The first edition of the Press Award of Excellence “Journalists 2.0” was held last January 23 in Rome at the Foreign Press Association in Italy in Palazzo Grazioli. An event that, beyond the ceremony, returned centrality to an increasingly urgent issue: the quality of information.
In a time when journalism is often squeezed between speed, simplifications and algorithms, this award has chosen a clear and countercultural direction: recognizing the value of work built over time, expertise, ethics, and responsibility to the public. Not the noise, but the substance.
Among the professionals honored in the Women’s Journalism category is a figure who for years has represented a clear and recognizable reference in sports reporting, particularly in tennis: Cristina Caruso, a journalist for Rai Sport. A familiar face to the public, but above all an authoritative voice, capable of telling the story of sport without betraying its complexity.
Cristina Caruso embodies a way of doing sports journalism that does not chase emphasis, but chooses context. Her account of tennis is measured, competent, respectful of time and stories: not just results, but paths, not just champions, but people. An approach that restores to sport its cultural and human dimension, far from forced spectacularism.
The Press Award of Excellence “Journalists 2.0” is divided into three sections – Lifetime Achievement Award, Women’s Journalism and Memorial Journalism – and has seen the recognition of numerous professionals who have left and continue to leave a mark on the Italian news landscape. The choices were entrusted to a jury chaired by RAI journalist Pino Nano, together with the Association’s Executive Board, following criteria of independence, authority and professional impact.
A shared vision emerged clearly during the ceremony: journalism cannot be reduced to disposable content. It must return to being service, responsibility, civic garrison. As Association President Maurizio Pizzuto recalled, in a historical phase marked by profound technological and cultural transformations, information remains one of the fundamental tools of democracy.
The award given to Cristina Caruso should be read precisely in this direction. Not as an award for visibility, but as a clear signal: there is still room – and need – for competent, sober, credible journalism. Even in sports. Perhaps especially in sports.
The Press Award of Excellence “Journalists 2.0” thus closes its first edition leaving a clear message: quality is not a nostalgic value. It is a current choice. And today, more than ever, necessary.
Photo credits: ©GiuseppeLeanza ph
