The Marina Garbesi award to three fathers of autistic children Elio (Tese Stories), Nicoletti and Pesce win the Journalism section

Three fathers of autistic children, three “Autism managers”, three communication professionals who point the way for correct, coherent and continuous information on the issues of autism and disability. They are the singer Elio (Stefano Belisari), the journalist Gianluca Nicoletti and the sports commentator Mimmo Pesce (Domenico Pesacane). Winners for the Journalism section of the first edition of the Marina Garbesi Award, established with the support of the Municipality of Imola by Ludovico Bellu, a young autistic who lived almost all of his life in Cagliari before moving definitively to Rome, son of the journalist who died on 4 April 2021, to promote a correct and effective account of the condition of the most fragile. Leila Marzocchi instead wins the prize for the Graphic Novel section for her «The shadow is never so far away» (Oblomov), which «through the rediscovery of one’s family history, accompanies readers in the general history and thus indicates a path to safeguard the memory of the founding principles of our democracy”. The three fathers had several online conversations starting from a common concern, that for the future of their children, which passes through a deficient or wrong communication: from the diffusion of false and misleading clichés, to the enormous difficulties encountered in trivial activities , such as a test for Covid, the removal of a cavity or a blood draw, passing through bullying. They ironically defined themselves as “Autism managers” to give the impression that the care of the most fragile has been put into the system while it is entrusted to chance and every family must fend for itself, do it themselves, they say in their online conversation on the Maria Garbesi award website . The decision to award the journalism prize to the “Autism managers” “defines the framework within which information operators operate today and clarifies that the road ahead is still very long and full of obstacles”, write the organizers. The awarding of the prizes will be held on 14 April from 5 pm at the Teatro Comunale Ebe Stignani in Imola.