Labor’s backpacker visa backflip after farm-sector revolt The Albanese government is set to soften its backpacker visa crackdown, delaying elements like a ballot system and lifting caps, after warnings of regional labour shortages and harvest losses. The policy reversal underscores how migration settings are colliding with food supply, supermarket prices and workforce realities—especially in agriculture and hospitality. Covered by: The Australian, Courier Mail, NT News. Big Build secrecy showdown as royal commission demands unredacted files Victoria’s building industry royal commission has escalated its push for transparency, moving to compel unredacted communications from government offices after receiving heavily redacted material. The fight over documents goes to the heart of alleged corruption and safety risks tied to major infrastructure delivery—and the political accountability of senior decision-makers. Covered by: Australian Financial Review, Herald

The Conversation’s NZ deputy editor Jamie Morton has urged academics pitching him a story to get the single most important message across as clearly as possible. “One of the best pieces of advice I got from my first chief reporter when it came to pitching a story is if you're at the pub on a Friday night and you're telling a friend about something, how would you describe it”, he shared on Influencing Insider last Friday.  Some of the best pitches he receives come from academics who think like journalists, Morton said. “[They] have an angle in mind and have boiled down their message to something sharp, tight and ticks all the boxes that we want: Is it fresh, relevant and topical?” Academics hoping to write for The Conversation pitch through a portal, which asks why the topic is significant and whether it is newsworthy. A topical pitch is another way to stand out, he said, but the masthead does not rely solely on the portal. “Often we're reaching out to academics ours

Pramila Krishnan has been appointed associate editor at Mongabay, where she will lead the development of its Tamil website, which is expected to launch shortly. She previously served as assistant editor at The Federal.  With experience in multimedia journalism, Krishnan brings expertise in content writing and video production across social media platforms. Her appointment marks Mongabay’s first step into South India, expanding its language presence beyond Hindi and Bengali.   Speaking to Influencing Media, Krishnan said, “I will be taking the lead in establishing Mongabay’s Tamil website and overseeing its initial groundwork and development. I believe there is significant room for a dedicated environmental journalism platform in Tamil, where coverage of the subject remains relatively limited compared to daily news, politics, entertainment and sports.”  “People are increasingly seeking information on weather patterns, monsoons, floo

  X temporarily locked the account of Anindya Chattopadhyay, a senior photojournalist with The Times of India, after he posted photographs and videos documenting severe smog in Delhi, citing a violation of its policy on non-consensual nudity. Chattopadhyay told Influencing India that his account, @ANINDYAtimes, remained inaccessible for nearly 24 hours before being restored on November 10, with the original posts becoming visible again. “I was shocked. I am a photojournalist, and it is my duty to document and show the situation in my city. What did my photographs and videos of the smog have to do with non-consensual nudity?” Chattopadhyay told Influencing India. The restriction followed his posting of three to four videos showing poor visibility and smog across Delhi. Chattopadhyay said visibility had fallen below 10 metres when he went out to photograph the pollution. In his posts, he tagged the Delhi chief minister, the Chief Minister’s Office, Environme

Thursday, 12 November 2026 #1  ·  Front Page  ·  Ground report On 'Behen Dooj', a new home for '72 rape survivor By Soumitra Bose   ·   Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page Page 1 (with jump) Reporter Soumitra Bose travelled to Chandrapur to document the moment a 71-year-old Adivasi woman — whose custodial rape in 1972 triggered an overhaul of India's criminal justice system — received a newly built concrete house, fulfilling a year-old promise made by former Maharashtra legislative council deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe. The story weaves the survivor's decades of stigma and hardship with the intimacy of a sisterly bond and a small act of restorative justice. It anchors a landmark legal moment in lived human experience, with named sources, field presence and emotional specificity. Rare field journalism that physically locates the reporter at a survivor's village, delivering a s

Housing market alarm as home loans plunge Fresh data points to a sharp downturn in housing finance, with investor lending hit particularly hard amid higher interest rates and Labor’s negative gearing and capital gains tax changes. The significance is both economic and political: a weaker property market can drag on consumer confidence, construction and bank risk settings, while sharpening the debate over whether the tax overhaul is helping first-home buyers or worsening the slump. Covered by: Australian Financial Review, The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age. CFMEU “direct line” claims deepen Big Build corruption storm Victoria’s Big Build royal commission heard explosive evidence alleging senior CFMEU figures boasted of direct access to Premier Jacinta Allan’s office while pressuring contractors—alongside fresh claims about union money and influence. With an election backdrop, the inquiry is becoming a major test of Labor’s integr