Ashish Ranjan
Ramnath Goenka Journalism Awards: In the year 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an end to human life and livelihoods in unprecedented ways. Winners of the Ramnath Goenka Journalism Awards focused, among other things, on the impact the pandemic had on the lives of ordinary Indians through their stories about the overburdened health infrastructure, migrant exodus, plight of frontline workers, unemployment, rumors, and unreported deaths.
In addition to these, prize-winning articles covered topics such as cybersecurity, climate change, sexual discrimination of athletes, and the aftermath of the Hathras gangrape.
On Wednesday, the champions of 2020 and 2019 will be honoured at this year’s ceremony in New Delhi. principal Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud will serve as the event’s principal guest. President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and then-Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu were among the previous principal guests. Although the 2019 award recipients were previously announced, they were unable to be honoured in person due to the pandemic. Over the course of the two years, 43 champions will be honoured.
The Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were established by the Ramnath Goenka Foundation to honour the legacy of the proprietor of The Indian Express Group. Each year, the awards recognise and commemorate excellence in journalism and highlight outstanding contributions and individuals. Categories include investigative, political, and sports journalism, as well as literature, feature writing, and regional languages.
Justice B N Srikrishna (retired); Prof (Dr.) C Raj Kumar, founding Vice-Chancellor and Dean, O P Jindal Global University; Dr. S Y Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner; and K G Suresh, Vice Chancellor, Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, comprised the jury for this year’s Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards.
The calibre of this year’s stories was identical to that of previous years. There was a variety of accounts, with some being superior to others. While I prefer it when journalists publish a series of stories on social issues, a single piece of reporting must be exceptional to receive the award. “Those who did not win this year should not lose hope and try again next year,” Quraishi said.
“I was honoured to serve as a member of the jury for this year’s Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards. I was impressed by The Indian Express’s dedication to ethical journalism and its endeavours to maintain its credibility. “However, the aspect of The Indian Express that recognises journalists who have fearlessly reported stories and spoken truth to power has been truly revolutionary,” said Kumar.
Also Read | Ranveer Singh surpasses Virat Kohli to become 2022’s most valued celebrity
Commenting on the variety of submissions, he stated that the jury had a difficult decision to make. “These were tales of valour and honor, some from less-than-mainstream publications, which was intriguing because we tend to gravitate towards conventional publications. “These journalists brought these not necessarily popular stories to the forefront,” said Kumar.
