The Ischia International Journalism Award 2023 concluded yesterday on the green island.
A warm early-summer evening welcomed numerous prominent people from the world of politics and international journalism to the Piazza Santa Restituta in Lacco Ameno, a municipality on the island of Ischia.
Big names in journalism attended the event held on the island of Ischia (Naples) on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 June 2023. Now in its 44th edition thanks to the dedication and commitment of brothers Benedetto and Elio Valentino.
On Friday 23rd, debates and Podcasts were held at the prestigious Hotel Regina Isabella located in the enchanting bay of Lacco Ameno. Different topics were debated, such as the war in Ukraine with the Podcast “Inviati di guerra. L’Ucraina vista dal fronte”, attended by Corrado Zunino, correspondent of Repubblica, and Alessio Lasta, journalist and correspondent of the La7 programme Piazzapulita.
Another topic covered was the climate crisis, which saw the participation of Sofia Pasotto, a young populariser and climate activist, Federico Taddia, author of the podcast ‘Bello Mondo’, Enrico Pitzianti, author of ‘Non scaldiamoci’ the weekly newsletter of Wired and Valeria Sforzini, Pianeta 2030 of Corriere della Sera in a podcast entitled ‘Communicating the climate emergency’.
New generations and artificial intelligence were two other topics discussed during this year’s Ischia International Journalism Award, with a debate on ‘Climate Change, the voice of the new generations’ and a Podcast entitled ‘Journalism, and Artificial Intelligence’. The latter explained how artificial intelligence does not have to frighten man, but we certainly have to be good at using the now-discussed AI with intelligence, perhaps to work alongside it in different areas of work, as is already happening in many parts of the world. The podcast was attended by Claudio Cerasa, editor of Foglio, Barbara Carfagna, host of Codice: la vita è digitale – Rai Uno and Luciano Tancredi, editor of Il Tirreno.
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The economy was also a topic touched upon during the Ischia International Prize for Journalism 2023. Antonella Baldino (President of the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo) and Fabio Tamburini (editor of II sole 24 ore) discussed it on the morning of the 24th with a podcast entitled ‘Sustainable Economy and Information’.
To conclude these two days of in-depth discussions and cultural exchanges, the delicate topic of gender equality at work was also touched upon, with the podcast ‘Women and society: from equal rights to the recognition of the value of differences’ attended by Cristina Manetti, Ischia Communicator of the Year Award 202, Rajae Bezzaz, correspondent of Striscia la notizia (Canale 5) and Claudia Conte, cultural entrepreneur.
The award ceremony for the Ischia International Prize for Journalism was held in the square in Lacco Ameno (Island of Ischia) dedicated to the local patron saint, Santa Restituta, whose church dates back to 1886. The ceremony was presented and conducted by Daria Luppino, Sicilian presenter of “Linea verde Explora” (Rai Uno) and Alessio Lasta, journalist and correspondent of “Piazzapulita” (La7).
During the award ceremony there were also musical interludes that saw the famous Italian singer-songwriter and musician Rosalino Cellamare, aka Ron, duet with the young island singer Sonia Saidi. The musical guest of honour then wanted to remember the legendary Lucio Dalla by recounting how the famous song ‘Piazza Grande’ came about and dedicating it to his dear friend who passed away in 2012.
Prominent political figures attended the Ischia International Journalism Award, with Commissioner Lennini, the Vice President of the Campania Region the Honourable Fulvio Bonavitacola, the Honourable Stefano Graziano and the Honourable Giosi Ferrandino, the new mayor of the municipality of Casamicciola Terme, in the front row.
This year’s award-winning journalists at the Ischia International Prize for Journalism:
Corrado Zunino, a journalist in the field and correspondent for Repubblica, received this year’s Special Award, for his information work in dangerous contexts, such as the most recent one in Ukraine. With emotion, he told the audience in the square about his experience in Kherson and how he saved his life after being injured, while his 46-year-old collaborator Bogdan Bitik did not make it.
The international lifetime achievement award went to the journalist, writer and TV presenter Lucia Annunziata, while the journalist of the year for print media was Claudio Cerasa, journalist for Il Foglio.
Barbara Carfagna, (Rai Uno) for in-depth reports on digital companies and the web, was presented with the award for digital communication by Valeria Speroni Cardi, Global Head of Press and Media Relations at Menarini Group.
Regarding new technologies: ‘Everything is poison, nothing is poison. What makes the difference is the dose,’ said Barbara Carfagna, and this statement gives much food for thought to the use of today’s media.
Francesco De Luca, editor-in-chief of ‘Il Mattino’, was awarded the Ischia International Prize for Journalism by Antonella Baldino, President of the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo, for sports reporting, also winking at Calcio Napoli’s recent Scudetto win.
Stefano Lucchini won the Ischia Communicator of the Year award, presented by Ludovico Fois of Automobile Club d’Italia.
The government’s extraordinary commissioner Giovanni Legnini, together with the mayor of Lacco Ameno Giacomo Pascale, awarded the prize to the director of the ‘Tirreno’ newspaper Luciano Tancredi, who together with Giuseppe De Bellis, director of Skytg24, and Corrado Zunino, correspondent of Repubblica, are the winners of the special ‘Ischia’ awards.
The “Sustainable Communication” award, presented by Omar Al Bayaty of Terna, went to Valeria Sforzini, a journalist and expert on eco-sustainability, and columnist for Corriere della Sera’s Pianeta 2030 column.
The Unipol Group awarded the ‘Opening New Ways of Journalism’ prize to the young Sofia Pasotto. This is an award aimed at young journalists who have used the new media, increasing interest and participation in environmental issues, while at the same time being able to verify events, a reliable figure.
Finally, the prize ‘Travel Journalism, Italy told to the world’, was awarded by the Fs group to Julia Buckley, a freelance travel journalist, who has been reporting on Italy and made in Italy for over 15 years, on the main media in the United Kingdom and the United States: from CNN to National Geographic to The Times.
Maria Elena Rossi, Marketing and Promotion Director of Enit, the National Tourism Agency, was awarded the ‘Advertising Campaign Award’ for the #ThisIsIschia awareness campaign. An award dedicated to the discovery of the island’s beauty, through a tourism of proximity and knowledge of local realities.
During the award ceremony for the Ischia International Journalism Prize 2023, one could not fail to mention the tragedy that struck part of the island of Ischia on 26 November 2022. The Casamicciola Terme landslide was recalled by presenter Alessio Lasta, who wished to recall the victims of the landslide and the more recent disaster in Emilia Romagna.
