Parliament awards the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for outstanding journalism work based on the principles and values of the EU. This year, the prize rewards Carol VALDE and Clement DI ROMA, journalists and co-authers of "Centrafrique : le soft power russe", produced for ARTE/Decoupages. It shows how Russia, through soft power methods (cinema and food) but also through the Wagner society, a mercenaries secret army, spreads its influence in Central African Republic. Carol VALADE explains how difficult it was to work in that context and what it means to him to receive that prize.

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

EU - Russia (T)

EU - Central African Republic (T)

freedom of press and media (T)

Daphne Caruana Galizia prize for journalism (T)

Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism 2022: statement Carol VALADE, journalist and co-author of "Centrafrique : le soft power russe", laureate

SOUNDBITE (English), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize laureate - <em> </em>I was kind of surprised at the news that it was rewarded by the European Parliament. But I think it's a very good thing because. First of all, I thought it would be a documentary on Ukraine that would win the the prize. But in fact it's a good thing because it takes a step aside from what we are all focussed on, because you know with the proximity law in journalism, you are always more focussed and the public is always more focussed on what's going on next to them.  <p></p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize laureate - What's happening now in the CAR and more globally and of course, Africa, where democracy is shrinking, and more and more voices are looking upon autocratic models like Russia. I think it says something about the future of the values that Europe is defending.

SOUNDBITE (English), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize laureate - This report basically is all the sum of all the work we did as foreign correspondents in the Central African Republic.

SOUNDBITE (English), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize laureate -  And before we arrived, the crimes that the mercenaries are accused of, were already starting to be documented. But there was this all part about the propaganda, the desinformation that remain undocumented. So we wanted to put that to light and to investigate it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize laureate - Since the Russians came in, in 2018, there's this climate of fear and especially in the press. It's very difficult for journalists and especially local journalists to work there. You have many threats It's very dangerous for them to report on what the Russians are doing.

SOUNDBITE (English), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize laureate - Also, it was very difficult because we are French reporters. And as the growing anti-French feeling spread across the country and encouraged by the Russian propaganda also, it became more and more difficult to gain access to the people while working with the Russians and to people who are part and make also this this propaganda. But by living there for a year and a half, we regain the trust and explain to them that we also wanted to make their voice heard. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize laureate - I feel I feel it's a big responsibility, it carries a lot. It immediately made me think about all the colleagues and journalists who died doing their jobs all across the world. In central Africa, we mentioned the three Russian journalists died there in 2018, but in lots of other countries as well. So this prize goes to them firstly. And I want to say that the fact that we continued the work that some other journalists couldn't, it's what gave me the strength to continue and the will to continue. The message of this prze could be that you can kill one journalist, but then you have dozens of others that will stand up and continue their work.