Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has reminded journalists of their responsibility to report honestly so that rumors and false information don't take precedence over the facts.
The Vice President made these remarks while speaking at the Journalism Awards 2022 ceremony, held at the Maldives Islamic University, on Saturday.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President Hussain emphasized on the heightened role of journalists in contemporary society.
Citing the ease with which information can be disseminated through social media, the Vice President reminded journalists of their duty to report accurately, ensuring that misinformation and rumors do not supersede reality. In this regard, the Vice President stated that journalists have a more significant national duty than ever before.
During the ceremony, VP Hussain noted the significant role of media and journalism in national development, aligning with President Dr Muizzu’s Presidential pledges. He outlined key initiatives including allocation of funds from state budget to local media outlets for independent operations and establishment of a media village to reduce office costs as part of the administration’s vision to achieve these.
Furthermore, the Vice President highlighted that financing the training and education of journalists in various fields, providing unbiased information, being transparent with journalists, and responsibly disclosing information were important goals of the administration.
Journalism Awards 2022 saw nine journalists taking home the journalism awards. The Best Journalist of 2022 was named Ahmed Naaif from Dhauru News and Mohammed Naail Hafeez from Sun Online was named the Most Promising Journalist.
The ceremony saw journalists being awarded from nine other categories, as well.
The ceremony also saw the presenting of the Lifetime Achievement Award to, Abdulla Rameez and Ahmed Zahir.
Furthermore, during the ceremony, Saeed Ahmed was awarded the Encouragement Award for his valuable services in the field of journalism.
Additionally, the Vice President launched the new logo of the Maldives Media Council during the ceremony.
