Jerzy Jurecki
Publisher, investigative journalist of “Tygodnik Podhalański”

Throughout the 1980s, he devoted himself to the publication of underground journals, namely "Kurier Studencki" and "Biuletyn Podhalański." In 1989, he played a pivotal role in launching "Tygodnik Podhalański," a unique local newspaper that circulates not only in Podhale, Orawa, and Spisz, but also reaches communities in Chicago and Toronto. As an investigative journalist and publisher, he's acclaimed for bringing governmental malfeasances into the public eye. Commencing in 2001, he has been leading workshops for journalists in totalitarian states and nascent democracies, including Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Tunisia, and Myanmar. His insightful articles have adorned the pages of "Gazeta Wyborcza," "Czas Krakowski," "Głos Solidarności," "Newsweek Polska," and "Rzeczpospolita." His journalistic excellence has been acknowledged with a multitude of awards from esteemed organizations such as the Media Ethics Council (2003), the Association of Polish Journalists (2003, 2010), the Batory Foundation (2003), the Dariusz Fikus Award ("Rzeczpospolita," 2004), and the Local Press Association (2008, 2011). In 2012, his contributions were further recognized when he was named Journalist of the Year in a prestigious contest hosted by "Press" magazine.