POLITICIANS AND JOURNOS TO DEBATE POOR CREDIBILITY FACTOR OF NEWS MEDIA TODAY

 • Poet Gulzar provides pen and voice for anthem of hope to journalism.

Mumbai, 05 June:

As part of the awards evening for the RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism on 7^th June, at the NCPA’s Jamshed Bhaba Theatre, the Mumbai Press Club has organized a post-mortem of the media with a high power panel discussion. The media debate of the evening will be: ‘Turning the Searchlight Inwards: Why is the Credibility of News Media Today at its Nadir?’

With news media everywhere getting a lot of their predictions wrong – from Brexit to the US elections,  and to the vote in UP’s assembly poll; and with fake news and paid news becoming the talk of the town – it is about time journalists look at themselves in the mirror and fathom where they have gone wrong.

The debate has been structured as a politicians-versus- journalists discussion, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and former state CM Prithviraj Chavan grilling media representatives Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today, Bharkha Dutt, formerly NDTV, and well know Hindi anchor Abhigyan Prakash of NDTV.

In another first of its kind, well known poet and lyricist, Gulzar, has composed an anthem for journalism and journalists as a beacon of hope. The script and the voice, along with the calligraphy of well known calligraphist, Achut Pallav, has been produced as a short film that has attracted nearly a lakh views on Facebook. The film, which can be accessed using the link: http://bit.ly/RedInkAwards2017YT, will be screened on the Awards Night at NCPA.

The Awards ceremony also includes felicitations at the hands of the Press Club office-bearers for the Chief Guest, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, who played a yeoman’s role in ensuring the passage of the state Journalist Protection Act.

The RedInk Awards for Journalism are being bestowed on veteran Journalism Vinod Dua for Lifetime Achievement, and on Raj Kamal Jha, Chief Editor of Indian Express, as ‘Journalist of the year’. Apart from these two awards, the Redink Awards for Excellence in Journalism are given in 11 other categories to 30 other journalists for meritorious work in TV, print and digital formats. These awards are given through competitive entries that are curated and judged by distinguished juries in each category.

Star India is the Presenting Partner for Mumbai Press Club Redink Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2017, while Aditya Birla Group, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Zee Entertainment, Eros International, Indiabulls Housing, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, National Stock Exchange, Nanavati Hospital and JSW Steel are the Award Partners. The Hindu Group and Facebook are the media partners.

The RedInk Awards, the only national recognition for good journalism instituted by a professional body, have been created to raise the bar of news and feature writing in India and to encourage fair play and high ethical standards in media.

In the past, doyens of journalism including Vinod Mehta, Kuldip Nayar, N.Ram, Mrinal Pande, Dr Prannoy Roy and last year T N Ninan have been recipients of the ‘RedInk Award for Lifetime Achievement’.

Dharmendra Jore

Secretary

Mumbai Press Club