Rural people and rural stakeholders believe that journalists and the media talk little, or poorly, about their projects and their difficulties and, in general, about the activity that takes place outside French metropolises. To remedy this persistent gap, the French Rural Parliament (PRF) launched, in November 2023, an unprecedented initiative dedicated to French professional journalists interested in the life of rural areas and the challenges they face: the organization “Media and Rurality Awards”.
“The meeting between a profession, journalists, and committed rural stakeholders must allow the promotion of a new narrative of the territories. Convinced that rural areas contain major information, we wish to initiate a time of meetings and exchanges. »
Bernard Delcros, president of the French Rural Parliament
The objective of this honorary distinction? Reward journalists from all media – national, regional written press, magazine, web, radio and photography – for their work highlighting the countryside and medium-sized towns. While they are often eclipsed by more sensational subjects and/or making immediate news, these territories are nevertheless confronted with environmental, social, economic or societal issues of interest to a majority of our fellow citizens and essential for the common future of our society.
“Ruralities need to be looked at, described, written about. The Media and Ruralities Awards are intended to reward the new conversation between professional journalists and the countryside. Our objective is clear: to distinguish the authors of the great rural newspaper and to promote these rural areas. »
Jean-Yves Vif, general secretary of the Media and Ruralities Awards
An essential recognition, a demanding Award
This Prize rewards the quality of writing, originality and relevant treatment of information, combined with a rigorous ethical framework. It honors journalists who are interested in the life of – and on – the territories, making the effort to free themselves from clichés and other shortcuts. The rural area conceals, in fact, a multitude of rich and unexpected subjects for those who wish to discover them and share them with their readers and listeners.
Candidate professional journalists had until January 15, 2024 to submit their works. May be from the written press, the web, radio and television, they must have been published before December 31, 2023. Nearly 600 subjects were evaluated by a jury made up of editors-in-chief, publishers, elected officials and rural stakeholders. 22 winners received the precious prize, in the eight categories selected.
Partners committed to the life of the territories
In addition to the support of the Varenne Foundation, recognized for its unwavering support for the profession of journalism, this unique initiative benefits from the commitment of partners anchored in the life of the territories, such as the RTE Foundation, the La Poste Group, Crédit cooperative and Groupama Rhône-Alpes-Auvergne.
“This approach pays tribute to those who work to share, with interest and authenticity, a positive outlook on the numerous economic, social and solidarity initiatives at work in the territories. It is essential to do so over a long period of time. This is why the Media and Ruralities Awards are an annual event. The second edition is already launched. »
Cécile Daclin, general delegate of the RTE Foundation
Heading towards the second edition
The Media and Ruralities Awards ceremony, which was held at the La Poste group headquarters in Paris, also launched the second edition of the Prize. Candidate professional journalists are invited to participate until January 31, 2025. So that the great story of the territories continues to be written, edition after edition.
“Delphine Simonneau, the journalist who wrote the report, and I proposed devoting a subject to Joël Fradel, a traveling grocer and the idea was accepted by our editor-in-chief. We therefore followed him on his daily tour of 160 kilometers, between Allier, Creuse and Puy-de-Dôme and walked the village roads alongside him. Beyond being a grocer in an area where businesses are closing one after the other, for 30 years he has brought his energy, his sense of service and his infectious smile to people who are often elderly and isolated. Along with the postman, he remains the only defense against rural solitude. An essential social connection. This photo is, for me, both universal and timeless. We don’t know where or when it was taken. And, while we are overwhelmed by images seeking to have an effect on social networks, she invites us to share a moment of life. Far from spectacular, this photo requires attention to capture all the details. It pays tribute to the beauty of the relationship between Joël, this grocer with a big heart, and this grandmother, who reciprocates him. The photo is simple, modest and authentic. Just like our campaigns. »
Florian Salesse, photographer at La Montagne, winner in the Photo category for “A tour with Joël Fradel itinerant grocer”
“I produced a summer series for RFI dedicated to mayors in order to share the reality of their mission, which is often difficult. We were, in fact, struck by the number of mayors having resigned from their mandate – more than 1,200 according to the Association of Mayors of France between 2020 and the summer of 2023. I wanted to dedicate one of the five episodes of this series to to the mayor of a village, required to carry out a series of tasks in addition to his mandate. It is in this context that I spent a day with Pascal Jost, mayor of Veckring, a village in Moselle with 700 inhabitants. A mayor present on all fronts! In particular, he drives the school bus, covering 300 kilometers every day, to supplement his compensation of 1,200 euros but also to help out his community. A job that he takes to heart, watching over the children, like the village dad! And this is not his only additional role since he also has to manage household waste and the town hall switchboard to compensate for the lack of resources. He juggles all these missions with humor and enthusiasm. He is an endearing person driven by the desire to be useful to others and to contribute to the attractiveness of his village that he loves so much. He also speaks of his town hall as his second home and I felt it throughout the report. »
Baptiste Coulon, winner in the Radio category for “In Veckring, the daily life of a multi-hatted mayor”
“As an associative media, we are proud to be rewarded with the Médias et Ruralités Prize. Based in Clermont-Ferrand, we cover local subjects in a local approach. We focus our attention on initiatives combining environmental impact and societal utility. This is the case of the winning article, which I co-wrote with my colleague Marie-Pierre Demarty. This is a unique initiative led by the Les Monts qui pétillent association aimed at responding to a strong need for mobility in the Viscomtat-Noirétable area, in the Thiernoise mountain. The particularity of this project is that it comes from residents who, faced with the closure of the Saint-Etienne-Clermont-Ferrand rail link since 2016, decided to mobilize to offer new forms of soft mobility responding to the uses of 14 000 inhabitants of the territory. In addition to the governance shared by all local stakeholders, we were attracted by the positive state of mind that drives residents focused on finding collective solutions. »
Damien Caillard, Tikographie, winner in the Web category for “The sparkling mountains tackle the puzzle of mobility in the rural world”
Discover the complete list of winners and consult the winning subjects
