News Broadcasting
CNN gets Dupont Award for Tsunami coverage
MUMBAI: CNN has received the prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award in the US for its distinguishing coverage of the South Asia tsunami disaster. The judges cited CNN for its ability to provide in-depth reports about a major natural disaster while under considerable deadline and logistical pressures.
CNN US president Jim Walton says, “We are thrilled that the duPont panelists determined that our coverage of the tsunami disaster merited their prestigious award. We certainly believe that our reports were nothing short of extraordinary in their scope, effectiveness and reach. Because of the cooperation among our networks, our journalists were empowered to go far beyond basic reporting to tell the full story of the disaster.”
Demonstrating its reputation as the leading international news network, CNN offered unprecedented round-the-clock coverage of the disaster. Within hours of the news breaking, CNN’s Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Hong Kong had deployed reporters and crew to cover the disaster including Mike Chinoy, Atika Shubert, Satinder Bindra, Stan Grant, Hugh Riminton, Aneesh Raman and Ram Ramgopal. They reported from locations across the region including near the epicenter in Banda Aceh and across Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and Indonesia.
In all, more than 80 of the network’s top anchors, correspondents and producers were deployed. With state-of-the-art broadcasting technology including two satellite dishes, CNN’s reports came from all coasts of the Indian Ocean.
The network produced two special reports Turning the Tide and a documentary Saving the Children anchored by Christiane Amanpour and Anderson Cooper. In addition, CNN.com featured timely and in-depth reports and provided a survivor locator service that reunited more than 100 families and friends.
CNN’s 10th duPont Award was among 13 chosen from a pool of 628 radio and television news entries that aired in the US between 1 July, 2004, and 30 June, 2005. The winners will be presented with silver batons, the symbol for excellence in television and radio journalism, at an awards ceremony on 18 January 2006 at Columbia University.
In honouring CNN, duPont jurors wrote, “When the tsunami struck South Asia last December, CNN immediately leveraged its overseas bureaus by switching to CNN International to inform US audiences about the disaster. This up-to-the-minute stream of coverage from a deep and nimble roster of correspondents on the ground in Asia demonstrated the power of well-informed reporting under pressure and in dangerous circumstances. CNN’s detailed reporting across the entire region included contextual issues often missed in fast-breaking reporting.”
The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards recognise excellence in broadcast journalism and have been administered by the Graduate School of Journalism since 1968. Created by Jessie Ball duPont in 1942 as a tribute to the journalistic integrity and public-mindedness of her late husband, Alfred I. duPont, the Awards are now regarded as the most prestigious prizes in television and radio news, the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes, which the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism also administers.
News Broadcasting
UDF poised to return to power in Kerala, says Manorama-CVoter survey
Massive opinion poll projects shift in Kerala politics ahead of 2026 Assembly elections.
MUMBAI: The winds of change appear to be blowing through Kerala’s political landscape and this time, they seem to favour the United Democratic Front. A comprehensive mega opinion survey conducted by Manorama News in partnership with CVoter projects a potential comeback for the UDF in the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections 2026. The survey, covering all 140 constituencies with a massive sample size of nearly 90,000 respondents, predicts the UDF could win between 69 and 81 seats.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 57 to 69 seats, a significant drop from the 99 seats it won in the 2021 elections. This would mean the LDF losing 30 to 42 of its sitting seats. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which drew a blank in 2021, is projected to open its account with 1 to 5 seats.
Region-wise, the UDF is expected to make strong gains in Malabar, winning 25 to 34 out of 48 seats, and in Central Kerala, where it could bag 29 to 33 out of 53 seats. In South Kerala, the LDF is likely to retain an edge with 21 to 25 seats, while the UDF may improve to 12 to 16 seats. The NDA could pick up 1 to 3 seats in the southern region.
The survey was conducted between 14 and 26 March 2026, with additional tracker and snap polls carried out from December 2025 to March 2026. A total of 89,693 respondents participated, ensuring representation across all demographics and social segments.
Manorama News has a strong track record of accuracy, with its previous projections closely matching the actual results of the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2021 Kerala Assembly polls.
In Kerala’s famously fierce political battles, this survey suggests the pendulum may be swinging back. Whether the final verdict matches these numbers or throws up another surprise, one thing is clear, the 2026 Assembly elections are shaping up to be one of the most keenly watched contests in the state’s history.
