Journalist Jordi Évole receives the 2017 Ithaca Prize for his professional trajectory

20/11/2017

On 17 November, Jordi Évole received the Ithaca Prize in recognition for his extensive professional career. The prize is awarded by the Communication and Education Cabinet and the Department of Journalism and Communication Studies, which aims to acknowledge people committed to communicating in favour of human dignity, respect and equality.

María José Feijóo, Director of the UAB Graduate and Continuing Education School, was in charge of presenting the prize in front of a full audience at the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Communication Studies. Feijóo pointed out Évole's commitment to a type of journalism focusing on the humane side of stories, which reflects a population's concerns from an always critical viewpoint. Before receiving the prize, the audience viewed a video on former prize winners Miguel de la Quadra Salcedo (2007) and Sebastião Salgado (2014), and on the professional trajectory of Jordi Évole, from his beginnings as the troublesome “follonero” character on a late night show to his current position as host and director of the news show Salvados.

Jordi Évole, former UAB student, was very excited to recieve the award, especially since it was at an event held at what he considered to still be his faculty, lecture rooms and professors. The journalist encouraged students to break free from traditional news agendas in order to offer spectators new types of issues. And he defined editiorial departments as “trenches from which to fight for issues which go against the circle of friends of corporate directors”.

During his speech, he emphasised the need to be curious and not accept the first version of any story. For this reason, he regretted a loss in the habit for paying for news, given that this leads to not contrasting information or checking its veracity. Évole considers that journalism should not depend on "clicks", but rather seek to change what does not work. At the end of his speech, he invited the audience to ask him questions, since that was what he looked forward to most when he was studying. Students were able to ask a number of questions, just like he had done as a student when journalists such as Joaquim Maria Puyal or Àngels Barceló had visited the UAB to offer a conference