— PHOTOS: R.V. Moorthy

ACCOLADES: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh handing over the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards to Barkha Dutt (NDTV) and Praveen Swami (Frontline) in New Delhi on Wednesday. Ms. Dutt bagged the Journalist of the Year (Broadcast) prize, while Mr. Swami shared the Journalist of the Year (Print) honour with Varghese K. George of The Indian Express.

NEW DELHI: Stating that the freedom of the press was more than just the freedom of publishers and editors, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday expressed the hope that the debate on trends would help strengthen the hands of journalists.

Speaking at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards - 2005-06 presentation ceremony in the Capital, Dr. Singh asked the media to play a constructive role in the process of moderation and consensus-building on issues of public and national interest. Stating that journalism of courage was not just about giving voice to those who are willing to shout, Dr. Singh said it was about giving voice to the voiceless and to those who choose to be silent.

The awards recognise different aspects of journalism from environmental reporting to business journalism. They also cover urban and rural reporting, the mediums of print and electronic and English and Indian languages.

Deputy Editor and Delhi Chief of Bureau, Frontline, Praveen Swami, won the "Journalist of the Year" (Print) award along with Varghese K. George, Special Correspondent of The Indian Express. Mr. Swami was given the award for his extensive and in-depth reports on terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and his investigations into the merchants of terror.

Mr. George had exposed the Bihar flood relief scam which saw millions meant for flood victims siphoned off by politicians and bureaucrats.

Award for Barkha Dutt

Popular television anchor and Managing Editor of NDTV 24X7 Barkha Dutt bagged the "Journalist of the Year Award" (Broadcast) for her reports from Nagapattinam.

The three journalists also got a cash award of Rs. 2.5. lakh each.

Swati Thyagarajan and Sutapa Deb from the same channel also won awards for "Environmental Reporting" (Broadcast) and "Regional Award-North-East" (Broadcast) respectively.

Vikram Choudhary, also from NDTV 24X7, won the "Regional Award — Jammu and Kashmir" (Broadcast). Freelance journalist Ramesh Menon received the award for "Environmental Reporting" (Print) for his report on over-use of pesticides turning Punjab into a poison field.

Punya Prasun Bajpai of Aaj Tak was presented the "Regional Award — Hindi" (Broadcast), while Menaka Doshi of CNBC TV 18 received the award for "Business and Economic Journalism" (Broadcast).

New York Times correspondent Somini Sengupta won in the category of "Foreign Correspondent Covering India" (Print).

Mir Ehsan, of The Indian Express received the ``Regional Award — Jammu and Kashmir" (Print) for exposing fake surrenders and how innocent villagers were paraded as militants in the Valley.

The 16 Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards for the various categories are worth 19 lakhs in prize money.

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