Citizen Matters co-founder Meera K receiving Manthan award in New Delhi. Pic: Navya P K
This is yet another feather in our cap—and your cap too! Your own web magazine for city and hyperlocal news, Citizen Matters, has won its sixth award in its sixth year.
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Oorvani Media, the company that publishes Citizen Matters, began its journey as an angel-investor funded startup. We are indebted to the original angel Bangaloreans who helped us develop this news magazine as a platform for hyperlocal news, between 2009-2013.
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At a function held in Delhi last evening, Citizen Matters was declared a joint winner of the Manthan Award (South Asia and Asia Pacific) in the e-News and Journalism category.
Citizen Matters editor and co-founder, Meera K received the citation amidst cheering participants. Bangladesh-based website, Environment Move and Indian online news stand, Magzter, had also been in the finals with Citizen Matters. All the finalists were declared winners at the grand award function.
It can be recalled that Citizen Matters was declared a winner in Manthan Award (South West) category too, in August 2014.
The Manthan Award has been instituted by Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), with the aim of “making visible the contents that already exist and thus demonstrating the richness and diversity of content creativity to those interested in understanding and planning an Information Society.”
Says Citizen Matters co-founder and fellow editor Subramaniam Vincent: “Citizen Matters‘ model of city, civic and investigative journalism is done with citizen participation, for citizen empowerment. This award is yet another indication that the work is worth doing. It is urban India’s greatest need today. An empowered citizenry leads to better civic engagement and that is critical to building democracy in India.”
However, none of this is done for the sake of awards, he adds, because, “Great journalism is ultimately its own reward, and journalists everywhere know this; they do not work for awards.”
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Congratulations !!! Citizen Matters is one of those sites that give credence to the claim of media being the fourth pillar on which a strong democracy rests !!.
Onward.