The Hindu : Front Page : IPI honour for Prannoy Roy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 07, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

IPI honour for Prannoy Roy

By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, presenting the IPI-India Award for Excellence in Journalism, 2004 to Prannoy Roy in New Delhi on Monday. Philip Mathew, vice-chairman of the international board of the IPI and Managing Editor of Malayala Manorama, is at left. — Photo: Shanker Chakravarty.

NEW DELHI, DEC. 6. Prannoy Roy, the distinguished media personality and president of NDTV, was today presented with the Award for Excellence in Journalism, by the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. At a function held at Vigyan Bhavan here, Dr. Roy received it for investigative stories run by the news and current affairs television channel on the stamp paper scam masterminded by Abdul Karim Telgi and a baby-swapping racket.

The award, comprising a memento and a cash component of Rs. 2 lakhs, is instituted by the India chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI). A jury headed by the former Chief Justice of India and Chairman of National Human Rights Commission, A.S. Anand, made the choice.

President's call

Coming up with a surprise PowerPoint presentation on the occasion, Dr. Kalam called upon the media to launch a movement to realise the dream of a "developed India'' by 2020 and to implement successfully the "providing urban amenities in rural areas'' (PURA) programme. Mentioning how some village residents were overcoming their problems with the aid of technology, Dr. Kalam said that the "media ought to spread the achievements of good and successful individuals and teams.''

The President wanted the media to celebrate every aspect of the success of the nation, help evolve a corruption-free India by 2010, promote an enlightened society, honour womanhood. He wanted back issues of print publications to be scanned and digitised in order "to preserve our national heritage and make it available for research.''

Concerns

Dr. Anand said that though the freedom of the press in not expressly stated in the Constitution, thanks to judicial interpretation it can now be regarded as one of the fundamental rights. However, he added that "no freedom is absolute and has to be subject to reasonable restrictions.'' He said that "while commercialism has a legitimate place in the business office of the newspaper, it becomes a danger when it invades the editorial room.'' Stating that "today, there are some genuine concerns about the way in which some sections of the media function,'' he said that the liberty of the press cannot be confused with its licentiousness. "If the media indulges in disinformation, or suppression and manipulation of news, it forfeits its trust as the trustee of a vital public resource.''

Potential media hub

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Roy said India has the potential to emerge as a global media hub in the 21st century as about a million talented youth in the country are already working in the sector. Pointing to the paradox of India where "there is capitalism for the poor and socialism for the rich,'' Dr. Roy said the rich are enjoying the subsidies while the poor are facing features of capitalism such as job insecurity and unhealthy competition. The media have a major role to play in correcting this anomaly, he said.

Dr. Roy, one of India's leading psephologists, holds a doctorate in economics and is a London-qualified chartered accountant. He is a winner of several major awards.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section

8 killed as militants attack U.S. consulate in Jeddah

Terrorists still on the move: Bush

Our nuclear power programme is not vulnerable: Kakodkar

High Court reserves orders on Acharya's bail plea

Tehelka: CBI registers 5 cases

Zahira asked to explain hostility

Muslim front holds dharna

Dhaka refuses to give credence to threat

Naga leaders to meet Manmohan today

IPI honour for Prannoy Roy

Musharraf sees light at the end of the tunnel

Ambani family asks Mukesh for ownership details