Sunday Times 2
Excellence awards: Journalists in the news
View(s):On Tuesday, they shut down their computers, put away their notebooks and pens, and came in their best attire to light up the night with the glow of their achievements. The most looked forward to event in Sri Lanka’s journalism calendar shone like a national unity event, with journalists from the Sinhala, Tamil and English media walking up to the stage to collect metallic pen-nib awards that have become the symbol of excellence in Sri Lanka’s journalism.
The Journalism Awards for Excellence show held at the Mount Lavinia Hotel’s Empire Ballroom became a memorable one for the award winners and those who cheered for them. Recognition flowed for the five veteran journalists who got lifetime achievement awards of excellence, the journalist of the year, the journalist who won the admiration of the peers and the public, the best columnist, the best feature writer, the best sports reporter, the best photojournalist and others who excelled in different fields of journalism. In keeping with the changing times and in recognition of the role of the digital media in disseminating news and information, for the first time, awards were presented to the best newspaper websites built on credible content and reader-friendly features.
That the winners were picked by a panel that comprised senior media personnel known for their integrity and expertise gave more strength to the recognition. The twin engines behind the success of the scribes’ show held for the 18thth consecutive year were the Sri Lanka Press Institute and the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka.
Away from deadline pressures, the journalists mingled together during the dinner that followed the presentation of awards. Journalistic camaraderie was seen at its peak. Besides political tidbits and anecdotes they shared, they discussed the future of the print media and the challenges posed by the digital era social media.
The chief guest was Mahinda Gammanpila, chairman of the Right to Information Commission. On these pages,the Sunday Times publishes an album of the awards night.
(Pictures by Indika Handuwala and M.D. Nissanka)
