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Torres pays tribute in Malaga to 30 journalists who, “with their unblemished professionalism”, contributed to “build the Andalusia and Spain that we are now”

03/12/2025
  • The minister presides over the act of handing over the declarations of Recognition and Reparation to communication professionals that ions
  • Ángel Víctor Torres: “Recognizing his legacy is an act of justice that has taken too long; but, in addition, valuing good journalism is almost a moral urgency”

The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, presided today, in Malaga, the act of tribute to 30 journalists who defended the transition to democracy and the autonomic process of Andalusia.

The minister, who has been accompanied by the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez, has delivered the declarations of Recognition and Reparation to these communicators, who, “with their unblemished professionalism”, contributed to “build the Andalusia and the Spain that we are now”.

Torres wanted to thank these men and women for their commitment to democracy. “They are part of that struggle that changed everything, of that collective and courageous tide made up of trade unionists, neighborhood movements, students, workers, feminists; in short, democrats who risked their lives, and who took us back to freedom,” he said.

The minister has indicated that democracy “is also made of ink and paper, travels by the waves and finds refuge in an image that tells an unavoidable truth.” The journalists who received this recognition “underpinned the autonomous process of this land, telling what could not be told; and reflecting in their chronicles the ideas and sacrifice of those who wanted to remove it from the semi-feudalism to which it had been subjected for 40 years.”

Torres believes that recognizing the legacy of these communication professionals “is an act of justice that has taken too long; but, in addition, highlighting good journalism is almost a moral urgency.” He has also expressed his concern about the predicament of totalitarian messages among young people. “Democracy, I always say, is a pearl that must be taken care of” and has valued the journalistic profession as a “very necessary” element for the knowledge of the truth and the defense of freedoms.

In addition, the government delegate in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, journalists Pilar del Río and Mercedes de Pablos, as well as Antonio Morales, president of the Mediterranean Civic Platform, took part in the event.

BIOGRAPHIES JOURNALISTS HONORED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN (MÁLAGA, 03/12/2025)

