Malkangiri, 19th Nov 2025: The Utkal Journalists’ Association, Malkangiri district, celebrated the district-level National Press Day yesterday at a fair. On this occasion, an independent program was organized at the guest house of the Kalimela Block Forest Department.
The program was presided over by Ashok Mishra, President of the District Utkal Journalists’ Association, and the chief guest was Malkangiri MLA Narasingha Madkami. Other honored guests included Subhasini Sodi, Block Vice-Chairperson, Pramila Majhi, District Information and Public Relations Officer (DIPR), Video Pradeep Kar, Tehsildar Ramkrishna Satyarajgur, former MLA Mukunda Sodi, Ambushman Nrusingha Charan Mahanti, Police Officer Mukunda Melka, editor of the District Utkal Journalists’ Association Srinivas Patra, Vice-President Prashant Sahu, Treasurer Hrushikesh Sethi, Executive President Niranjan Mall, and Block President Satya Narayan Subuddhi.
The chief guest, MLA Madkami, emphasized that serving society through truthful and transparent journalism establishes justice in the community. He highlighted the need to conduct careful investigations while reporting, as the media plays the role of a vigilant guardian of society and the fourth pillar of democracy.
The chief speaker, DIPR Officer Pramila Majhi, remarked that for a healthy democracy, it is the duty of all to provide clean, factual, and reliable news. She further stressed that journalists must uphold truth, impartiality, and investigative reporting to serve society. In today’s era, social media has a strong influence, and it is essential for journalists to maintain credibility and connect truthfully with the public.
During the program, a discussion was held on the topic “Preserving Public Trust in Media Amid Rising Dissemination of Misleading News” by the Press Council of India this year.
The event was conducted by Bhagaban Sahu, a member of the Association, who also delivered the welcome address. At the conclusion, Saurabh Mandal, another member, proposed a vote of thanks. Various service-oriented and notable journalistic contributions were recognized, and distinguished journalists and individuals were honored.
Senior district journalists, including Ratsakar Das, Durga Prasad Pattnayak, and Gopi Krishna Pattnayak, were honored by the Association for their outstanding work and contributions to journalism. Additionally, journalists who were previously imprisoned for reporting the truth, such as Bikram Swain, Deepak Maharana, Abinash Behera, and Rahul Golari, were also acknowledged.
Over 80 members of the Association attended this program.
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