An Evening All About Media & Excellence

An Evening All About Media & Excellence

The first ever edition of Media Excellence Awards on Friday was a grand affair with the best in the world of media being awarded for their outstanding contribution in the fields of print, broadcast (television and radio) and online news services. The award ceremony, held in a city hotel, also witnessed eminent personalities from media and political spheres come together for a conclave on ‘Muzzling The Media and The Future of Journalism.’

The awards were instituted by Media@Change, a forum of, by and for media professionals in Odisha, which is an initiative of PNV Foundation.

According to the forum, the awards, which aim to make a humble attempt to recognise and appreciate pioneering work of media professionals who demonstrate a passionate commitment in advancing quality journalism and promoting free and fair flow of news and exchange of opinions, will be the first step in the direction of pursuing activities dedicated towards development of media in Odisha. The forum plans to do meaningful work in the field in the days to come.

PNV foundation, with the support of a board of advisory members, that includes Resident Editor, The Business Standard, Dilip Satapathy, senior journalist and former editor-in-chief, News World Odisha Sandeep Mishra and Associate Editor, Nirbhaya Sambit Mohapatra, plans to conduct the award ceremony every year.

The Media Excellence Awards were chosen by a jury comprising eminent media persons, academicians and distinguished citizens including Prasanna Kumar Mishra, IAS (Retd), Former Union Coal Secretary, Rajaram Satapathy, Senior Journalist, Former Chief of News Bureau, Times of India, Gopal Mohapatra, Editor, The Prameya, Ashok Mohapatra, Senior Journalist, Former Editor, MBC News, Sandeep Sahu, Senior Journalist, Former Editor (Digital), Kalinga TV, Sarada Lahangir, News Coordinator, ETV Bharat (Odia) and Prof Mrinal Chatterjee, Director, IIMC, Dhenkanal.

The awards were given away to Siba Mohanty for Best Reporter (English), Sandip Pani for Best Reporter (Odia), Sanjib Das for Best Photo Journalist, Himanshu Guru for Best Feature Writer (English), Ranjan Rath for Best Feature (Odia) and Utkal G. Nanda for Best Cartoonist for categories in Print Media.

Similarly, Ajit Singh for Best Reporter, Sitam Moharana for Best Video Journalist, Bhabani Shankar Mohapatra for Best Anchor (Male) and Gayatri Mohanty for Best Anchor (Female) were the awardees for different categories in electronic media. Basudev Mahapatra received the Best Web Journalist award while RJ Sangram Mishra received the Best Radio Jockey Award.

That apart, two special awards were also given away- Lifetime Achievement Award to Sarat Mishra and Outstanding Journalism (at National/International Level) to Subhra Priyadarshini.

Besides the trophy, which was exclusively designed keeping media professionals in mind, the awardees were also presented a book on Madalapanji: The Chronicles of Lord Jagannath by prolific writer, traveller, blogger and member, INTAC, Anil Dhir.

The award distribution ceremony was preceded by a quiz for media students and the conclave. Dr. Damodar Rout, Minister, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Prasad Harichandan, President, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Founder-Chairman, Eastern Media Limited, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Senior BJP Leader and Kharabela Swain, President, Utkal Bharat were the speakers at the conclave.

Speakers at the conclave complimented and congratulated the organisers of MEA, for getting the journalism fraternity together through such an initiative and exhorted the need for an unbiased media. Acknowledging the influences of politics and companies the media, they mentioned that even if such influences might bias the voice of the media, it is still better to have a biased media than do away with it. It is also unfair to blame journalists for giving biased news. News is crafted according to the taste of the readers. Thus, readers should take responsibility in the growth of the media industry as major stakeholders to encourage fearless coverage and unbiased information.

Sharing their thoughts on the topic ‘muzzling the media and the future of journalism’, the speakers emphasised the importance of an impartial and free media to unravel the truth and aid in delivery of justice. Editor of Sambad Soumya Ranjan Patnaik said, “Journalists can never be silent, but there is a bid to subdue them through commercial and political interests. The need for news cannot go away and the future of journalism is bright. But to keep it unbiased the media viewers/readers need to pay more so that there is less dependence of media houses to earn revenue from advertisements.”

Agriculture minister Damodar Rout cited the example of the Watergate scandal that rocked the USA in the early 1970s and said, “If journalists remain true to their profession, no force can muzzle them. Without good journalism, democracy cannot function.”

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan opined that media was forced to compromise on its editorial content because in contemporary times it has become ‘capital intensive’ and ‘market oriented’. “Media getting gagged is not new. But now we are witnessing growing intolerance to dissent and criticism. There is a concerted attempt to silence the media by the powers that be.”

Senior BJP leader Pratap Chandra Sarangi agreed that efforts to muzzle the voice of the media has been made since ancient times, but it cannot stop journalists who are driven by passion for truth. ‘If a journalist has self-interest, s/he will be compelled to compromise. But a true worshipper of truth will never bow down,” he added.President of Utkal Bharat Kharvela Swain noted that those in power always feared the media and hence tried to suppressed it. “Those in power want to cover up their wrongdoings and try to prevent the media from reporting it. Even then the media has to resist such pressures and survive,” he said and quoted former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, “A jaundiced media is better than no media.”

Talking about the award ceremony, co-founders of PNV Foundation, Sameer Hans and Satyabrata Ratho said, “We are happy with the overwhelming response received for this award ceremony. PNV Foundation wants to take up more such activities dedicated towards the welfare of the society, as a whole, in the days to come. This award ceremony for media professionals, which is one-of-its-kind in the state and was much needed to encourage working journalists, is just one of the few steps in the direction. We are thankful to the jury for choosing the best in the field. We plan to do this award ceremony every year and we are hopeful with the support of our advisory members, this will get just bigger and better every year.” Consulting Editor of My City Links, Dikhya Tiwari was the convenor for the ceremony.