  • Pablo Juliá. Photographer. Graphic Manager of The Socialist in the last years of the Franco regime, author of unpublished images in the struggle for autonomy, following in the footsteps of Rafael Escuredo and Manuel Chaves.
  • Pillar of the River. Journalist and translator. Avant-garde professional in the Transition from Radio Juventud de Sevilla. Committed to freedom, against the dictatorship and with Andalusian autonomy.
  • John of God Mellado. Journalist and editor. Militant of the FELIPE, Popular Liberation Front (FELIPE). Detained in Madrid. Active in the fight against the Spanish University Union (SEU) and against the dictatorship. General coordinator of “Chronicle of a dream” on the Transition in Andalusia and promoter of the “General Encyclopedia of Andalusia”.
  • Lola Cintado. Journalist. Press Head of the Presidency of the Board during the pre-autonomous stage with Plácido Fernández. He stood out as a correspondent in Andalusia for several Catalan newspapers where he would turn the struggle of the Andalusians for autonomy.
  • Juan José Téllez. Journalist and writer. Editor of the book series “Andalusia, Chronicle of a dream” on the Transition and Andalusian autonomy. He is a documentalist of several series about the struggle for democracy, freedom and reunion with the essences of the Andalusian people.
  • Rafael Rodríguez. Journalist. He was a pioneer in Spain in taking to the street a mobile radio unit to narrate live the Day of Autonomy, the siege of the Diputación de Málaga and the murder of Manuel José García Caparrós.
  • Rafael Camacho. Journalist. Founder and director of the magazine “Economic Andalusia” From where he defends Andalusian autonomy, as he did when he was Director-General of RTVA. In Andalusia he represents a generation of economic journalists who put in value the defence of freedoms, democracy and autonomy.
  • Eduardo Castro. Journalist and writer. As a correspondent for “Workers’ World” and of the magazines “Possible”, “Citizen”, “Notebooks for dialogue” and “La Calle”, He defends Andalusian autonomy and stands out for his criticism of the Franco dictatorship.
  • Antonio Checa. Journalist, essayist and professor. Coordinator of “The 1977 elections in Andalusia”, “Andalusia after 92”, “Chronicle of a dream. Memory of the Democratic Transition in Jaén” and “Chronicle of a dream of Huelva”.
  • Enrique García. Journalist. He directs the first Andalusian regional news program in history on Radio Sevilla where, despite censorship, he defends democracy and autonomy, putting his voice to the news program of the Day of Andalusia on December 4, 1977.
  • Inés Alba Cordero. Journalist. Contributor in “El País”, presided over the Union of Journalists and stood out for her defense of democracy and autonomy being head of Programs Canal Sur Radio and Informative of the BE in Andalusia.
  • Rafael Terán. A historical reference of journalism in Huelva where he spent much of his professional life, he stood out for his fight for freedom of expression, manifested in his activity in the radio and television media in which he worked.
  • Paco Lobatón. Journalist. In 1972 he entered the Carabanchel prison as an activist against the Franco regime. He spent three years in exile in Switzerland. Worked in Canal Sur Television when the broadcasts started or the direction and presentation of the news.
  • Mercedes de Pablos. Journalist. She becomes a radio pioneer in consciousness for the liberation of women. Director of Canal Sur Radio. She is co-author of “Chronicle of a dream. Memory of the Democratic Transition in Seville” and “Life of a communist mole in the Falange of Seville”.
  • Manuel Gómez. Journalist. It belongs to the generation of the Transition, which starred in the media in the struggle for the democratization of the country in the 1970s. The harassment of the extreme right takes him to Granada where he participates in the foundation “Diario de Granada”. Director of “El Correo de Andalucía”.
  • Elodia Rodríguez Campra. Reciter. Perform with the COPE Several cultural programs of great audience in Granada, among which stands out "Poetry 70" and carries out collaborations with Manolo Sanlúcar, Carmen Linares and Aute.
  • Francisco Romacho. Journalist, editor-in-chief of “Diario de Granada” ; director of newspaper “Jaén”; Deputy Director of “El Correo de Andalucía” ; director of the News Services of Canal Sur Televisión, co-author of “Chronicle of a dream. Memory of the democratic transition in Andalusia”.
  • Santiago Sánchez. Journalist. On April 29, 1982, he founded Diario 16 Andalucía. Delegate of the Zeta Group in Andalusia, director of Canal Sur Televisión, director of TVE in Andalusia between 2004 and 2007. Co-author of “Chronicle of a dream. Memory of the Democratic Transition in Andalusia”.
  • Alejandro Víctor García. Journalist, writer, playwright and cultural promoter. His career has been characterized by his social commitment. He has written about 5,000 opinion articles, published several books, been a radio commentator and author of screenplays for television.
  • Juan Holgado. Journalist. Detained with Felipe González in October 1974 on the occasion of the interview with the newly elected general secretary of the PSOE in Suresnes, “El Correo de Andalucía” He is kidnapped by court order and the European press echoes this. Tried by the Court of Public Order, for apology of the crime, after Franco’s death he is amnestied.
  • José Manuel Fernández. Journalist. From the direction of Informativo de SER Andalucía defends democratic freedoms, founder of the Union of Journalists of Andalusia, his informative work in the SER was decisive during the autonomic process until reaching the referendum of 28 F.
  • Ignacio Martínez. Journalist. In “Notebooks for Dialogue” and in “The Regional Illustration” pour the Andalusian autonomic thought, with determined support for it, a discourse that is notorious when accessing the News of Canal Sur and Televisión Española.
  • Manuel Prados. Journalist. He runs the magazine “Andalucía libre”. She works in Sevilla at Radio Nacional and Radiocadena. Director of Canal SER Televisión and correspondent in Brussels, where he is a chronicler of the avatars of Andalusian interests.

NOTE:

It has been honored as well Miguel Ángel Blanco, José Antonio Martínez Soler, Márquez Reviriego, Iñaki Gabilondo, María Esperanza Sánchez, Ton Martín Benítez and Pepe Aguilar, who were unable to attend the event.

Press release
Biographies