Published Dec 17, 2022 | 4:03 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 17, 2022 | 4:03 PM
Justice BN Srikrishna addressed the annual RedInk awards event. (Supplied)
Eminent journalist, author and former editorial advisor of The New Indian Express TJS George was presented with the coveted National RedInk Award for ‘Lifetime Achievement’ at a glittering function in Mumbai on Friday, 16 December.
The RedInk Awards, constituted by the Mumbai Press Club, were presented to journalists excelling in 12 categories
Earlier, addressing the awards function, eminent jurist Justice (Retd) BN Srikrishna said that if journalism as a profession falters, democracy will collapse.
The retired Supreme Court judge, who has headed several investigation panels, including the inquiry commission for the Mumbai 1992-93 riots, urged journalists to “speak the truth to the powers that be”.
“There are two professions — the judge and the journalist — who have to side with the truth. If they falter, democracy will collapse,” Justice Srikrishna said, addressing the awards event organised by the Mumbai Press Club.
“We all know about the four pillars of democracy … judiciary, legislature, executive and the press or the fourth estate. If the first three cosy up, it’s the duty of the fourth estate to take them to task,” he said.
Justice Srikrishna recalled the days of Emergency and agreed that investigative agencies are now being misused. “People spoke of threats from ED, CBI… surveillance, cutting off revenue to see that businesses collapse,” he added. “In such a situation, honesty is the best policy.”
Journalist of the Year Om Gaur of the Dainik Bhaskar group. (Supplied)
At the ceremony held at NCPA’s Jamshed Bhaba Hall in South Mumbai, as many as 26 journalists from all over the country received RedInk Awards for categories ranging from political writing and environment to healthcare and business.
Award recipients included Om Gaur, national editor of Dainik Bhaskar, who bagged the ‘Journalist of the Year’ award for leading a team of reporters and photographers that tirelessly exposed the tragedy of Covid-19 deaths in Uttar Pradesh’s towns and cities along the Ganga river.
Earlier, at a riveting debate on Is There a Future for Independent News Media?, former Mumbai Police chief MN Singh, well-known criminal lawyer Satish Maneshinde, and veteran advertising executive Meenakshi Menon discussed whether the media was facing “an undeclared Emergency”.
Singh, the cop who oversaw the investigation in the Mumbai blast case, said that he does not think India has become unsafe for journalists. He, however, conceded that many stringent laws, including the one on sedition, “were now being used against journalists, which should not happen”.
Veteran journalist TJS George receiving the Lifetime Achievement award at the RedInk event. (Supplied)
Maneshinde said that he had seen the press since the emergency. “The charge of sedition (laws) had been a handle used by governments against the press.”
He lamented that the ranks of the “committed press” — the media that supported the government’s voice — had grown over the years, leaving very little space for the “critical press”.
Calling a spade a spade, Menon said: “Things are different now. Media now is neither free nor fearless. There are cases against journalists and arrests.”
She said the main weapon to bring the news media to its knees was stopping revenue from government advertising. “The revenue tap is being shut,” she said, referring to the government ads being refused to media organisations that spoke against the establishment.
Mumbai Press Club Chairman Gurbir Singh, the head of the RedInk Awards Committee, flagged the increasing attacks and detention of journalists.
Quoting the latest Freedom of Press Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RWB), he said India had sunk eight notches to 150th position this year from 142 last year. “India is also seen as a very dangerous place for journalism with three-four journos being killed every year, according to the report,” he said.
In his welcome note, Gurbir Singh pointed out: “Hundreds of media professionals have lost their jobs in the past three years, and we have seen smaller companies being taken over by bigger ones…the time is not very far when perhaps the two As would control the media,” he said amidst peals of laughter from the audience.
The title sponsor for RedInk Awards 2022 is Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL), while Adani Group and Concept Communication are the gold sponsors. Indiabulls Housing, Aditya Birla Group, L&T Financial Services, Adfactors PR, Viacom18, and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals are associate sponsors.
REDINK AWARDS WINNERS – 2022
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
TJS George
JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Om Gaur, Dainik Bhaskar Group
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Print/Online: Anu Abraham, Mathrubhumi
Television/Video: Sonali Shinde, SAAM TV
CRIME
Print/Online : Angana Chakrabarti, The Print
Television/Video: Anurag Dwary, NDTV
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
Print/Online: Jane Borges, Mid-Day
ENVIRONMENT
Print/Online: Sushmita, The Caravan
Television/Video: Tridip Kanti Mandal & Dominic Savio Diengdoh, The Quint
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Print/Online, Aatreyee Dhar, Down to Earth
Television/Video, Barkha Dutt, Mojo Story
HUMAN RIGHTS
Print/Online, Kirti Dubey, BBC World
Television/Video, Aravind Venugopal, Malayala Manorama Online
POLITICS
Print/Online (Joint winners)
Vaibhav Walunj, Indie Journal
Siddharth Varadarajan, The Wire
Television/Video: Jugal Purohit, BBC News Hindi
SCIENCE & INNOVATION
Print/Online, Karishma Mehrotra, Scroll. in
SPORTS
Print/Online, Bhavya Dore, Mint Lounge
Television/Video, Vandna, BBC News Hindi
THE ARTS
Print/Online: Vinay Aravind, Fifty-Two
Television/Video: Namdev Anant Katkar, BBC World
The BIG PICTURE (Photo of the Year)
Winner: TP Sooraj, The New Indian Express
Runner up: Jinse Michael, Malayala Manorama
WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT & GENDER EQUALITY
Print/Online: Sukanya Shanth, The Wire
Television/Video: Aishwarya S Iyer, The Quint.
