Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2025

The Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu to honor outstanding contributions to Indian journalism. The awards recognize journalists who uphold the values of truth, integrity, and fearless reporting. In her speech, President Murmu highlighted the importance of journalism in sustaining democracy and acknowledged Ramnath Goenka’s legacy in defending press freedom, particularly during the Emergency. She emphasized the need for ground reporting, research-based journalism, and the role of human values in combating challenges posed by AI and misinformation.

Key Highlights of President Murmu’s Speech

Tribute to Ramnath Goenka

• Acknowledged his contributions to press freedom.
• Recalled his stand against censorship during the Emergency.
• Highlighted his association with Mahatma Gandhi and his contributions to social causes.

Importance of Ground Reporting & Research

• Urged newsrooms to invest in investigative journalism.
• Mentioned Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s vision for newsroom research wings.
• Stressed that news gathering is the soul of journalism.

Challenges in Media Funding

• Addressed the conflict between profitability and responsible journalism.
• Suggested keeping readers at the center of journalism.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence & Deepfakes

• Warned about AI-generated misinformation.
• Stressed human empathy as the core strength of journalism.
• Encouraged critical thinking among the youth to detect biased news.

Recognition of Regional Language Journalism

• Appreciated regional language reporting for capturing grassroots realities.

Final Thoughts

• Journalism rooted in human values will never go extinct.
• The Ramnath Goenka Awards strengthen democracy by rewarding impactful journalism.

Summary Table of Award Winners

Category	Winner & Publication
Hindi (Print/Digital)	Mridulika Jha (Aaj Tak) – Reported on the Dunki route migration crisis.
Regional Languages (Print/Digital)	Jisha Elizabeth (Madhyamam) – Exposed human trafficking of Indian youth to Myanmar.
Environment, Science & Tech	Sibu Kumar Tripathi (India Today) – Covered the Joshimath sinking crisis.
Uncovering India Invisible	Satyasundar Barik (The Hindu) – Reports on migration and missing daughters in Odisha.
Business & Economic Journalism	Twesh Mishra (Economic Times) – Investigated subsidy fraud in India’s EV manufacturing sector.
Politics & Government	Maitri Porecha (The Hindu) – Covered Balasore train tragedy and its aftermath.
Sports Journalism	Shahab Ali & Amarnath Kashyap (Hindustan) – Exposed poor conditions in gold medallist Asha Kiran Barla’s village.
Investigative Reporting	Nihal AP Koshie, Mahender Singh Manral & Mihir Vasavda (Indian Express) – Exposed sexual harassment in India’s wrestling federation.
Feature Writing	Shubhajit Roy (Indian Express) – Ground reports from Israel-Palestine conflict zones.
Foreign Correspondent (India)	Nilesh Christopher (Rest of World) – Covered the impact of AI and manufacturing shifts in India.
Civic Journalism	Jeet Mashru & Somita Pal (Hindustan Times) – Investigated BMC hospital shortages, leading to a policy change.
Photo Journalism	P. Ravikumar (New Indian Express) – Captured oil spill devastation in Chennai.
Books (Non-Fiction)	A.R. Venkatachalapathy (Penguin) – Wrote about V.O. Chidambaram Pillai’s fight against British rule.
Hindi (Broadcast/Digital)	Siddhant Mohan (Lallantop) – Investigated the real Kerala story, countering film narratives.
Regional Languages (Broadcast)	Mandar Gonjari (ABP Majha) – Exposed an undertrial running a synthetic drug racket from Pune hospital.
Environment, Science & Tech (Broadcast/Digital)	Joel Michael & Rohini Krishnamurthy (Down To Earth) – Covered Ludhiana’s industrial gas leak deaths.
Uncovering India Invisible (Broadcast/Digital)	Vishnukant Tiwari & Athar Rather (The Quint) – Investigated witch-hunting violence in Jharkhand.
Politics & Government (Broadcast)	Ashutosh Mishra (India Today TV) – Ground reports on ethnic violence in Manipur.
Sports Journalism (Broadcast/Digital)	Tejas Vaidya & Enakshi Rajvanshi (BBC Hindi) – Covered disabled women cricketers in Gujarat.
Investigative Reporting (Broadcast)	Anurag Dwary (NDTV) – Exposed medical college scams in Madhya Pradesh.