Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards
Anu(ChandigarhCitynews)
The 12th edition of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were held in the Capital on December 20, 2017. Vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu, who was the chief guest at the function, handed over the awards to 27 winners – in 25 categories, including print and broadcast – for outstanding work done in 2016.
“These awards, instituted in the name of such a doyen of freedom of speech and expression, have rightly emerged as the most coveted journalism awards in the country. Ramnath Goenka embodied the finest qualities of journalism of courage and commitment: fierce independence, relentless pursuit of facts, robust determination to withstand pressures, to constantly ask questions and to uphold the principles of freedom of expression in the face of every challenge. These attributes also constitute the highest principles of citizenship and are necessary for strengthening our democracy,” the Vice-President said in his address.
Reflecting on the responsibility of the media, Naidu said, “In my view, the media’s role should be the empowerment of people through information, social mobilisation, building partnerships, catalysing individual and collective actions for betterment of lives and promoting peace and harmony, and supporting national reconstruction. Every news report should result in enhanced level of understanding and inspire action.”
An eminent jury, including former Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna, HDFC Ltd chairman Deepak Parekh, former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi and senior journalist Pamela Philipose, chose the winners from over 800 entries that came from all parts of the country, many of them in regional languages.
In the past, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, former vice president Hamid Ansari, former president PratibhaPatil and former chief justice of India P Sathasivam have been chief guests at the awards.
The Express Group instituted the RamnathGoenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2006 as part of the centenary year celebrations of its founder, RamnathGoenka. Over the years, the awards have become the gold standard of journalism honours in India, the ultimate recognition that every outstanding journalist working in the country searches for today. The awards, which come with a trophy and a reward of Rs 1 lakh to each of the winners, aim to celebrate excellence in journalism, recognise courage and commitment and showcase the outstanding contributions of journalists from across the country.
