'Man With Magical Eye' : CJI Ramana Presents 'Journalist Of The Year' Award To Late Danish Siddiqui

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Wednesday presented the Mumbai Press Club's RedInk 'Journalist of the Year' award posthumously to Reuter's photojournalist late Danish Siddiqui. Siddiqui's wife Frederike Siddiqui accepted the award at a virtual function.

Paying tributes to Siddiqui, who was killed in Afghanistan in July this year while reporting the Taliban uprising, CJI Ramana said "he was a man with a magical eye and was rightly regarded as one of the foremost photo-journalists of this era".

"If a picture can tell a thousand words, his photos were novels", CJI added.

CJI said that war correspondents have a tough and risky job and Siddiqui's unfortunate passing in Afghanistan again brought to the fore the issue of sufficient safety protocols and protections for journalists in conflict zones.

CJI offered condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of Siddiqui.

The Mumbai Press Club bestowed the Journalist of the Year – 2020 to Danish Siddiqui "for his spectrum of the investigative and impactful body of news photography ranging from the Rohingyas and anti-CAA protests to Covid-19 and the Afghanistan Civil War."

CJI Ramana also congratulated Prem Shankar Jha who was awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award". He also paid tribute to all journalists who lost their lives while reporting from the ground during the COVID pandemic.

In his keynote address, the CJI spoke about the pressures faced by journalists in the age of cut-throat competition and social media amplification. Underscoring that press freedom was integral for proper functioning of democracy,  CJI Ramana reminded that journalists should resist being co-opted by an ideology or the State.

"Regardless of the ideology you profess and the beliefs you hold dear, you must do your duty without being influenced by them. You must report only the facts, with a view to give a complete and accurate picture", the CJI said.

Click here to read/download the full text of CJI's speech