Odisha Media Award 2016 held, Journalists and media professionals committed to people’s issues honoured
Community media is the empowerment media of the future. It’s not only an information media but also an empowerment media, said community media expert Prof (Dr) R Sreedhar at the second edition of Odisha Media Award 2016 ceremony held on 2nd Feb 2017 at the IDCOL Auditorium, Bhubaneswar. In the inaugural session that was dedicated for discussion on the topic: “Is community media the future media?,” experts from media and development sectors highlighted the role and future of community media in facilitating communication at the grassroots level and ensuring development of the community. While differentiating social media from community media, Sreedhar said, “Presently social media is for information. Community media will also encompass social media and will give a new twist to the utility and use of social media.” However, “Community media will neither be a threat nor supplementary to mainstream media. It’s going to have its own space in the community,” he added.
“Community media will rather fill the vacuum left by the mainstream media in terms of fulfilling the expectations of all its readers, viewers and listeners,” said N A Shah Ansari, a community media expert and chief functionary of Odisha’s first community radio station, Radio Namaskar, and first community newspaper – Namaskar. While Sudhir Patnaik, the Editor of Smadrusti magazine, chaired the inaugural session, others in the panel were the Kathmandu based journalist Yubaraj Ghimire, renowned social anthropologist and ActionAid India country director Sandeep Chachra, former economic advisor to the PMO, Brahmananda Brahma, and ITC expert as well as the director of INDEV Kedar Dash. In the award giving ceremony, Odisha Media Award honoured media professionals and good works of journalism who displayed the commitment towards ordinary people. Among the awardees were Sampad Mahapatra, Editor of Nitidin, to be honoured as the Editor of the Year, founder and director of OTV, Jagi Mangat Panda, as the Inspiring Media Entrepreneur. While Natabara Khuntia was declared the Best Columnist writing on people’s issues, the scandeep fame Sandeep Sahu was honoured as the Best Blogger, Ashok Pradhan, Assistant Editor of the Times of India, as the Best Reporter (People’s Issue Reporting), Manipadma Jena, Correspondent for the Rome-based Inter Press Service, as Best Reporter (Environmental Reporting), Gargy Satapathy, freelance journalist, as Best Reporter (Gender Reporting), Sangram Singh, Jajpur district Reporter of the Sambad, was honoured as the Best Reporter (Development Reporting). Radhamadhav Mishra of OTV was honoured as the Best Newscaster and Show Host. Seemare Jeevana of OTV and Aseema of Kalinga TV were declared Best Current Affair based TV Show and Best Innovative TV Programme respectively. Yubavani was declared the Popular Radio Programme and the Vibhidh Bharati presenter Sucharita Mishra, the popular Radio Presenter. Among others were Anwesha Ambali of The Telegraph to be awarded as Best Cultural Reporter, Santosh Mahapatra of Nitidin as Cartoonist of the Year and four Best Reporters for Community Reporting – Sishir satapathy (Dhenkanal district reporter of the Samaja), Simanchal Patnaik (Kandhamal district Reporter of Kanak TV), Sibadatta Sahu (Rayagada district Reporter of the Dharitree) and Ajit Panda (Nuapada district reporter of the Pioneer). Berhampur University was declared the Best Journalism Training Institute.
Odisha Media Award (OMA), is committed to the people of Odisha, intends to facilitate media coverage of people’s causes by recognizing and encouraging journalists and other media persons of the state of Odisha whose work helps highlighting and championing causes of people while passing relevant information for people’s empowerment.
OMA is dedicated to appreciate and highlight the talent and contributions of journalists, related media persons and
institutions who have made Odisha their base of activity and have contributed to the growth and integrity of Media
in Odisha. Young India has been organising this event since 2015.