As excellence in journalism takes centrestage
Kalam leans across it to bring the house down
Posted online: Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Search for solutions, not the sensational, Kalam tells media
New Delhi, JULY 16: Speaking at what was perhaps his last public appearance as President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam continued his refrain of linking his subject matter to the larger, common good saying excellence in journalism is what “vitalizes the nation.”
Presenting the second Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards at the Taj Palace hotel this evening, Kalam recalled The Indian Express founder for “his journalistic professionalism and promoting freedom of media even during the difficult days of press censorship and attempts to curb its freedom.”
“There is no room for sensationalism in it (journalism) even if in the short run it might sell. It will be sheer sacrilege. True journalism is courageous, truthful, inspiring and exalting,” Kalam said elaborating on his theme ‘Journalists: Partners in National Development, can it be made Possible?’
Explaining the concept behind the awards, The Indian Express chairman Viveck Goenka said that “the winners of the award reaffirm our faith in journalism as an act of character.” Goenka, also the chairman of the RNG Foundation, which organises the largest awards in the Indian media, said that the 24 winners had demonstrated good journalism was an act of character and values.
He said technology had facilitated a “deluge of information” but the mediation of such information was a challenge to good journalism. That good journalists, with their compasses and searchlights, helped the reader navigate the waves.
In his opening remarks, The Indian Express CEO and Editor-in Chief Shekhar Gupta said that the fact that the winners this year were a whole new set of names means that talent is in abundance in journalism today and that the RNG awards have become a benchmark for high- quality journalism. Gupta said accuracy, integrity and the courage to pursue a story, often in hostile circumstances, are what make a winning entry in the awards.
He urged young journalists to look at these awards as a vindication of excellence and told them that what lies between them and the award was “just one good story.”
Kalam said the media should focus more on positive, empowering information, and recalled his 1999 visit to Tel Aviv where he noticed how newspapers had ignored bombings and featured the story of an agricultural success in a desert. “Probably, people look for and they deserve such type of news, which I consider is indeed excellence in journalism and has a market,” he said.
He recalled his childhood in Rameswaram where he was filling in for a relative trying to sell local newspapers during World War II and it was then, while reading news reports on the battle between the Spitfires and the Luftwaffe, that he first got interested in aeronautical engineering.
Kalam called for setting up of a research wing in all media organizations “for developing media personnel in reporting news, event analysis and highlights.” “This research wing has to be linked to media research in the academic institutions.
“This will enable our journalists to carry out original research on topics of national interest and provide solutions to medium and long-term problems,” Kalam said adding that “the owners of newspapers should encourage research being carried out by experienced and young reporters for acquiring post-graduate qualifications.”
Kalam cited issues relating to farmers and help in emergency services as two others areas in which the media can be partners in national development. “The journalists, particularly the editorial team of the journal working in the Vidarbha area, may like to study the problem in detail and suggest methodologies to help the state government for finding lasting solution to the satisfaction of the farmers,” the president said, illustrating his point with experiences of his visit to the areas of Maharashtra gripped by the debt crisis.
The president said journalism can be an effective tool for political and economical change if the practitioners have the “courage to think different, courage to invent, courage to travel into an unexplored path, courage to combat the problems.”
The president suggested including two new categories in the RNG awards for excellence in journalism - excellence in promoting rural prosperity and excellence in promoting Panchayati Raj System from next year. Proposing the vote of thanks, Goenka said he valued the president’s suggestions, which would be considered for the next year.
source: Indian Express
Kalam leans across it to bring the house down
Posted online: Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Search for solutions, not the sensational, Kalam tells media
New Delhi, JULY 16: Speaking at what was perhaps his last public appearance as President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam continued his refrain of linking his subject matter to the larger, common good saying excellence in journalism is what “vitalizes the nation.”
Presenting the second Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards at the Taj Palace hotel this evening, Kalam recalled The Indian Express founder for “his journalistic professionalism and promoting freedom of media even during the difficult days of press censorship and attempts to curb its freedom.”
“There is no room for sensationalism in it (journalism) even if in the short run it might sell. It will be sheer sacrilege. True journalism is courageous, truthful, inspiring and exalting,” Kalam said elaborating on his theme ‘Journalists: Partners in National Development, can it be made Possible?’
Explaining the concept behind the awards, The Indian Express chairman Viveck Goenka said that “the winners of the award reaffirm our faith in journalism as an act of character.” Goenka, also the chairman of the RNG Foundation, which organises the largest awards in the Indian media, said that the 24 winners had demonstrated good journalism was an act of character and values.
He said technology had facilitated a “deluge of information” but the mediation of such information was a challenge to good journalism. That good journalists, with their compasses and searchlights, helped the reader navigate the waves.
In his opening remarks, The Indian Express CEO and Editor-in Chief Shekhar Gupta said that the fact that the winners this year were a whole new set of names means that talent is in abundance in journalism today and that the RNG awards have become a benchmark for high- quality journalism. Gupta said accuracy, integrity and the courage to pursue a story, often in hostile circumstances, are what make a winning entry in the awards.
He urged young journalists to look at these awards as a vindication of excellence and told them that what lies between them and the award was “just one good story.”
Kalam said the media should focus more on positive, empowering information, and recalled his 1999 visit to Tel Aviv where he noticed how newspapers had ignored bombings and featured the story of an agricultural success in a desert. “Probably, people look for and they deserve such type of news, which I consider is indeed excellence in journalism and has a market,” he said.
He recalled his childhood in Rameswaram where he was filling in for a relative trying to sell local newspapers during World War II and it was then, while reading news reports on the battle between the Spitfires and the Luftwaffe, that he first got interested in aeronautical engineering.
Kalam called for setting up of a research wing in all media organizations “for developing media personnel in reporting news, event analysis and highlights.” “This research wing has to be linked to media research in the academic institutions.
“This will enable our journalists to carry out original research on topics of national interest and provide solutions to medium and long-term problems,” Kalam said adding that “the owners of newspapers should encourage research being carried out by experienced and young reporters for acquiring post-graduate qualifications.”
Kalam cited issues relating to farmers and help in emergency services as two others areas in which the media can be partners in national development. “The journalists, particularly the editorial team of the journal working in the Vidarbha area, may like to study the problem in detail and suggest methodologies to help the state government for finding lasting solution to the satisfaction of the farmers,” the president said, illustrating his point with experiences of his visit to the areas of Maharashtra gripped by the debt crisis.
The president said journalism can be an effective tool for political and economical change if the practitioners have the “courage to think different, courage to invent, courage to travel into an unexplored path, courage to combat the problems.”
The president suggested including two new categories in the RNG awards for excellence in journalism - excellence in promoting rural prosperity and excellence in promoting Panchayati Raj System from next year. Proposing the vote of thanks, Goenka said he valued the president’s suggestions, which would be considered for the next year.
source: Indian Express
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