Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Wednesday presented the 16th Ramnath Goenka Awards for excellence in journalism in various categories. A total of 43 winners from 2019 and 2020, who could not be honored earlier due to the corona pandemic, were honored this year at the event in the state capital.
Dainik Bhaskar’s Anand Choudhary received the prestigious award in the Hindi Journalism in Print category for exploring the dark underbelly of Rajasthan’s villages in its three tribal districts, where children can be bought for as little as Rs 50-150.
Jyoti Yadav and Bismee Taskin of The Print, a news outlet, received the award for their story on the exodus of migrants through rural Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
In the Broadcast (Hindi) Journalism category, the award went to NDTV India’s Sushil Kumar Mohapatra for his story of how Haryana suddenly had the highest number of cancer deaths in the country in 2017.
Ashutosh Mishra of news channel Aaj Tak won the award for his story about the dead bodies floating in the Ganges during the pandemic in May 2021.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) praised the journalism profession, saying: “I am enormously impressed by the depth and breadth of reporting that journalists engage in in our country.”
“To the journalists who didn’t win today – you are no less a winner in the game of life, for your profession is noble,” he added. The CJI addressed the professions of both law and journalism in his speech, saying journalists and lawyers or judges like him have some things in common.
“Of course, people of both professions firmly believe in the aphorism that the pen is mightier than the sword. But they also share the occupational hazard of being unpopular because of their profession — not an easy cross to endure,” he said.
“But people in both professions are sticking to their daily chores and hoping that one day the reputation of their professions will see a new lease of life,” he added.
Speaking at the event, Viveck Goenka, Chairman and CEO of Indian Express Group, recognized the work of news channels’ reporters, photographers, cameramen and new producers during the pandemic.
“Tonight we recognize their work and dedication to our profession,” he said, adding, “The pandemic has been defeated by vaccines, while the ‘infodemic’ has been defeated by old-fashioned honest journalism.”
The jury for this edition of the awards consisted of Judge (Retired) BN Srikrishna, Founding Vice Chancellor and Dean of OP Jindal Global University C Raj Kumar, Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and KG Suresh, Vice Chancellor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication.
