Manila: Senior journalist Ravish Kumar on Friday was awarded this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award, regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize, for harnessing journalism to give voice to the voiceless.
Kumar, 44, who is New Delhi Television Network (NDTV) India’s senior executive editor is one of India’s most influential TV journalists, the award citation by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said.
He is among five individuals who were declared winners of the award, which is Asia’s premier prize and highest honour and celebrates greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in Asia.
The four other winners of the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award are Ko Swe Win from Myanmar, Angkhana Neelapaijit from Thailand, Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab from the Philippines and Kim Jong-Ki from South Korea.
The award was instituted in 1957 to celebrate the life of Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay, the much-esteemed Philippine President. He was the third president of the country after World War II.
Kumar, born in Jitwarpur village in Bihar, joined NDTV in 1996 and worked his way up from being a field reporter.
After NDTV launched its 24-hour Hindi-language news channel — NDTV India — targeting the country’s 422 million native speakers of Hindi, he was given his own daily show, Prime Time.
Kumar’s Prime Time programme “deals with real-life, under-reported problems of ordinary people”, it added. “If you have become the voice of the people, you are a journalist,” the citation added.
As an anchor, Kumar is sober, incisive, and well-informed, it said.
His more important distinction, however, comes from the kind of journalism he represents, the citation added.
Kumar's programme takes up current social issues; does serious background research; and presents issues in well-rounded discussions.
