The Xornalistas Freedom of the Press Award is heir of the José Couso Award, organized since 2005 by the Colexio Profesional de Xornalistas de Galicia (Professional Association of Journalists of Galicia) and the Ferrol Press Club (Club de Prensa de Ferrol), after the request made by the Couso Permuy family in 2024 to disassociate the name of the murdered cameraman from the award. The award enters now a new phase with the same spirit: to acknowledge and spread the work of an existing organization or person with a relevant role in defending the freedom of speech, or with a significant and independent career in the field of journalism. The winners of this Award do not receive any money, but one of its special features is the process of selection and proposal of candidates, made by all the members of the Professional Association of Journalists of Galicia. In this way, this award becomes a recognition of all the Galician journalists to media workers and associations, whether Galician or not, who are victimized, prosecuted and killed for fighting for the freedom of speech.