# Rosa Miriam Elizalde: National Journalism Prize José Martí 2021

**Date:** 02/27/2021

To Rosa Miriam Elizalde Zorrilla —journalist and researcher, First Vice President of the Union of Journalists of Cuba, assistant professor at the University of Havana and the International Institute of Journalism "José Martí", among many other tasks that occupy almost all the hours of every day of her life—, has been awarded the José Martí National Journalism Prize (2021) for Lifetime Achievement, the highest individual recognition granted by the organization to professionals of recognized prestige and contribution to Cuban journalism.

"In her passage through different media outlets, as a columnist and as an editor, she left a mark of authority and professional prestige, deep interest in defending and updating the tradition of revolutionary journalism, unlimited dedication to her responsibilities, inquisitive spirit and creative capacity", wrote Ricardo Ronquillo, president of Upec, in his endorsement for the Prize proposal.

He also highlighted that from her meritorious work at the Newspaper Juventud Rebelde —where she obtained the Juan Gualberto Gómez award on several occasions—, she became a reference as a journalist, in addition to the unprecedented and profound nature of the topics she addressed, for the beauty of her style. There she began to excel —he said— as a creative leader whose imprint on Cuban journalism of the Revolution is significant.

The president of UPEC speaks about Rosa Miriam's work, José Martí national journalism prize. Photo: Ismael Francisco/ Cubadebate.

"She also proved to be a pioneer in the foray of Cuban journalism into the digital realm", added Ronquillo. "She was among those who projected the emergence of media outlets that on the Internet have gained the greatest authority and public relevance in Cuba, including 13 years as editor of the Cubadebate web portal". No less relevant, he added, have been her analyses and studies on Cuban journalism of the Revolution.

Ronquillo also recognized that, from the first vice presidency of Upec, Rosa Miriam "has set the trend with the digital innovation project Dominio Cuba and the development of the computerization project in the organization, with highly commendable results in just two years, especially in 2020, with challenges overcome to prevent Covid-19 from isolating the media system from its professional organization".

He always highlights her capacity and dedication to each project —praised the president of the organization—, the acumen with which she directs work teams, the constant generation of ideas aimed at ensuring that our press system has more tools to develop its functions and face the media war that our enemies are intensifying.

He also commented that in response to the proposal for this prize, Rosa Miriam reacted with a quip: "I'm discovering right now that I'm getting old". In reality, says Ronquillo, she is still a young woman and professional, but in this time she has left an enormous imprint, which would seem to span centuries and which deserves to be recognized with the highest honor of Cuban journalists.

Alejandra Garcia, Rosa Miriam's daughter, is the first to congratulate her mom on the José Martí prize.
Photo: Ismael Francisco/ Cubadebate.

RECORD OF THE JOSÉ MARTÍ NATIONAL JOURNALISM PRIZE

FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT 2021

The Jury of the José Martí National Journalism Prize for Lifetime Achievement, corresponding to the year 2020 —composed of the 16 journalists whose signatures appear below—, after an exhaustive analysis of the 36 nominations, presented by an equal number of base delegations of the Union of Journalists of Cuba, and after a profound debate that exposed the many merits of the proposed colleagues and allowed them to be evaluated with the greatest fairness, resolved to grant the highest distinction of the profession

To one who accumulates numerous prizes and recognitions from the profession and from the academy, and from a very young age, when she was beginning her career on a special assignment in the eastern part of the country, began to demonstrate her special social and political sensitivity and professional talent. In her passage through different media outlets, both as a columnist and as an editor, she left a mark of authority and professional prestige, deep interest in defending and updating the tradition of revolutionary journalism, unlimited dedication to her responsibilities, inquisitive and innovative spirit and creative capacity.

With the passage of time and accumulated experience, labor and work, for the unprecedented and profound nature of the topics addressed, for the beauty of her style, which as some say can be said that she writes like the angels, if angels were to write, combined with the investigative and analytical predominance in her work, she has become a reference in the imprint of Cuban journalism in these transformative times.

Her journey through digital journalism is pioneering and avant-garde, and that positive influence is followed not only in Cuba by younger generations, for whom she is an example and to whom she provides solid mastery, she is also today an international reference.

The use of the internet as an inexhaustible source of information and knowledge, the critical study of its harms and benefits, the dissection of its use to attack Cuba and also to defend it, count with her greatest authority. From this emerged digital Juventud Rebelde, La Jiribilla, Cubasi, Antiterroristas and Cubadebate.

A Doctorate in Communication Sciences crowns her condition as a profound student of the media, not to file away theses, but to apply it in the daily ideological battle to make a better world, where the truth of those alternative to imposed hegemony, offer their best tools of struggle, also for the left of our geopolitical region, where she is a columnist for prestigious media outlets or her commentaries and articles replicated by others.

Who has not enjoyed the firm strokes with which she paints with exact colors —luminous or somber, as the case may be—, her chronicles of some of the greatest events of our contemporary history? Whether they are Fidel's travels around the world, or the Pope's, or treacherous aggressions against a people.

Who in the profession does not recognize in that cocktail of excellence that has given her creative contribution to dreams, her ant-like industriousness, shared knowledge, erudition, dedication to the Martian and Fidelista craft of journalism, and with undeniable modesty the Espintuanan Rosa Miriam Elizalde Zorrilla?

Given in Havana, on the 26th day of the month of February of 2021 and endorsed with the signature of:

Juana Carrasco Martin – President of the Jury

Irma Cáceres

José Alejandro Rodríguez Martínez

Enrique Ojito

Maribel Acosta Damas

Ana Teresa Badía Valdés

Ivonne Albelo

Julio Acanda García

Abel Falcón Curí

Sabdiel Batista

Beatriz Pérez Alonso

Adán Iglesias Toledo

Ernesto Niebla Chalita

Marcelino Vázquez

Ismael Francisco González

Miguel Ernesto Gómez Masjuán