2017 Ramnath Goenka Awards handed out

Twenty-nine journalists, including six from The Indian Express, were awarded the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards on January 4. Journalists were awarded across 18 categories, including print and broadcast, for outstanding work done in 2017.

The members of RNG Awards panel included former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, former Supreme Court judge Justice BL Srikrishna and journalist and senior fellow at Indian Council of Social Research, Pamela Philipose.

This year’s winners include The Hindu’s Vijay Kumar S for investigative reporting in print and India Today‘s Anand Kumar Patel in broadcast categories, respectively. As for political reporting, Indian Express’ Sushant Kumar Singh won the award in print, while ABP News’ Brajesh Rajput won it for broadcast. You can find the full list of 2017 winners here.

This year the awards were given away by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who also delivered the keynote address.

In his speech, Singh spoke about the legacy of Express‘s founder, Ramnath Goenka, the media’s role as the fourth pillar of democracy, as well as precautions the media should take. Recalling Goenka’s days, Singh said, “Ramnath Goenka set up The Indian Express in 1932. It was a very courageous thing to do.” He added that Goenka’s work during the Emergency “was like a lamp in dark times”. Singh also lauded Goenka and The Indian Express for their courage. Speaking about Goenka’s values, Singh recommended that his values should be emulated by present-day journalists.

Singh also spoke about the relationship between the government and the media. He said, “I think that it’s okay if a friendship isn’t there between the media and the government, but there should be no hatred or discord between them.” He also emphasised that news and opinion should not be mixed.

Speaking about sensationalism in journalism, the Union Home Minister said, “I believe that sensationalism of news is an insult to journalism. And I can say that Ramnath Goenka never allowed it while he was around.”

The Ramnath Goenka Awards were instituted in 2005, as part of Express’s centenary year celebrations of its founder.