“Lights of Truth”, International Ethical Journalism Award Ceremony at the Ministry of Culture – Rome, Italy
By Regina Resta
On Tuesday, February 24, 2026, the award ceremony of the Ethical Journalism Prize “Lights of Truth” took place in Rome at the Ministry of Culture – Spadolini Hall, Via del Collegio Romano 27. The initiative, promoted by the Cultural Association VerbumlandiArt APS at the instigation of Manfredi Potenti, was created to highlight journalism capable of combining rigor, courage, and ethical responsibility in a historical phase marked by disinformation and a crisis of trust in public storytelling.
The “Lights of Truth” Award does not position itself in competition with other recognitions, but rather as a space of light, reflection, and gratitude toward those who defend truth as a common good. The conception and organization of the initiative were entrusted to Regina Resta, President of VerbumlandiArt APS and of the Award; Maria Pia Turiello, President of the Scientific Committee and Vice President of the Award; and Mirella Cristina, lawyer and journalist, member of the Scientific Committee. Further authority was provided by the Honorary Committee, which includes Nico Spuntoni, Francesco Mura, Francesco Lenoci, Goffredo Palmerini, Roberto Sciarrone, and Vinicio Leonetti, prominent figures in the journalistic and cultural landscape.
Among the Italian award recipients are H.E. Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Anna Maria Esposito, Brunella Bolloli, David Parenzo, Giovan Battista Brunori, Giulia Sorrentino, Manuela Sain, Maria Rita Grieco, Marilena Vinci, Massimo Giraldi, and Silvia Grassi.
The foreign award recipients section, proposed by the international cultural promoter, includes Aleksander Cipa (Albania), Alketa Gashi Fazliu (Kosovo), Tarana Turan Rahimi (Azerbaijan), and Marinellys Tremamunno (Venezuela), further confirming the increasingly international profile of the initiative. Significant space is also dedicated to the younger generation, with youth award recipients Angelo Baracco, Antonio Errigo, Federica Tomasello, and Mulengezi Adolphe Mihingano, in support of emerging talent and responsible journalism looking toward the future.
The awards presented during the ceremony are original and unique works by the Salento-based artist Tommaso Filieri (Galatone, Lecce), handcrafted and conceived as authentic and unrepeatable symbols of the ethical value of the profession.
Rome, the institutional and cultural heart of the country, hosted the Ethical Journalism Award “Lights of Truth” at the Ministry of Culture, a venue of great symbolic value, strengthening the link between information, civic responsibility, and democratic heritage. All media outlets are following the initiative closely, recognizing its national and international significance in promoting conscious, independent journalism oriented toward the common good.
The Spadolini Hall, located within the Ministry of Culture (MiC) in Rome, is named after Giovanni Spadolini, Italian historian, journalist, and politician, founder and first Minister for Cultural and Environmental Heritage in 1974. It symbolizes the birth of the Ministry, which separated from the Ministry of Public Education in order to independently safeguard Italy’s cultural and environmental heritage. As a historian and man of culture, Spadolini conceived the Ministry not as a bureaucratic body, but as a dedication to the protection of Italy’s artistic and historical heritage, viewing it as a living resource for the nation.
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