Almudena Ariza (Madrid, 1963) He has devoted himself to journalism since the age of 17 and has been making news during this time. great conflicts, tragedies and historical moments. It ends without asking what’s on your resume. And he died correspondent for three years Chinesenine inches new York and three Paris. Start another adventure now. This Wednesday, 26 (23.35 hours) opens television “The Spaniards are fighting”. In the programme, “nearly 70 Spaniards around the world” talk about the less friendly faces of the countries they live in, rather than how well they do. The person he always knew to explain it.
Man avoids conflict. You go looking for them.
But in this we will seek them to explain and understand them. And we do this through the Spaniards, with the idea of empathizing with them and their problems. It seemed like an interesting way to approach them, especially when people admitted to having a certain knowledge fatigue. The first knowledge that young people leave is international. So we thought of doing it more closely. It is a fun, attractive, informative and educational format. Because deep down, they are structural conflicts that affect us all in one way or another. Like the deforestation of the Amazon, where almost 20% of the planet’s oxygen is produced. It’s not the same thing for someone from there to tell us and a Spaniard living it.
“The first knowledge people give up is the international one, so we thought of bringing it closer”
And how did you choose these almost 70 characters?
We chose people who said inspiring stories or what a difficult life they had, or how well they told it. We’ve cast and what’s left is great. There’s a chapter on South Korea, which has the highest number of suicides in the world because it’s a society obsessed with perfection, and young Spaniards living there tell you that. We’re also talking about inequalities in South Africa, the sea of plastic in the Philippines, violence in Mexico, homophobia in Poland…
Are you staying with anyone?
There is everything. We tried to have different positions in the first program, the one about weapons in the EEEU. It strikes me as outrageous that this violence is normalizing and that some part of the country thinks that the more gun attacks there are, the more it has to defend itself. But you know the Spaniards who adopted the gun culture. It’s like a Canary Islander and a Texan couple teaching their daughters how to shoot, mingling with Texas culture. Yet when I asked them what would have happened if they had a super-violent argument and each one drew their gun…
Are there any Spaniards wondering why they are experiencing conflicts that are not their own?
We have tried to ensure that most of them have been in the country for many years and are highly integrated. Although some say they will leave as soon as they can.
And when you go to one, do you question him?
On the contrary. I want more time. Because when you make news like this, you need time to make contact, find out what’s going on, travel around the country,,,. The worst moment is when they tell me I have to go.
When you return, is it difficult for you to get it out of your head?
Too much. Because you are alone with the people you meet and the stories… In those ‘post’ days, you only want to talk to the people who are with you. Because there are keys and experiences that only they know. You don’t know what to say when other people ask you because there is a lot of emotions, a lot of pain… Also very strong stories of solidarity and cooperation and people who are real heroes… Like some Ukrainian grandparents who decided to stay and gave you a lesson in dignity.
Are there many lessons to be learned?
Yes, you come back with great humility and relativize everything that happens to you, however unorthodox it may seem. Every day matters. And you value journalists telling what’s going on in the field.
“You come back with so much humility and relativize everything that happens to you, however pretentious it may seem.”
He has worked as a reporter at points that give ideas about the world. What conclusion did you draw?
How little we know about others. When I went to Asia, my head was full of issues. Especially from China. You have to live there to understand it. Three years in Asia, geography, anthropology, culture… And we think we know the USA, and it was a world. The Trump era has caught us winning despite everything. And the events don’t end there: mass murders, hurricanes… When I went to cover a hurricane, I saw how everyone was running and you were going there… There were moments of horror.
Have you ever thought: is it over?
The time I lived so close was in Northern Iraq. Journalists went to the front. We entered the trenches with the Kurds, and on the other side was Saddam Hussein’s side. There was more than one moment to say: wow!
Conflict reporting often lives under suspicion.
So much has been said… We entered Ukraine, one of the most painful parts of Bucha, where the Russian Army was brutalized, two days after the Russians left, and there were corpses in the street and a common grave. And they still told me that we made it up in the nets. These arguments are always there, but the rigidity is etched on me. If I’m wrong, I’m the first to self-flagellate. But there are always people who do not trust journalism. Moreover, when there is so much politics concerned with throwing dirt on us and tarnishing our reputation.
“There have always been people who distrust journalism. Even more so now that politics is interested in bullshit on us.”
Oblivion comes after war or natural disasters. Is that why it’s coming back?
We must go back. And you see countries like Japan or the USA rebuilt in a short time and it seems like nothing happened. But a year later, Haiti was still the same. It varies by country; what they do with the help and resources they have.
Twenty years ago, for a woman to lead such a nomadic life meant giving up a family. And that was not his case.
I have a loving family with two children and a partner whom I am very much in love with. To be. While it is true that there is a lot of social pressure on women when your children are small. But I wouldn’t have been a better mother if I had given up on that to be closer. I would be a bitter mother.
Journalism is now done in newsrooms. Is journalism the only thing growing on the street?
I continue to advocate for more journalists on the ground. The street gives me everything. I die in a post. I am like a little bird in a cage.
“The street gives me everything. I die in the newsroom. I’m like a little bird in a cage.”
Is artificial intelligence a danger for journalism or not for journalism?
I’m a fan. I am using it and it can be a useful tool. We can’t go with this flag. We must try to understand it.
One question, is your sofa comfortable? Because he hasn’t had a chance to try it anyway. When he’s not traveling, he participates in marathons, dances salsa…
(Laughs) I go for a run whenever I can. It resets my mind. And I love to dance.
What about when retirement comes and it’s time to quit journalism?
If there comes a day when I can’t even move, I’ll keep making my podcasts. We now have many ways to keep in touch.