Gustinčič, who entered the profession in 1951, is one of the best recognised personalities of Slovenian journalism. He has left an indelible mark through his valuable international comparisons and the broadness of spirit, the justification of the award reads.

He embarked on his career as a journalist with the Belgrade-based daily Politika, serving as its foreign correspondent for 25 years. He was correspondent in London, reported from Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Israel.

He was one of the ten Yugoslav journalists to report on the Soviet-led invasion of the Czechoslovakia in 1968. From Prague, he also reported for the public broadcaster RTV Ljubljana, as he did from the UN headquarters in New York, where he spent 13 years.

He moved to Ljubljana in the second half of the 1970s and after retirement continued to comment on international affairs. He has written for the Serbian paper Vreme, Croatian Slobodna Dalmacija, commented for the Slovenian public broadcaster and the political magazine Mladina.

"The beginning of his career goes back to the time of Cold War and ideologisation, but he rejected the ideologisation of journalism. He found the ways and words to report truth even when it was not a desired currency, setting an example of professionalism," the explanation from the presidential office reads.

Gustinčič expressed surprise at the honour in his acceptance speech saying that "journalists usually do not expect much good in life".