presented with the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize, Aristegui dedicated it to the writer Germán Dehesa, who had died the previous September, and to the 64 reporters killed in recent years for exercising their freedom of expression. "Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz," said Aristegui, "is a key character, transcendent, transformative, a kind of myth. Sor Juana's life was devoted to study, to the pursuit of knowledge, not only in order to understand, unravel and know, but precisely to make possible a window on liberty." The French government awarded Aristegui the Legion of Honor in recognition of her "struggle for freedom of expression, and her commitment to the defense of those who often have no voice in the media, as well as her work for democracy and rule of law in Mexico." Aristegui has received the following awards and honors: 2001 – National Award for Journalism (shared with Javier Solórzano) 2002 – Recognized by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy 2002 – Mexican Press Club, National Journalism Award 2003 – Named Best National Anchor 2003 – Public Image Prize for Best Journalist at National Level 2004 – Mexican Press Club, National Journalism Award 2004 – National Award for Journalism 2004 – Mont Blanc Woman of the Year 2005 – Honored by the National Institute of Indigenous Languages 2005 – National Award for Journalism 2006 - Omecihauatl Medal, from the Instituto de las Mujeres-DF 2006 - Ondas Iberoamericano Radio Prize, for the program Hoy por hoy 2006 – Mexican Journalism Prize, awarded by the Fifth National Congress of the Federation of Mexican Journalists' Associations, in the category of interviewing 2008 - María Moors Cabot Prize from the School of Journalism at Columbia University 2009 – National Award for Journalism 2010 – National Award for Journalism 2010 – Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Prize 2012 – Named a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor 2014 - PEN Mexico Prize 2015 - Gabriel García Marquez Prize, for research on "The White House" 2016 - Chosen as one of BBC's 100 Women 2017 - Chosen as one of 50 "World's greatest leaders" by Fortune magazine 2018 - Received the John Peter and Anna Catherine Zenger Award for Press Freedom from the University of Arizona School of Journalism. Personal life Aristegui has one son, Emilio, born on 11 February 1999. "The emotion that came over me continues to be unforgettable," she said