Journalist Rui Pedro Paiva (from the Azores), together with photojournalist Rui Soares, won the Journalism Award “Analyzing Poverty in the Press,” awarded by EAPN – European Anti Poverty Network.

The award gave first place to the report “Poverty: four years later, the stories of those who lived on RSI,” written by the Azorean journalist and published in the Público newspaper in June 2024. The work addresses the impact of Social Integration Income (RSI). It presents an analytical perspective on poverty on the island of São Miguel, particularly in the village of Rabo de Peixe, according to a note from EAPN.

Second place in the award also went to the newspaper PÚBLICO and the work of Ana Cristina Pereira and Nelson Garrido entitled “Poverty: I go hungry to pay my bills.” Third place went to Expresso and the report “The forgotten ones” by Luciana Leiderfarb and Rui Pedro Silva.

SELECTION

The organization formed 19 Local Citizens’ Councils (one for each district on the mainland and Madeira, not including the Azores) to select a set of reports, which were then evaluated and classified by a jury. A total of 34 reports were analyzed.

INDEPENDENT APPROACH

Rui Pedro Paiva, a 29-year-old journalist, was born in Ponta Delgada, is part of the Lusa Agency team in the Azores, and is a correspondent for the newspaper PÚBLICO in the region. He was also director of Açoriano Oriental and is a regular commentator on RTP and Antena 1 Açores. According to EAPN Portugal-European Anti-Poverty Network, the award aims to distinguish “journalistic works that address poverty and social exclusion in a dignified manner, free from prejudice and other negative representations.”

EAPN – European Anti-Poverty Network is the largest European network of institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), comprising members at national, regional, and local levels. It was founded in 1990 in Brussels and is represented in 31 countries.

ON POVERTY

Poverty is considered an endemic phenomenon in the Azores, existing for as long as anyone can remember. In recent years, measurements using standardized criteria in Europe point to poverty rates (under the European euphemism “poverty threshold”) of around 25 percent of the population. However, these forms of measurement do not capture phenomena such as so-called “shameful poverty,” which afflicts vast swathes of the population and is alleviated through the support of individuals, especially neighbors, and institutions dedicated to helping those most in need.

PRISC, a plan to combat poverty developed by the University of Coimbra, is awaiting implementation in the Azores.

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.