Managing Editor and news anchor with NDTV Ravish Kumar on Monday received the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay award in Manila, Philippines. Accepting the award, regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize, Ravish pointed out that the Indian media was in a state of structural crisis.
"Indian media is in a state of crisis and this crisis is not accidental or random, but systemic and structural. Being a journalist has become a solitary endeavour," Kumar said in his acceptance speech here in the Philippines capital.
The senior journalist also commended those who are putting "their lives and careers at risk to practice honest journalism".
"It has become all the more important to evaluate the crisis in the media," he said.
Kumar was named along with five others for “harnessing journalism to give voice to the voiceless”. Born in Jitwarpur village in Bihar, he joined New Delhi Television Network (NDTV) in 1996 and worked his way up from being a field reporter.
The other winners include Ko Swe Win from Myanmar, Angkhana Neelapaijit from Thailand, Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab from 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.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia's highest honour and is given every year to individuals or organisations in Asia who manifest the same selfless service and transformative influence that ruled the life of the late Filipino leader.