They were the stories that blew the lid off scandals,gave voice to protests,became companion to long waits for justice,and celebrated triumph when it came along. Some emerged squirming under the spotlight in Indias biggest cities,some were discovered in the hidden,overlooked corners of the country. They were all extraordinary stories,told by extraordinary journalists. The finest in Indian journalism will be honoured at the Sixth Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in New Delhi on Tuesday evening. Twenty-nine journalists in 17 categories,picked by a 10-member jury,will receive the Awards that have become the benchmark for excellence in Indian journalism. This edition of the Awards will be given for work done in 2010. Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam will preside over the Awards ceremony. Says Rajdeep Sardesai,Editor-in-Chief of CNN-IBN,who won the Journalist of the Year Award (Broadcast) in 2006-07,The journalistic legacy of Ramnath Goenka and The Indian Express,of truly independent and courageous journalism,is such that the award is a source of great pride for any journalist. At last years Awards ceremony,presided over by Vice-President Hamid Ansari,the Journalist of the Year Award for Print went to J Gopikrishnan of The Pioneer for his investigative stories that unravelled the 2G spectrum case. It was a proud moment for me to get an award in the name of Ramnathji,an iconic figure of Indian journalism. I had dreamed of this Award,but I never expected to win it, he said. The Journalist of the Year (Broadcast) Award went to Udayan Mukherjee for his insightful coverage as lead anchor of the 2008 financial crisis and its effect on the markets on CNBC-TV18. He said,The Award is the most independent and credible honour for media professionals with easily the most illustrious and respected jury. The Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were introduced in 2006 by the Express Group to honour the memory of the Groups legendary founder Ramnath Goenka. The Awards were instituted to acknowledge the stories that have shaped public opinion,demonstrated excellence and impacted peoples lives. The Express Group will also release The Prize Stories,a collection of the stories and reports that won the Fifth Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards,on the occasion. The Awards ceremony will be followed by a panel discussion on Whos afraid of social media? (For details of the Fifth Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards,go to )
