Firstpost bags Redink Award for Marathwada Drought Coverage

Media Brief

Mumbai, June 13, 2017

Firstpost, India’s largest and premier digital platform for news, analysis and opinions, bags the RedInk Award for its coverage of the acute drought conditions in Maharashtra’s Marathwada district. The platform covered the issue in a highly engaging and an eye-opening 13-part series. The extensive coverage and in-depth analysis of the issue was carried out by Firstpost’s journalists: Sanjay Sawant, Tushar Dhara, Neerad Pandharipande and Shraddha Ghatge. It was just last month that Firstpost’s journalist - Bindisha Sarang won the Citi Journalistic Excellence Award 2017; the RedInk Award further stands as a testament to the team of the highly-skilled journalists on the platform.

Year after year, the RedInk Awards recognize excellence in journalism and promote the best practices in the field. With over 15,000 entries across different category, the Firstpost team emerged to be the winner under the 'Environment - Print' category.

The 13-part series gave a comprehensive view of the subject to the readers; right from the causes of the crisis to steps towards mitigation, solutions and the laws pertaining to the issue. In keeping with the platform’s aim to consistently deliver in-depth coverage to its reader, the series captured the crisis for a period of one year when rainfall was scarce in the state. The outstanding pieces brought the issue, often neglected, to the front and centre and highlight the absolute helplessness of the farmers in Maharashtra.

Commenting on the occasion, B.V.Rao, Firstpost – Editor said, “Maharashtra’s Marathwada drought coverage by Firstpost captured the nuances and the core of the pressing issue that plagues our state. It was a conscious effort to highlight the plight of the farmers relying on the weather conditions and create awareness among people. The drought is a reality and tends to take a backseat in the mainstream media, but through insightful analysis and reporting by the Firstpost journalists we have been successful in bringing the matter to the fore.”