Mumbai: Winner of the Ramnath Goenka Best Journalist of the Year Award Josy Joseph, a senior journalist of the Times of India, Delhi has conferred the Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA) Golden Jubilee Award 2013. The award was conferred by Mrs Janet D' Souza, vice-chairperson of the Maharashtra Minority Commission at a function in St Pauls Media Complex, Mumbai on December 8.
Dr John Henry Anand, a reputed Hindi fiction writer and playwright from Jabalpur was presented the ICPA's Swami Devanand Chakkungal Award for the Best Hindi writer on the occasion.
The Indian Currents weekly from Delhi was felicitated at the function for completing 25 years of committed, courageous and fearless journalism. The weekly's editor Fr Jacob Kani received the honour. Two founding members of the ICPA, the Examiner weekly from Mumbai represented by its editor Fr Antony Charangatt and the Deepika daily from Kerala represented by its Associate editor TC Mathew were also honoured at the function. A souvenir brought out to mark the jubilee was released by the chief guest. ICPA was started by Fr. John Barrett, a Patna Jesuit in 1964.
Earlier in the day, Bishop Savio Fernandes, Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay, celebrated Holy Mass for the participants. Fr Joaquim Fernandes, Director of Tej Prasarini Don Bosco Communications in Mumbai led a lively session on Networking and Collaboration. Fr George Plathottam, Secretary, CBCI Office for Social Communications and Director of NISCORT addressed the participants on “Mission of ICPA: Challenges and Responsibilities before Catholic Journalists.”
The two-day jubilee programme was inaugurated on December 7 by Bishop Chacko Thottumarickal of Indore, Chairman of the Commission for Social Communications of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, and Ecclesiastical Advisor of ICPA, by opening a National Convention of Christian Journalists on "Press & Nation Building, Challenges to Christian Journalists." The bishop exhorted the ICPA members to be ministers of proclamation by spreading the Good News through media.
Talks were given on Professionalism in Journalism; Journalism, a Social Responsibility; Ethics in Journalism, Fighting Communalism & Caste Politics, Professional Training in Journalism and Gender Issues in Journalism. Noted journalists and activists Preeti Sharma Menon, Ram Puniyani, Abha Singh, Smitha Deshmukh, Amy Fernandes and Robin Shukla addressed the participants on the theme.
Conrad Saldanha moderated a panel session. ICPA President Fr Alfonso Elengikal welcomed the speakers and participants. Secretary Jose Vincent proposed a vote of thanks. Over 60 journalists from various parts of the country and Mumbai attended the programme.
Jose Vincent