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NDTV India journalist Ravish Kumar was on Monday presented with the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award in Manila. In his acceptance speech, he spoke about the inequality of knowledge, the spread of fake news, and the disappointing state of Indian media.

“Inequality is mostly measured in terms of health and economy, but the time has come for us to take into cognisance inequality of knowledge as well when resources for quality education are confined to a few cities,” Kumar said. “Clearly, the source of knowledge for a vast multitude is the propaganda machine of WhatsApp university.”

Young Indianswho have been denied access to quality education are not the only ones to be blamed for their part in spreading fake news, he contended.

Kumar mentioned how the congratulatory messages that he had been receiving for winning the award were “replete with worries about how media has turned rogue”. He also mentioned how women in journalism are “speaking out and managing to survive on freelance earnings”, and discussed the communication blockade in Kashmir.

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