Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were given to 29 winners in 18 categories — across print, broadcast and purely-digital — for outstanding work done in 2017. The Express Group instituted the awards in 2005 as part of the centenary year celebrations of its founder, Ramnath Goenka. The awards aim to celebrate excellence in journalism, recognise courage and commitment and showcase the outstanding contributions of journalists from across the country.
Full list of winners
Print 2017
Reporting from J&K and the Northeast
* Namrata Biji Ahuja, The Week: For her dispatch from inside Camp Hebron where NSCN (I-M) runs a parallel government
* Rikynti Marwein, Highland Post: For first reporting on the molestation charges against the Meghalaya Governor linked to jobs in the Raj Bhavan
Hindi
* Amit Kumar Singh, Thewire.in: For his story on the lives of policemen in Kashmir: the challenges and hopes, the threats and fears
Regional Languages
* Sandeep Ashok Acharya
* Nishant Dattaram Sarwankar, Loksatta:
For their expose on the irregularities and corruption that has plagued the Slum Rehabilitation Authority in Mumbai
Environmental Reporting
* Sandhya Ravishankar, Thewire.in: For her investigative reports on illegal beach sand mining in Tamil Nadu
Uncovering India Invisible
* Parth Meena Nikhil, Ruralindiaonline.org: For reports on how agrarian distress impacts everyday life in rural India
Business & Economic Journalism
* Team Reuters, Thomson Reuters: For a series of reports on a secret operation inside a tobacco giant’s campaign to subvert the global anti-smoking treaty
Political Reporting
* Sushant Kumar Singh, The Indian Express: For his inside reports on strategic affairs, including the Doklam crisis and a secret meeting between India and Pakistan
Sports Journalism
* Nitin Sharma, The Indian Express
* Daksh Panwar, The Indian Express
For tracking the dreams of women cricketers in Punjab’s Moga
On the sport Reporting
* Mridula Chari, Scroll.in: For exposing how a sedition case against 15 men accused of celebrating a Pakistan win in cricket fell apart
Investigative Reporting
* Vijay Kumar S, The Hindu: For his reports on how taxmen alerted officials about payoffs in the Tamil Nadu gutka scam – but were ignored
Feature Writing
* Dipankar Ghose, The Indian Express: For his ground report on how victims of rape deep inside Bastar are struggling to make themselves heard
Foreign Correspondent Covering India
* Annie Gowen, The Washington Post: For her report on the life of a teenaged pellet victim, a cricketer, in Kashmir
Commentary and Interpretative writing
* Gulab Kothari, Rajasthan Patrika: For his powerful editorials against attempts in Rajasthan to silence the media, and clip the powers of judiciary and police
Civic Journalism
* Shalini Nair, The Indian Express: For exposing glaring gaps in the urban development mission
Photo Journalism
* Tashi Tobgyal, The Indian Express: For his powerful images documenting the life and death of those who keep our cities clean – manual scavengers and sewage workers
Books (Non-fiction)
* Milan Vaishnav: For his study of the symbiotic relationship between crime and Indian politics, When Crime Pays: Money and muscle in Indian politics
Broadcast 2017
Reporting from J&K and the Northeast
* Zaffar Iqbal, NDTV India: For reporting on radicalisation and stone-pelters in South Kashmir
HINDI
* Abhisar Sharma, ABP News: For driving home the horror of Encephalitis in East UP
Regional Languages
* M Gunasekaran, News 18 Tamil Nadu: For his reports on fisherfolk during Cyclone Ockhi
Environmental Reporting
* Sushil Chandra Bahuguna, NDTV India: For painstakingly documenting the lives submerged in Pancheshwar ki Padtal
Uncovering India Invisible
* Pratima Mishra, ABP News: For reporting on caste discrimination against Dalits in Gujarat
Business & Economic Journalism
* Sushil Kumar Mohapatra, NDTV India: For documenting the impact of GST on ragpickers
Political Reporting
* Brajesh Rajput, ABP News: For reporting on the use of sub-standard material in a government housing scheme in Madhya Pradesh
Sports Journalism
* Moumita Sen, India Today TV: For exploring the question of violence in the Valley through the lens of football
On the spot reporting
* Jagwinder Patial, ABP News: For his fearless reporting on the violence following the arrest of the Dera Sacha Sauda head
Investigative Reporting
* Anand Kumar Patel, India Today TV: For reporting on the problem of over-priced drugs
Internal Awards 2017
Sanjiv Sinha Memorial Award for Excellence in Reporting
* Aanchal Magazine, The Indian Express
Priya Chandrashekhar Memorial Award for Excellence in Editing
* Ram Sarangan, The Indian Express
On bagging four awards, Avinash Pandey, CEO, ABP News Network, said, “ABP News Network as an organization, has been at the forefront at reaffirming & reinforcing its belief and vision of keeping our viewers and the nation ahead through its reportage. On behalf of the entire news network, I would like to congratulate the dedication, effort & hard work of all the awardees, which has been duly recognized through these awards.”
He further added, “This should be a source of motivation and inspiration for the rest of us at ANN to always maintain the highest standards of journalism despite being in the face of adversities.”