The Jabotinsky Prize Committee of the world leadership of the Betar movement announced that journalist and political commentator Yaakov Bardugo is the winner of the Jabotinsky Prize for Communication for 2025. The decision was made unanimously by the committee members.
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The official ceremony is expected to be held towards the end of December, as part of the annual Jabotinsky Conference.
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In the minutes of the decision, the committee members showered praise on Bardugo's work and his standing alongside the national camp. "Yaakov Bardugo absorbed Jabotinsky's values from his father's house and was a Betar activist in his youth," it was written. "In the past decade, he has stood like a solid rock against severe waves of delegitimization, due to his positions and the positions of the national camp.".
The committee emphasized Bardugo's role in shaping media discourse during times of war and political crises: "In the face of progressive approaches that harm IDF soldiers and the State of Israel, Bardugo serves as a stable and clear compass: calling for justice to be done, for preserving the values of the nation, and for standing firmly behind IDF soldiers.".
The reasons for the award also included harsh criticism of Bardugo's opponents in the Israeli media. Committee members noted that he was chosen precisely for his stand against what they called an "orchestrated smear campaign.".
It also reads: "With a loud voice, and sometimes alone, he continues to represent honest, clean and courageous journalism.".
The committee members noted that Bardugo has been facing attacks for years from "an organized and funded media milieu, which represents a marginalized minority in the nation, and seeks to harm him and his positions.".
The committee that selected Bardugo was attended by senior members of Beitar's global leadership, including CEO Yigal Brand, VP of Operations Nofar Golan Levy, spokesperson Moshe Basos, and legal advisor Sarah Eliyahu Yitzhakov.
At the end of the letter, signed by Brand, it was written: "For his contribution to strengthening Israeli democracy, freedom of expression and freedom of the press, and for his stubborn pursuit of truth and justice - he is unworthy of receiving the Jabotinsky Prize.".
