An award ceremony marshalled by China’s Xinhua news agency has showcased the rise of cutting-edge journalism in South Asia and the Global South, recognising compelling stories that highlight some of the most urgent developing country problems — water scarcity, communal violence, and the fall-out on ordinary people of major political transitions.
P. Sainath who received the award at the World Media Summit for his contributions in The Hindu under the category of Exemplary News Professionals in Developing Countries, zeroed on the stark contrasts in the consumption and access to water between the rich and poor to illustrate the alarming trend of inequalities in India and abroad. He also pointed to the media’s diffused focus on “the predicament of rural communities”.
The judges also recognised the contribution of Surendra Paudel, senior correspondent with the Nepal Republic Media group, in highlighting human trafficking of Nepali nationals from their home country to the United States via Qatar and Latin America. Meera Srinivasan, the Sri Lanka correspondent of The Hindu was also commended for her compelling stories on the plight of ordinary fishermen, who may transgress maritime boundaries.
Besides, the adjudicators — a renowned panel of international journalists — also lauded Sreenivasan Jain, who anchors the “Truth versus Hype” programme and is the Managing Editor of the NDTV, for portraying the problems of communal violence in India.
Krishna Prasad, Editor-in-Chief of Outlook, represented the magazine, which was commended for its role in public welfare.
The Qatar-based Al Jazeera television bagged the award for Exemplary News Teams in Developing Countries for the coverage in the channel’s programme “101 East”, of Myanmar’s ongoing political transition from military to civilian rule.
The Media Innovation award went to USA Today for its thematic series, “Behind the Bloodshed”, while Global Post received the prize for New Media Reporting.
