The papers pretty all cover the passing of radio legend John Laws who died aged 90 on Sunday, one year and one day after he hung up his headphones and retired. At The Australian James Madden and Graham Leech write the words with a full and comprensive look back at the career of the talk radio host who dominated Sydney radio for decades. As the journos point out, the man known as "gold tonsils" on account of his mellifluous voice, "his influence stretched well beyond the harbour city, such was his sway over political figures and business leaders".   Such was Laws' reach, legendary Labor PM Paul Keating once said, "if you educate John Laws you educate middle Australia". Apparently, so convinced was Keating of that need to educate Laws he cut short their lunch to take the radioman to a hastily arranged briefing by the governor of the Reserve Bank. And in his heyday, Laws became so popular that his name on The Sunday Telegraph's poster was extimated to boost circulation by 15,000

The All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) has served a legal notice to the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), demanding the immediate withdrawal of a report the union described as “baseless, unverified, and defamatory.” The AMWJU has also requested a public apology. The notice, issued through Advocate Hijam Chandrakumar on behalf of the AMWJU, contests several claims made in the PUCL’s report on media testimonies related to the conflict in Manipur. The union alleged that the report contains “serious and unsubstantiated” accusations. According to the AMWJU, the PUCL report referred to the union as “Godi media” and accused it of playing a “decisive role” in suppressing news with partisan bias. The report also allegedly linked the union to acts of coercion against journalists, misrepresented its membership criteria, and used terms such as “Imphal-based Meitei media,” which the union described as “communal and irresponsible.” In its response

Two women journalists were allegedly threatened and manhandled in separate incidents reported from the northern and eastern parts of the country. Both cases have sparked concern over the safety of women reporters while on duty. In the first case, Uttarakhand’s Director of Primary Education, Ajay Kumar Naudiyal, sparked outrage after a video surfaced showing him snatching the phone of a woman reporter during a heated exchange. The 58-second clip, now widely circulated on social media with over 1.2 lakh views, shows Naudiyal visibly agitated as the journalist tries to protect her phone while bystanders attempt to defuse the situation. According to a News18 report, the incident occurred when parents of D.El.Ed (Diploma in Elementary Education) trainees visited the director’s office seeking clarification on their inclusion in the ongoing primary teacher recruitment process. During the interaction, Naudiyal reportedly lost his temper when questioned by the reporter. The video shows

An event recently organised by the Thrissur Chamber of Commerce, and attended by Union Minister Suresh Gopi as the chief guest, has stirred controversy after invited journalists were barred from entering the venue. According to Mathrubhumi, the event invitation was officially shared with journalists by both the Chamber of Commerce and through the Minister’s official WhatsApp group, Suresh Gopi Media. However, when journalists arrived to cover the event, they were reportedly denied entry by the organisers, who claimed that Minister Suresh Gopi had instructed that media personnel should not be allowed inside. As the issue gained attention, members of the Suresh Gopi Media group later clarified that it was the Chamber’s decision to restrict media access, and that the Minister was informed of it only at the last moment. Meanwhile, representatives of the Chamber stated that they had acted based on a message conveyed by individuals associated with the Minister. Responding to the co

A powerful visual narrative on how cultures around the world confront death is on display at the Napier Museum grounds, where German journalist and photographer Michael Gleich is exhibiting Silence Alive: The Global Culture of Farewell. Presented by the Goethe-Zentrum Trivandrum, the exhibition brings together images captured over a decade, during Gleich’s journeys through countries including Germany, the United States, Rwanda, Malaysia, Tunisia, Austria, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, and India. Each frame reflects his exploration of the ways communities commemorate loss through rituals, symbols, and art, The Hindu reported The photographs, displayed around the Bandstand, offer glimpses into cemeteries, memorials, and burial practices spanning religions and regions. Among the highlights are the graves of prominent figures like philosopher Karl Marx and rock legend Jim Morrison, alongside artistic tributes adorning the tombs of writers, performers, and musicians. The exhibition i

Image source: News On Air, The Hindu and Mint; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   Bihar’s electorate headlined Round 1 of the “vikas versus badlav” battle Thursday with the state’s highest-ever voter turnout of 64.7 per cent in 121 assembly constituencies of 18 districts, marking a decimal-point improvement over the previous record of 64.6 per cent in the 1998 Lok Sabha election. The assembly poll turnout closest to the new record is 62.6 per cent in 2000. Hot Off the Press Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha’s convoy and a CPM candidate’s car were reportedly attacked but they were the only law-and-order blips as an estimated 2.4 crore out of 3.7 crore registered voters voted across 45,341 polling booths, 36,733 of these in the rural belt. A voter in Vaishali came on buffalo back, some rode horses, and a few reached their designated polling stations by boat, reported Manoj Chaurasia and Bharti Jain for The Times of India. The first phase had 1,314 candidates, 122 of them women, con

The Delhi High Court has quashed a criminal defamation complaint filed by lawyer Vikram Singh Chauhan against senior journalist Arnab Goswami and two former Times Now executives, Shrijeet Ramakant Mishra and Samir Jain, The Legal Affair reported The case stemmed from a 2016 episode of The NewsHour, the channel’s primetime debate show, which discussed the violence at the Patiala House Court during the hearing of former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar’s sedition case. Chauhan had alleged that the remarks made in the broadcast were defamatory and intended to harm his reputation. A bench presided over by Justice Neena Bansal Krishna examined the matter in detail, analysing the contours of journalistic privilege and the provisions of defamation under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code. After reviewing the evidence and the scope of free expression in news reporting, the court set aside the trial court’s order summoning the accused and quashed the entire criminal compla