The Federation of Press Clubs has called for a structured mechanism to provide free legal assistance to journalists facing legal challenges arising from their professional work, with a particular focus on independent journalists who lack institutional backing. The decision was taken at the Federation’s Governing Council meeting in Indore during the three-day Bharatiya Patrakarita Mahotsav, organised by the Madhya Pradesh State Press Club recently. The need for institutional support was highlighted by journalists Amarkant Chauhan and Shashikant Goel from Bhind, who spoke about the challenges of ground-level reporting and the legal assistance extended to them by the Press Club of India and the Madhya Pradesh State Press Club. Their experiences underlined the difficulties journalists can face while discharging their professional responsibilities, particularly when they do not have the financial resources or institutional support to access legal services. The matters they referr

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday newsroom work, helping journalists transcribe interviews, process information, translate content and prepare stories under tight deadlines. While these tools can reduce workloads, journalists say their growing use is also changing the skills newsrooms require and raising questions about creativity, independent thinking and editorial judgment. Similarly, a WARC report cited that 56% of strategists fear AI could replace their roles, while 65% say it frees up time for deeper strategic thinking. Though focused on strategists, the findings reflect a wider debate about AI’s impact on professional roles, including journalism. For Praveen Kumar, senior correspondent at Pudhiya Thalaimurai, one concern is the effect of AI on a journalist's individual writing style. “AI tools such as Gemini and ChatGPT can imitate the writing styles of publications or individual authors through specific prompts. While this makes writing fa

Tuesday, 13 October 2026 #1  ·  Times Nation  ·  In-depth feature / Policy story Medical errors cause 52 lakh injuries/yr: Govt — NMC pushes for stronger patient safety mechanisms in medical colleges and hospitals By Anuja Jaiswal   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page Page 15 A May 2026 health ministry communication citing 52 lakh annual injury-causing medical errors has prompted the National Medical Commission to direct all medical colleges and hospitals to appoint patient safety nodal officers and establish dedicated patient safety committees covering eleven domains including medication, surgical, and transfusion safety. The story details the scope of the proposed oversight cells, expert pushback on implementation gaps, and the ministry's parallel directive to states to enforce display of hospital service rates — with senior doctors questioning decades-old compliance failures. Jaiswal we

Journalists in Telangana, Kerala and other parts of the country took to the streets on Monday, October 12, demanding accountability for the detention and alleged assault of reporters covering protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 10 and 11. At least 37 journalists were detained over the two days, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Thirty-five of them were in Delhi, where the Cockroach Janata Party had organised protests at Jantar Mantar.  The stir centred on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands for Kumar's resignation. Two more journalists were detained at solidarity protests in other cities on October 10: Alt News correspondent Kinjal in Ahmedabad and Scroll's Divya Aslesha in Pune. Journalists and press bodies say the reporters were detained despite displaying valid press identity cards. Protests in Hyderabad and Thrissur In Hyderabad, women journalists and members of civil societ

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami unveiled the Uttarakhand Press Club’s (UPC) annual magazine, ‘Guldasta’, at the CM’s residence. Senior state government officials, Press Club members and journalists from various media organisations attended the event. Speaking to Influencing India, UPC general secretary Yogesh Semwal said, “We annually release two editions of Guldasta. However, this year, we were able to publish only one issue, which was unveiled by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.” The 100-page magazine has been released since 1994 and remains a matter of pride for the Press Club, Semwal added. Congratulating the UPC office-bearers and journalists, Dhami said souvenirs are an important medium for preserving an organisation’s activities, achievements, ideas and social concerns.  

The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) will hold its biennial elections for the 2026-28 term on October 23. A total of 3,472 registered voters will cast their votes to elect the president, general secretary, 36 state committee members and district office-bearers. Sharing details with Influencing India, KUWJ president Reji K.P. said, “We will hold our biennial elections on October 23 from 8 am to 5 pm. The results for district office-bearers will be declared on the same day, while the results for the president, general secretary and state committee members will be announced on November 3 and 4, respectively.” He urged all registered voters to exercise their voting rights. KUWJ has 14 district committees and has unites in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Middle East.    

NSW breaks with federal Labor on gas in renewables scheme NSW is moving to allow renewable-energy subsidies to support new gas generation, arguing it’s needed to keep the grid reliable as coal exits. The shift sharpens a growing policy rift with federal Labor, which has been reluctant to underwrite new gas—setting up a high-stakes debate about energy security, emissions and power prices. Covered by: Australian Financial Review. Labor’s wage bill grows: $630m boost for care and health workers The Albanese government will spend an extra $630 million to help fund pay rises for hundreds of thousands of health, disability and community services workers, adding to earlier wage commitments. It’s a major cost-of-living and workforce-retention measure, but it also intensifies scrutiny on budget pressures and the long-term sustainability of government-funded wage deals. Covered by: The Australian. Property downturn bites: NSW stamp duty revenue plunges NSW stamp dut