Ukrainian flag for distinguished Polish SDP journalists
Warsaw hosted a solemn ceremony of awarding state awards to members of the largest Polish Association of Journalists (SDP).
Minister Wojciech Kolarski, State Secretary of the Chancellery of the President, announced the Executive Order of the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda and conveyed his Greeting.
President Andrzej Duda mentioned that Polish journalists have special long-term merits, the Association is successfully operating Media Freedom Monitoring Center, which effectively defends freedom of speech and freedom of media in Poland, and also plays a particular role in strengthening ties with foreign journalists.
About 40 Polish journalists received awards for the first time in the history of SDP. Krzysztof Skowroński, President of the Association of Polish Journalists, was awarded the first Officer's Cross of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland for his outstanding contribution to the development of independent journalism, for his achievements in journalistic and public activity. The Silver Cross of Merit was awarded to SDP Vice-President, Director of the Media Freedom Monitoring Center Yolanta Hajdash, and the Bronze Cross of Merit - to Hubert Beckricht, SDP Secretary General.
Ukrainian journalists, who arrived in Warsaw from Ukraine and New Zealand on this occasion, were also invited to the state award ceremony - representatives of the Ukrainian-Polish Independent Media Forum: Secretary of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, First Deputy Chairman of the Forum Council Mykola Semena, Director of the Institute of Ukrainian Studies, Editor-in-Chief of the Forum Portal, Doctor of Philosophy Tetiana Yaroshovets, Honored Journalist of Ukraine, Executive Director of the Forum Anatolij Serykov, Director of the Publishing House "Landmarks of Ukraine", Head of the Forum's Secretariat Valentyn Kondratiuk. The guests sincerely congratulated their Polish colleagues on the high awards, conveyed personal greetings of the Chairman of the Forum Council, writer and diplomat Yuriy Shcherbak, and presented the Ukrainian flag with words of thanks on it for sheltering and helping Ukrainian refugees, including journalists.
By Svitlana POLIOVA, journalists
Family photo at the awarding ceremony. Photo copyrighted, 2022