J-School students Mariana Cristancho-Ahn and Nuria Net with Joaquim Ibarz at the 2010 Cabot prize gala
Last Saturday, journalist and 2010 Maria Moors Cabot Prize winner Joaquim Ibarz passed away in his hometown of Zaidín in Spain after battling with brain cancer. “Quim,” as he was known to friends and colleagues, served for 28 years as a Latin American correspondent for Barcelona’s “La Vanguardia” newspaper.
His passion and love for the region (not to mention his sense of humor) was palpable for us students who had the priviledge of meeting Quim last October when he came to Columbia to receive his Cabot prize for his outsanding career. During an informal roundtable between the Cabot prize winners and students, he was very keen on sharing his advice and hearing from us, in our own words, our thoughts on journalism in Latin America (read a recap of the Cabot winners chat with students here).
Ibarz, who was 68, got diagnosed just last summer when he was still living in Mexico City, his home base since 1982. He moved to Barcelona to receive treatment shortly afterwards and while in remission, made a valiant effort to travel to New York for the Cabot gala, held at Columbia’s Low Library and presented by University president Lee C. Bollinger and Journalism School Dean Nicholas Lemmann.
Gracias Quim for your life example!
Read our article on the 2010 Maria Moors Cabot Prize ceremony here
More about Joaquim Ibarz:
