The Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) has hosted a meeting with the journalist Miguel Ángel Noceda, winner of the Estrañi 2025 Award from the Association of Journalists of Cantabria. During the meeting, he reflected on the role of journalism in today’s society.
The event also featured the participation of Dolores Gallardo and Almudena Ruiz, members of the association, who contributed the institutional and educational perspective on the profession.
During his speech, Noceda firmly defended that “without journalism there is no democracy”, and stressed the importance of providing truthful, contrasted, and contextualized information that allows citizens to develop critical thinking. He also claimed essential pillars of the profession such as rigorous verification of facts, editorial independence and protection of sources, clearly recalling that “sources should never be revealed”.
The journalist also encouraged students to explore the various specializations of the profession – such as economic, scientific or political journalism – and to opt for continuing education. “Truth is the main tool we have for journalists,” he said.
In addition, he analyzed the impact of social media and artificial intelligence, warning about their use in the dissemination of lies and disinformation. In this context, he defended the need to differentiate professional journalism from unverified content.
For her part, Almudena Ruiz presented the initiatives of media literacy promoted by the Association of Journalists of Cantabria, through workshops aimed at primary and secondary students. These activities aim to teach young people how to identify reliable sources and strengthen their critical thinking in the face of social media misinformation.
The meeting allowed students to learn firsthand about the current challenges of journalism. With this type of initiatives, UNEATLANTICO seeks to strengthen the training of its students, promoting responsible professionals who are critical and committed to the truth.