The IPI-India Award for Excellence in Journalism 2025 was presented on Friday to Scroll.in reporter Vaishnavi Rathore for her ground investigation into the Great Nicobar Island Development Project, with speakers at the ceremony highlighting the growing importance of independent journalism, climate accountability, and press freedom in India’s democracy.
Rathore’s report examined the ecological implications of the mega infrastructure project and the potential impact on vulnerable tribal communities. The award, instituted by the India chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI), carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, a trophy, and a citation.
Presenting the award in New Delhi, Supreme Court judge Justice B.V. Nagarathna described independent journalism as essential to democratic discourse, noting that reporters often work under intense pressure and difficult circumstances. Independence, she said, remains journalism’s foremost challenge, and truth must ultimately prevail.
The judge emphasised that climate change reporting has become central to informed policymaking, observing that long-term environmental risks are frequently discounted by electoral politics and markets, despite their implications for food security, public health, migration, economic stability, and national security. Independent ground reporting, she said, helps keep these future risks visible in present debates and ensures that development decisions remain subject to public scrutiny.
Justice Nagarathna also highlighted the constitutional dimension of environmental justice, stating that transparency, access to information, and meaningful participation of affected communities are crucial for equitable governance. Constitutional values, she noted, do not enforce themselves in isolation—journalists play a vital role in translating them into public consciousness by connecting policy with lived realities.
Turning to press freedom, the judge observed that in India, it flows from the combined guarantees of free speech and the right to practise a profession under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(g).
However, she cautioned that the most significant threats to media independence today may arise not from overt censorship but from indirect economic pressures. She noted that regulatory frameworks, ownership patterns, advertising dependence, and market structures can subtly shape editorial decisions and weaken independence, even when formal freedoms remain intact.
She stressed that a free press depends not only on legal protections but also on ethical commitment, identifying objectivity, impartiality and transparency as the core principles that sustain public trust in journalism.
Justice Madan B. Lokur, former Supreme Court judge and chair of the award jury, said the panel had faced a difficult decision given the strength of entries received nationwide.
Rathore’s investigation stood out, he said, for its depth, clarity and ability to generate sustained debate around environmental governance and development policy. He also underscored the need for stronger public-interest reporting across formats—including audio-visual journalism—to reach wider audiences.
In her acceptance remarks, Rathore reflected on the challenges of reporting on large development projects, noting that such work often requires navigating logistical hurdles, financial strain and emotional pressure.
The award, she said, reaffirmed her commitment to rigorous ground-based reporting. She thanked her editors and colleagues for supporting the work and acknowledged the trust of communities who shared their experiences, adding that independent journalism required sustained institutional and public backing to survive.
Vijay Joshi, Editor-in-Chief of PTI and a jury member, pointed out that the award recognised journalists who asked difficult questions in the public interest. Describing the Constitution as the guiding compass for democratic institutions, he said Rathore’s work exemplified clarity, depth and civic relevance: qualities that define impactful journalism.
Instituted in 2003, the IPI-India Award for Excellence in Journalism honours outstanding public-interest reporting across print and electronic media. The India chapter of the International Press Institute continues to advocate press freedom and the free exchange of news—particularly at a time when journalism faces economic, political and technological pressures worldwide.
The ceremony underscored a recurring theme among speakers: that journalism’s role is not merely to report events but to sustain democratic accountability.
In an era shaped by climate crisis, development conflicts and shifting media economics, they noted that independent reporting from the ground remains indispensable to ensuring that public policy reflects both present needs and future consequences.