Shaping the Future of Journalism by Strengthening Accountability and Content Diversity

Islamabad– Pakistan’s most prestigious and sought-after journalism  Recognition, the AGAHI Awards, recognizes 43 journalists for media excellence and ethics. The AGAHI Awards in its Eighth year received thousands of submissions in more than 40 categories from across

the country. A jury of national and international experts, development specialists, academicians,  and  media  professionals,  evaluated  the  submissions  made  by journalists from print, television, radio, and the online media.

The  AGAHI  Awards  are  the  annual  event  in  Pakistan  to  benchmark  journalism excellence   in   Pakistan,   recognizing   courage   and   commitment   showcasing outstanding contributions of journalists from across the country. Over the years, the  winners  have  produced  work,  often  in  the  face  of  political  and  economic pressures  sustaining  public  trust  in  the  media  impacting  the  lives  of  people  all over the country.

The  AGAHI  Awards  aim  to  encourage  fact-based,  data-driven  news  reporting and investigative journalism in Pakistan. The AGAHI Awards celebrate content centric to human interest and impact driven journalism in the country.

Leading   opinion-makers,   field   reporters,   senior   journalists,   policymakers, ambassadors,    diplomats,    public    policy    experts,    academicians,    leading professionals  from  the  media  industry  and  representatives  from  think  tanks attended the award ceremony.

Puruesh Chaudhary, President AGAHI and the co-founder of the AGAHI Awards in her keynote address said, “the AGAHI Awards is a commitment to promote ethical   journalistic   practices   for   safeguarding   public   interest.   The   Awards encourage  journalists  to  use  the  AGAHI  Awards  evaluation  criteria,  to  gauge their  content  to  be  unbiased,  balanced,  and  accountable.  This  year  we  have seen the dramatic rise on the use of technology in education, health, information communications;  however,  we  need  to  equally  reflect  on  the  importance  of human  expression  and  media  freedom,  both  fundamentally  critical  to  our collective evolution.

Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer, Mishal Pakistan and co-founder, AGAHI Awards,  shared  his  vision  for  creating  the  awards  and  said  “the  media  in Pakistan is transitioning from passive consumption to an interactive model, this transition  is  not  only  confronting  media  sustainability  but  also  creativity  and skillset challenges as well. This change is also exposing media to be exploitedby both the state and non-state actors for information laundering. We must collectively ensure the journalists and content creators have freedom and independence to work in an environment that supports fairness, truth and accountability in Pakistan.”

Speaking  on  the  occasion,  Moonis  Abdullah  Alvi,  Chief  Executive  Officer,  K-Electric,  said,  “Journalists  are information  guardians.  It  is  because  of  their  efforts  that  people  can  learn  about  the  world  around  them.  I remember reading news stories as a young executive and imagining the events unfolding in my own mind as I read on. That is the power of journalism. To inform, educate and empower the mind. It is an honor for KE to be part of the Agahi Awards. We look forward to supporting and recognizing the efforts of Pakistan’s journalistic community even more in the future.”