New Delhi: The Indian Express Group hosted the 19th edition of the Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism at The Oberoi, New Delhi, with President Droupadi Murmu as the Chief Guest. A total of 27 winners across 20 categories were honored for their exceptional contributions to journalism in 2023.
In her address, President Murmu highlighted key issues affecting the news industry today, emphasizing the importance of a vibrant and idea-driven newsroom.
A “thriving newsroom full of ideas is essential for the business of news”, Murmu said.
She went on to add that news gathering, “must be strengthened”.
The President spoke of the content creation economy and the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence.
“On the issue of content creation, we hope that we will soon reach a stage when malicious content will be weeded out, and the so-called post-truth will go out of currency,” she said.
She added that this can be undertaken by “pro-active campaigns to educate citizens about these pitfalls”.
” In fact, the hazard of deep fakes and other misuses of artificial intelligence compel us to sensitise all citizens about this critical aspect of news. The young generation, in particular, should be educated to spot the bias and the agenda in any form of news report or analysis,” she said.
In his welcome speech, Chairman Viveck Goenka called President Murmu an “inspiring Chief Guest”.
“Our first tribal President, our youngest, the first President to be born after Independence, President Murmu’s is a shining story that calls out to us deeply and strongly,” he said.
The chairman then spoke about how “we are once again debating, the world over, the strains and stresses in a democracy and the role of the press”.
He underlined that The Indian Express group’s founder Ramnath Goenka knew that “nine decades ago, by instinct and insight, that it was the free press” that was “at the heart of the compact between a democratic state and the people”.
The award jury featured an esteemed panel, including:
- B N Srikrishna, Former Supreme Court Judge
- Prof. C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, O P Jindal Global University
- Prof. K G Suresh, Former Vice Chancellor, Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication
- Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies & Co-founder, EkStep
- Dr. S Y Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner
Established in 2005, the Ramnath Goenka Awards celebrate journalists who uphold integrity, resilience, and courage while reporting under challenging circumstances.
Over the years, the event has been attended by some of the most distinguished dignitaries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former President A P J Abdul Kalam, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, and other leaders.
Winners List:
