The Machiavelli Prize 2020 has been awarded to Marion Koopmans and Diederik Gommers. The prize is awarded annually for a remarkable achievement in the field of public communication. The jury considered the way in which they sought dialogue about the importance of the corona measures to be decisive.
"Koopmans and Gommers are receiving the prize because of their unceasing efforts to make the science on the coronavirus accessible to a broad public. Enthusiastic and indefatigable, they manage time and again to distinguish facts from fables about the virus in an understandable language," according to the jury report of the Machiavelli foundation. "The deliberate search for dialogue with doubters of the science and opponents of the policy has contributed to a greater understanding, certainly among young people", the jury report continues. "It is to Koopmans' and Gommers' credit that they have made informing a broad public their calling in addition to their daily work in the urgent fight against the coronavirus. A vocation that both of them carry out with great naturalness and skill.
Previous winners
Previous winners include Elliot Higgins of journalism collective Bellingcat, "the threatened mayor" Jos Wienen, SheDecides, Hugo Borst & Carin Gaemers, the Dutch Safety Board, RTL Netherlands, Mayor Eberhard van der Laan, Bauke Vaatstra, H.R.H. Princess Máxima, national coach Bert van Marwijk and investigative journalist Jeroen Smit.
Award ceremony
The prize will be presented on Monday 15 February by Marja Wagenaar, chairman of the Machiavelli Foundation. It is the 32nd time that the prize is awarded.
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