Mumbai, 13 May: 

The RedInk Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism for 2018 has been bestowed on veteran journalist Sir William Mark Tully. The award, a part of the National RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism, and instituted by the Mumbai Press Club, will be given to Mr Tully by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and India’s Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu on Friday, 18th May, in Mumbai. 

The Lifetime Achievement Award for Mark Tully is the recognition of his long and outstanding contribution to Indian journalism. Over several decades Mark Tully came to personify BBC’s timely and truthful delivery of news in the subcontinent. When other news networks either deliberately delayed information or provided slanted coverage, the common man turned to BBC radio for final verification. Tully brought the same rigor of delivering unbiased news to BBC Television when the network set up its Asian operations.

The RedInk Award for ‘Journalist of the Year’ has been awarded to Faye D’Souza, executive editor of Mirror Now channel, for her blistering coverage of issues that touch the lives of common people. Her passionate and honest style with which she handles subjects like corruption, political opportunism, price rise and communalism over calendar 2017 has made her and her programme ‘The Urban Debate’ a subject of appointment viewing. For those who miss her slot on TV, go to her on social media and their smart phones, where her videos are popular and widely shared.

Mark Tully worked with the BBC for a period of 30 years before resigning in July 1994. He held the position of Chief of Bureau, BBC, Delhi, for 20 years.

Tully was a front-running reporter for all major news breaks in South Asia ranging from the Indo-Pakistan wars, the Bhopal gas tragedy, Operation Blue Star and the subsequent assassination of Indira Gandhi and anti-Sikh riots, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi right up to the Demolition of the Babri Masjid. For his truthful reporting, he was penalized and barred from entering India during the Emergency years 1975–77, a period which saw formal censorship of media imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. 

He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1985 and was awarded the Padma Shree in 1992. He was knighted in the New Year Honours 2002, receiving a KBE, and in 2005 he received the Padma Bhushan.

This Lifetime Achievement Award for Mr Tully and the ‘Journalist of the Year’ Award for Faye D’Souza has been bestowed by the Managing Committee of the Mumbai Press Club after a lengthy period of consultation with a large number of editors and senior members of the profession. 

Apart from these awards, the Redink Awards for Excellence in Journalism are given in 13 competitive categories to 32 journalists after a process of short-listing selection by a jury appointed for each of the 13 categories.

Star India is the Presenting Partner for Mumbai Press Club Redink Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2018, while Aditya Birla Group, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Zee Entertainment, Eros International, Indiabulls Housing, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Nanavati Hospital, Edelweiss Group, Jaslok Hospital, Global Health Strategies and Earth are the Award Partners. The Hindu Group is the media partner.

The Awards will be presented to the winners at a glittering ceremony at the Jamshed Bhaba Hall, NCPA, in Mumbai on Friday 18th May at 6.30 pm. The Chief Guest for the event is Shri Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra while Suresh Prabhu, Minister for Commerce & Industry, Government of India and Justice C K Prasad, chairman, Press Council of India would be the guest of honour.

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, T N Ninan and last year Vinod Dua have been recipients of the ‘RedInk Award for Lifetime Achievement’. Previous years have also seen Raj Kamal Jha, Editor of Indian Express, and Srinivasan Jain of NDTV receive the ‘Journalist of the Year’ Award.  

Dharmendra Jore
Secretary