“Tobacco and Health” | SITAB - Umberto Veronesi Foundation Award | Journalism Award Report| Tabaccologia

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Promoting independent and quality information on tobacco smoke: these are the objectives of the “Tobacco and Health” national journalism award, in its second edition in 2022. The prizes, made available by the Umberto Veronesi Foundation, were awarded during the XVIII SITAB National Congress in Milan on 7 and 8 October 2022.

The winners were selected by a jury of experts from those who responded to the proposals opened in the month of July. The works produced were of excellent quality, on topics of transversal and highly topical interest: from electronic cigarettes to the lesser-known damages of smoking, from the environment to the marketing activities of the tobacco industry. The novelty of this edition was the opening of the competition not only to journalists enrolled in the register but also to those signed up from schools of journalism.

Here are the awarded journalists: for the “Press and web” category, Valentina Meschia, with the in-depth analysis From Maya to the e-cig: smoking an ancient habit, but quitting is possible, a broad excursus through the history of smoking published in the online magazine scienceinrete.it on August 24^th, 2022. For the “Audio” category Chiara Caretoni, with the report Smoking: do you know all the damage it causes to your bones? went on air on February 12^th, 2022 on Radio Latte-Miele and Circuito Nazionale Radiofonico - CNR, which had the merit of addressing a still little-known aspect of smoking. For the “Video” category Antonella Cignarale, with the investigation Full smoke which aired on January 24^th, 2022 during the episode of the TV programme Report on RAI3. The service investigated the use of flavours in tobacco products, explaining the industry’s strategies against consumers and the problems associated with the legislation. The investigation was carried out in collaboration with the international consortium of investigative journalists OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project), already involved in last year’s award-winning work, China Tobacco conquering the world, by Alessia Cerantola, published in the IrpiMedia website.

The jury, chaired by Maria Sofia Cattaruzza, President of SITAB, was made up of Diego Antonelli (Deputy Director of Rai News 24), Donatella Barus (Director of the Umberto Veronesi Foundation Magazine), Roberto Boffi (Head of Pneumology SSD at the IRCCS Foundation of the National Cancer Institute of Milan, President-elect of SITAB), Laura Berti (President and Curator of TG2 programme Medicina 33), Franco Marchetti (Vice-President of UNAMSI), Luigi Ripamonti (Health Courier Manager - Corriere della Sera), Giulia Veronesi (Director of Robotic Thoracic Surgery at the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital), Vincenzo Zagà (Past President of SITAB, Editor-in-Chief of Tobaccology).

“This year there were 2% more smokers than in 2019 – said Professor Maria Sofia Cattaruzza – COVID-19 has heavily influenced the habits of Italians who must be encouraged to stop as soon as possible to avoid dying prematurely or living with disabilities, and to protect the health of the environment”.

“Since 2003, the Umberto Veronesi Foundation has been committed to supporting independent scientific research and providing correct information on health and prevention – specified Monica Ramaioli, Director General of the Umberto Veronesi Foundation – The collaboration with SITAB and this Award represent an important opportunity to give value and visibility to a challenge that involves us all”.