The JEMAD receives the 'Trayectoria' award from the Association of Defense Journalists

The Chief of Defense Staff (CHOD), Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, received this Tuesday, October 18, the 'Career' award granted by the Association of Defense Journalists (APDEF). 

 

The award ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and was attended by the Chiefs of Staff of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, as well as other civilian and military authorities.

 

In his speech, the CHOD said that his career, 'except for the particularity of being longer than most, is no different from that of the other members of the Armed Forces; we all try to be faithful to our vocation, striving to perform our duties in the best possible way at all times, with a spirit of service, to ensure the security and welfare of the Spanish people'.

 

The admiral has affirmed that the award has special value because of the collective that grants it.  'We know that the media are the main vehicle through which citizens have access to information and, moreover, the means by which society scrutinizes the actions of government and analyzes the events we are experiencing. We also know the importance of accuracy in information and the role played by the freedom of speech and press, recognized by our Constitution', he pointed out. In this sense, he highlighted 'the increase in the great responsibility that journalism has always had', motivated by the frenetic speed of change that is taking place in almost all facets or areas of our society and the threat posed by disinformation and the spread of concepts such as post-truth. 

 

The 13th edition of the (APDEF) Awards also recognized the director of the Spanish Institute of Strategic Studies, General Francisco Dacoba, with the 'Alvarez del Manzano' Award, and the TVE News Services with the Special Award for their coverage of the war in Ukraine.