Cuban President Attends Awarding Ceremony on National Press Day

Havana, March 14 (ACN) Cuban President and First Secretary of Cuba’s Communist Party Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudes attended the awarding ceremony on National Press Day at Havana’s Jose Marti Memorial.

On the annual occasion, Cuban journalists are granted two major prizes: the Jose Marti National Journalism Prize for a lifetime and the Juan Gualberto Gomez Annual Journalism Prize.

The first or top prize, granted by the Cuban Journalists’ Association (UPEC) acknowledged the outstanding work of Arleen Rodrigez Derivet, a journalist who has worked in print press, radio and digital media like Juventud Rebelde newspaper, Radio Rebelde radio station, Cubadebate digital platform, and has produced documentary films and interviewed outstanding personalities.

Derivet has written memories about Cuban Revolution leader Fidel Castro during his trips and his relationship with the Cuban people and with other peoples of the world, of which the journalist was an accompanying witness.

Meanwhile the Juan Gualberto Gomez Prize 2023 was granted to outstanding professionals such as Joel Garcia, journalist with Trabajadores newspaper; Valia Marquinez, with Cubavision TV channel; Angelica Arce, with Cubadebate webpage; Greta Espinosa, with Radio Ciudad del Mar radio station; and photographer Jose Manuel Correa, with Granma daily newspaper, as well as cartoonist Adan Iglesias, with Juventud Rebelde newspaper.

Other journalists received mentions for their professionalism and outstanding work in 2023.

Every March 14, Cuban journalists mark National Press Day, which recalls the creation in 1892 of the Patria newspaper by journalist, author, translator and poet Jose Marti, Cuba’s National Hero.

The awarding ceremony was also attended by Roberto Morales, Organization Secretary of Cuba’s Communist Party Central Committee; Rogelio Polanco, chief of the Ideology Department of the political organization and Ines Maria Chapman, Cuban deputy Prime Minister.