Speech of HRH Prince de Asturias
in the delivery of Prizes Mariano de Cavia, Luca de Tena and MingoteMadrid
10 of July 2006
Thank you very much, Mr. President, for your so amiable and full of affectionwords , and to this ABC House for the hospitality and cordiality with which today, once again, welcomes us.
In 1993 and 1999 I already had the honor and the pleasure to preside over the Act of delivery of Prizes Mariano de Cavia, Luca de Tena and Mingote that, for so many years, have been a great celebration of journalistic talent. To these feelings the joy is added this year to be along with Princess de Asturias in this ceremony of doubtless quality and prestige, being this one the first time that we have the possibility to do so since our marriage more than 2 years ago.
In sum, to be here tonight with all of you fills us of satisfaction. Offers an opportunity to us to emphasize the irreplaceable service of media, in a frame of democratic liberties, to a more and more eager society to know and to interpret the trepidante present time of its surroundings, that cannot be understood to the margin of the world of our days. And it allows us to remember the increasing necessity of quality information that people must develop with fullness in the benefit of their liberties and exercise of their responsibilities in a modern society, so full of resources and virtues like new problems and risks; so rich in its plurality as complex in its referring ones.
The Prizes that we gave tonight are a good sample of the commitment of this House with the culture in their more alive and creative expression; of the ABC capacity to praise the best and nobler results of the exercise of the journalistic profession, following the criteria of the merit and the excellence. They constitute a tribute to the vigor of the media that serves as basic support to the rich diversity of ideas and opinions, essential to generate a public opinion solid and based. They are, really, awards that try to render the due tribute to the good media, worthy, rigorous and compromised.
These are also the values that characterize the trajectory, dedication and communicative capacity of the three awarded journalists.
Juan Manuel de Prada emphasizes by his journalistic and literary race of undeniable success, by the rotundidad of his style and the audacious use of the word that reflects the depth of his moral convictions. Today he reaches a new summit with this award. He receives the Prize Mariano de Cavia by his chronicle "Sailing the night", on the dawn that preceded to the Mass of funeral by the soul of His Holliness, the Pope Juan Pablo II. One church figure of universal projection and unerasable memory that illuminated the world like untiring fighter of Peace, justice, the freedom, the man dignity and the reunification of Europe. His chronic is a meticulous picture of the feelings that came together in Rome in the hours that followed the death of the Pope of greater influence in our times. It constitutes a skillful example of the media inspired by the touching and trembling atmosphere of the street.
Oriana Fallaci represents, by antonomasia, the defense of the own convictions and the energetic denunciation of the threats that are hung over them. In a journalistic race that lasts already more than four decades, Fallaci always has been characterized by his enthusiastic style and of great expressive capacity; by his remarkable dominion of diverse sorts; to maintain, well argued points of view still actual. From his deep sense of freedom, Fallaci has pronounced on the challenges and risks of the world in which we lived.
On the other hand, Ignacio Gil has obtained the Prize Mingote by an excellent photography, a year after the abominable terrorist attacks of the 11 of March of 2004. The holder of the supplement that published ABC in the occasion of that anniversary, that said "What we lost", and gathered feeling of all the Spaniards. He reproduced the image of a significant day that, in fact, he could be the one of a day any. With that photography, he managed to make us remember, how that 11 of March was, in effect, a day like anyother until the terrorists vilely truncated the life of so many people, caused hundreds of wounded and generated in relatives and friends the deepest pain, than was also ours.
Our most warm and sincere congratulations to the three Awarded by the deserved awards that we finished giving to them. We celebrated to be able tonight to express our recognition to them by their very outstanding informative work, developed with a deep felt of responsibility and the commitment with the best values of the media.
Since I have said in other occasions, the good media to which today we rendered tribute constitutes appraising well that comprises inherent of the quality of life of the citizens and our coexistence in democracy. Like so, to all it interests to take care of it and to promote it.
According to its original principles and to the vision of Spain that already drew up the illustrious and dear founder of this House, Don Torcuato Luca de Tena, ABC constitutes an example of how making the fecund conjunction between the accumulated values by history and those effective that lay way to the future.
We congratulated for that reason to everyone that makes ABC possible every day: to his owners, directors, editors, collaborators and workers. We animate ABC not to become weak in its traditional persistence to always look for the excellence to fill our mornings with news and opinions. We encourage you to maintain its informative work, its special dedication and fruitful commitment with the language, the culture and the thought that distinguish these Prizes. In sum, to cultivate the spirit who has made great this House during the 103 years of existence to the service of the Spanish society.
Thanks to all in this House, that the Princess knows well, for your invitation and the opportunity so pleasing to share this evening with you. To all we reiterated our affection, and to the awarded ours more warm congratulation.
Thank you very much.