President Kovind presents Ramnath Goenka Awards 2020; Says fake news has emerged as a new menace
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New Delhi, january 21: "Fake news has emerged as new menace whose purveyors proclaim themselves as journalists and taint the noble profession", pointed President Ram Nath Kovind at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in New Delhi yesterday.
Indian media’s most-coveted award, the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were presented to the awardees by the President on Monday. “The fundamental principle of restraint and responsibility has been undermined substantially in the din of the ‘breaking news’ syndrome that has consumed the media now", he noted.
Taking jibe at the Indian media, Kovind said that the journalists often assume role of investigator, prosecutor and judge. "Stories exposing great social and economic inequalities are ignored and their place taken by trivia. Instead of helping promote scientific temper, some run after irrational practices in their search for eyeballs and ratings", he added.
Democracy like India deeply relies on the uncovering of facts and a willingness to debate them. Democracy is meaningful only when the citizen is well informed and in that sense, excellence in journalism grants full meaning to democracy.
Fake news has emerged a new menace, whose purveyors proclaim themselves as journalists and taint this noble profession: President Kovind
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 20, 2020
A recognition of journalism that is defined by fairness and accuracy, The Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards gain even more prominence in the present times when the news space is polarised and the distinction of fact from fake news gets more difficult by the day.
President Kovind presented the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in New Delhi. He congratulated all the award winners and urged them to never let go of their pursuit of truth | https://t.co/SAahwBSwld pic.twitter.com/bu5kIkpy4z
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 20, 2020
This year’s recipients of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards constitute works from the year 2018, in categories ranging from political reportage, business and economics, civic journalism, environment, science and technology, and journalism from areas of conflict regional-language reporting. The awardees received prize money of Rs 1 lakh each.
The eminent jurors for this year’s Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were Tom Goldstein, Professor and Dean, Jindal School of Journalism & Communication, O P Jindal Global University; S Y Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner; Pamela Philipose, journalist and Senior Fellow at the Indian Council of Social Science Research; and Justice B N Srikrishna, former Supreme Court judge.