important. For this reason, he pointed out that, under the threat of the economic crisis, the sector and the institutions must come together.


Video of the award ceremony