March 2002 - Nr. 3
Giuliani Receives German Media Prize in Baden Baden
TWIG - At a celebrity-studded ceremony held this in the elegant spa town of Baden Baden, former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani was distinguished as the recipient of this year’s prestigious German Media Prize. The award is given to the person deemed "the most outstanding of the year," as selected by a jury composed of Germany’s leading editors. The award was founded in 1992 by Karlheinz Koegel of German Media Control, a radio and television research center. Past recipients include Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (2000), President Bill Clinton (1999), and South African President Nelson Mandela (1998).
Giuliani, 57, was honoured, in Koegel’s words, for embodying "forgotten values of courage" after the catastrophic events that struck his city on September 11, 2001. The jury of editors cited Giuliani’s "energy, courage and tireless sympathy," while German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder commended the former mayor’s "engaged and self-sacrificing efforts" which have made him "a model for every politician." As mayor, Giuliani’s humanity and fierce patriotism as well as his commitment to supporting victims’ families and bolstering the morale of the entire city elevated him as a worldwide symbol for the indefatigable spirit of New Yorkers.
At the ceremony, Giuliani told an audience of some 300 guests – among them Interior Minister Otto Schily, Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Middelhoff, and a group of Manhattan high school students invited to Germany by Chancellor Schroeder – that he dedicated the prize to the heroism of New Yorkers, saying, "I realize it’s not really for me, it’s for the people of New York City. Their initial heroism helped create a lot of resilience and the very, very strong response from America and the rest of the world."
This is Giuliani’s first trip to Germany ever. He follows his stay in Baden Baden with a tour of several cities on the Continent to encourage contributions to the Twin Towers Fund, which benefits the families of New York’s uniformed service members killed in the terrorist attacks.
