Julen Ariza: “Contrasted information is not only demanded, but works and sets the agenda”
Confilegal, the digital newspaper specialising in judicial matters, yesterday awarded its prizes, which in its first edition also served as a tribute to the recently deceased State Public Prosecutor, José Manuel Maza.
At the awards ceremony, Julen Ariza, editor of Confilegal and Dircomfidencial, highlighted the value of “independent and specialised information” in terms of the numerous threats that journalism is facing today.
Among them, the journalist cited the “emergence of the technological giants”, the “tension produced by fierce competition” and the “proliferation of superfluous information or fake news”.
Ariza stated that “only the specialised press allows the creation of a community and a complicity between an expert journalist who faces a group of very demanding readers every day”. At the same time, he highlighted the fact that “information contrasted with the utmost rigour and objectivity is not only demanded, but it works and sets an agenda”.
The editor of Confilegal was also at pains to emphasise that the focus of the media is on “the defence of citizens against the inevitable temptation of the excesses of power, of any power, including, of course, that of the media”. “It is at this crossroads between the third and fourth power where we work every day”, added Ariza.
“Only the specialised press allows the creation of a community and a complicity between an expert journalist who faces a group of very demanding readers every day”.
Currently, Confilegal is the legal medium of reference in Spain, a status that it has reached despite being founded only three years ago, in the middle of the financial crisis. Not in vain, in October it registered 192,000 unique users and 437,000 visits, according to the audited data of comScore. On the other hand, in November, it is expected to surpass its record, as to date the digital newspaper directed by Carlos Berbell and Yolanda Rodríguez has 385,000 users and has clocked up to 542,000 sessions, according to the internal data provided by Google Analytics.
The prizes, presented at Hotel Palace, were awarded to Encarnación Roca, vice-president of the Constitutional Court, the Hay Derecho Blog, the judge Pablo Ruz, the four judicial associations, the chief judges and Wolters Kluwer.
The Spanish High Court judge, Enrique López, also received a recognition award for having implemented an efficient and effective communication policy in the judiciary, when he was a member of the governing body of the judges.
The Minister of Justice, Rafael Catalá, presents a recognition award to the son of the recently deceased State Public Prosecutor, José Manuel Maza.
With the journalist and writer, Reyes Monforte, acting as master of ceremonies, the event was also attended by the Minister of Justice, Rafael Catalá, who presented a plaque of recognition to José Manuel Maza Martín, the recently deceased State Public Prosecutor, represented by his son, José Manuel Maza Muriel.
The highest level of Justice was in attendance
In addition to these personalities, the President of the Constitutional Court, Juan José González Rivas; the president of the Hay Derecho Foundation, Ignacio Gomá; the president of the General Council of Spanish Lawyers, Victoria Ortega; the spokesperson of the Socialist Group in the Congress and judge on extended leave, Margarita Robles; the deputy general director of Santander Spain, Javier Hidalgo Blázquez; and the press chief of the General Council of the Judiciary, Agustín Zurita.
From left to right: Manuel Almenar, president of the APM, Carlos Berbell, director of Confilegal; Julen Ariza, editor of Confilegal; Encarnación Roca, vice-president of the Constitutional Court; Rafael Catalá, Minister of Justice; and José Luis González Rivas, president of the Constitutional Court.
There were also many attendees from the world of journalism, including Nacho Abad, Juan Luis Galiacho and Pedro J. Ramírez, who attended with his wife, the lawyer Cruz Sánchez de Lara Sorzano.
