Two journalists of The Federal Karnataka win prestigious awards
Naveen Ammembala and Prabhu Swamy Natekar have been honoured for their outstanding contribution to the profession
The Federal, India’s fastest-growing digital news platform, is widely recognised for its unbiased journalism and incisive insights. Reflecting this commitment to editorial excellence, two of our journalists have been honoured with prestigious journalism awards in Karnataka for their outstanding contributions to the profession.
Naveen Ammembala, Associate Editor with The Federal and head of its Kannada edition, The Federal Karnataka, has been conferred with the Bengaluru Press Club Annual Award (2025). A journalist with over 28 years of experience, he was selected for the honour for his impactful special reports and editorial excellence. The award was presented by Basavaraj Horatti, Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council, at a ceremony honouring distinguished media professionals across various categories.
Prabhu Swamy Natekar, Senior Correspondent with The Federal Karnataka, has been selected for the Karnataka Media Academy Annual Award (2025). With nearly 18 years of experience in reporting, the award acknowledges his tremendous contribution to journalism. The award carries a cash prize of ₹50,000 and will be formally conferred at an upcoming state government event.
A 28-year body of work
Naveen's body of work includes coverage of the IISc terror attack (2005), the murder of IT professional Pratibha (2005), and the 2009 case in which a terror accused made calls to Pakistan from Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru. Each of these stories drew national attention.
His exclusive reportage for The Federal includes an on-the-ground series on Kolar tomato farmers' distress, the MUDA scam, and federal issues such as the two-language formula. Some of his investigative reports have been highly impactful, including a series on waning Naxalism in Karnataka.
Naveen reported extensively from Wayanad after the landslide, filing sensitive and impactful special stories from the ground. His investigation into the disappearance of the original caste census document from the Backwards Classes Commission’s strongroom had the state government sit up and take notice.
Incisive reporting
Prabhu Swamy is known for his incisive reporting on the Lokayukta, crime and political beats. For The Federal, he has written impactful ground reports on the Dharmasthala mass burial cases, highlighting local and public concerns and demand for justice following serious allegations linked to the temple town.
He has also covered social issues such as the mid-day meal scheme and the recent Ballari banner clash. Beyond this, he has produced several special and investigative stories for The Federal Karnataka on crime, governance, and socio-political issues.
State-focused editions
The Federal Karnataka, launched in February 2024, is a Kannada language website offering news, feature stories and opinion pieces. In less than a year since inception, The Federal Karnataka's YouTube channel has garnered over 62,000 subscribers and over 2.6 million views.
The Federal also has state-focused editions for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, in Telugu, and a Hindi edition, The Federal Desh.