Bill Kovach, a distinguished New York Times reporter, considered one of the conscience-keepers of American journalism, put it far more eloquently than I can, on what should be the role of the journalist in this rapidly changing mediascape.

In the end, whatever the technology, whatever the trend, journalism must be an act of character, he says. “An act built on the authority, honesty and judgment of the people. When people decide what news to buy, or what news to watch, or what magazine to purchase, they are making a decision about the judgment, the character, and the values of the journalists who have produced that news. In many ways those values are revealed every day when we decide what we cover and how we cover it — and what we don’t cover.”

The winners of the Second Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards reaffirm our faith in journalism as an act of character.