ONCE marks 120 years of Malaga press association with commemorative lottery ticket

The ONCE lottery ticket for this Saturday 15 November, will be dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the creation of the press association of Malaga (APM).

The ONCE delegate in Andalucía, Ceuta and Melilla, Cristóbal Martínez, the vice-president of the ONCE regional council, Leonor Basallote, and the director of the organisation in Malaga, Marcelo Rosado, presented the image of this coupon on Thursday to the president of the APM, Elena Blanco and members of her board of directors, at a breakfast held at the Hotel Ilunion Málaga.

Five and a half million coupons bear the image of the Malaga skyline, with the logo of the APM and that of its 120th anniversary (1905-2005). "We would like to join in your celebration with a message of gratitude for your commitment and professionalism, for your constant search for the truth and for the rigour and respect with which you approach the reality of people with disabilities," said Cristóbal Martínez.

The ONCE delegate asked Malaga journalists and the media to be "more ambitious" and to become more involved in conveying to society an image "as real, normal and natural as possible of the group of people with disabilities". A greater commitment that, in his opinion, involves combating the stereotypes that hinder their full inclusion in society, avoiding discriminatory and stigmatising terminology, "which abounds in differences and marks distances".

He called on them to make a greater effort of collective social responsibility in order to discover the true talents and talents that lie behind each one of them. "Put aside victimising approaches and focus on overcoming the real problems that affect people with disabilities as full citizens, because you are going to find real treasures, human stories that are of interest to your readers, listeners and viewers. Because they are situations of overcoming that are an example for everyone," he said.

The APM, through its president, Elena Blanco Castilla, thanked ONCE for this recognition: "We are aware that ONCE does not choose at random. Dedicating a coupon to the 120th anniversary of the APM helps to vindicate the role of journalism as an instrument of inclusion and social awareness and symbolises the work of generations of journalists who, from Malaga, have told the story of reality with honesty, sensitivity and social commitment".

Blanco recalled that promoting more egalitarian and supportive societies is one of the main functions of journalism: "And we contribute to this when we give a voice to those who are not normally heard, allowing them to be the authors of their own story". In order to continue making progress, he considers it necessary to resume a news agenda in which social issues regain greater presence.