For an industry that spends a great deal of time arguing for its own importance, journalism has rarely been able to say what it is worth in the language that decision-makers actually respond to: money, security, and risk. A report published this week tries to close that gap. The Value of Journalism: Global evidence on why media matters to economics, national security and crises was launched on 22 June at the Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany. It was commissioned by UNESCO in partnership with the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) and DW Akademie, and written by Professor Mel Bunce and Dr Beth Pearson of City St George's, University of London. Rather than make a fresh moral case for press freedom, the authors do something more pointed: they synthesise the existing academic research and translate it into the economic and security terms that finance ministries and security establishments understand. The timing is deliberate. The report arrives at what its author

Tuesday, 23 June 2026 #1  ·  Times City  ·  Investigative Applied Online. Weeks Later, They Were Still Knocking On RTO Doors By Abha Sharma   ·   The Times of India  ·  Page 2 An investigative piece exposing the systemic failure of the Motor Vehicles Department's online services portal launched in 2021, which was meant to eliminate in-person visits to RTOs. Residents report that despite applying and paying fees online, they are repeatedly asked to appear in person, with agents continuing to act as gatekeepers and officials deflecting blame. The story documents specific user experiences, flagging complaints and the gap between digital promise and ground reality. Strong ground reporting with multiple named citizen accounts and a structured audit of the portal's four key services, giving the story evidentiary weight beyond anecdote. The piece draws a clear line between policy intent and administrative failu

The Karnataka Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has urged Director General of Police M.A. Saleem to take action against individuals allegedly misusing the association’s name and letterhead. A delegation led by KUWJ State President Shivananda Tagadoor informed the DGP that some persons were using the union’s identity in communications with government offices and police stations despite having no connection with the organisation. The KUWJ, founded in 1932 and registered under the Trade Union Act, represents over 9,000 journalists across Karnataka. The DGP assured the delegation that appropriate directions would be issued to police stations to investigate such complaints and submit reports. He also directed a district Superintendent of Police to look into the matter, while appreciating KUWJ’s longstanding contribution to journalism and public service.

The Senior Journalists Forum held an interactive session with Punjab Governor and UT Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria at Punjab Lok Bhavan on Saturday, June 20. During the meeting, Kataria emphasised the media’s vital role in strengthening democracy and shaping public opinion, noting that constructive criticism and objective reporting help improve governance. He praised journalists for consistently bringing public concerns to policymakers’ attention, describing the media as an essential pillar of democracy. The Governor also commended the Forum for uniting senior journalists on a common platform and stressed the importance of supporting media professionals after retirement, India News reported.

I was in Woollies on Saturday to do a bit of grocery shopping. Nothing too unusual there, I am sure a lot of people around the country were doing the same thing.  Creative Content's David Hague What was slightly unusual though was that I was paying in cash having sold some stuff on Facebook Marketplace the day before. All the manned (personned?) checkouts were full, so I went to the self-checkout area to find one that took cash, scanned my meagre number of goodies and then got a $50 note out of my wallet.  Within a split second, a bright young thing was next to me asking if I needed help using the cash  system on the checkout as “it could be complicated for older people”. My brain instantly retorted, “Listen you, I was programming Lotus 1-2-3 macros when your Dad wasn’t yet in long trousers, using 4GL systems to write accounting packages when you were only a twinkle in your parent’s eyes and doing video editing on computers when yo

Like any other publication, The Daily Aus wants exclusives pitched to them, but it comes with a catch, says News Editor Adella Beaini. "I've had many instances, before coming to TDA, where I'd think, 'Oh, this is a really good story,' mention it to an editor, and they'd say, 'I think everyone got sent that same thing.' That's the worst feeling you can get," she said on Influencing Insider last week. “Please don't mass send it as if you intend it to be, for example, for TDA, and then I come around and say to you an hour later, ‘I would love that’, but you've gone and sent it to a billion people, we’re not going to rush to do that”.  She's sympathetic to the pressure behind it. "I understand the PRs who've done it...they've got clients, they've got to send it to X amount of people. But you'd rather send it to one good person and get a yes than send it to a million and get all nos." The same goes for pitching several reporters at the same outlet. "That's a bit of a no-

Starmer resigns, plunging Britain into fresh political uncertainty UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has quit less than two years after a landslide win, triggering a leadership contest and raising the prospect of months of instability that could ripple into markets and allied politics. Australian papers frame it as a dramatic collapse of authority, with some focusing on internal Labor pressure and a likely successor. Covered by: Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Australian Financial Review, The Australian, Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, Herald Sun, The Advertiser. Bird flu alarm: WA cases spark national biosecurity scramble Two H5 detections in Western Australia have prompted stepped-up biosecurity measures and warnings about threats to wildlife and the poultry industry, as authorities assess whether the virus can be contained. Other coverage widens the lens to the potential impact on native species, underscoring the stakes if the outbreak spreads beyond isolated cases. Covered by: The W