The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is preparing new guidelines for television rating agencies with more than one round of industry consultation before the rules are finalised.   According to Business Standard, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said that the government is exploring ways to improve the television rating system to ensure fair revenue to television channels from government advertisements.   "The government is working to remove regulatory barriers wherever they exist," the minister said. "Television Rating Point (TRP) guidelines are being formulated. The first round of consultation is complete, feedback has been received, and a second consultation paper will be published soon," the minister said.  The Minister also said that the government is planning to increase the advertisement rates for print and television media and is working on integrating Registration of Newspapers for India (RNI), Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) and Press Informa

Image source: Copilot   The Election Commission is gearing up for one of the biggest electoral clean-ups in two decades — a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls across 12 states and union territories beginning November 4. The exercise will cover 51 crore voters, aiming to weed out duplicates, update outdated entries, and ensure no eligible citizen is left out. The final rolls, with January 1, 2026 as the qualifying date, will be published by February 7, 2026. Hot off the Press Bharti Jain for The Times of India reported that four poll-bound regions — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Puducherry — will undergo this intensive revision ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. Interestingly, Assam is excluded due to its unique citizenship provisions under Section 6A of the Citizenship Act and the pending NRC case. The EC clarified that the SIR will not require residents to submit documents during enumeration; Aadhaar can serve as proof of identity, but not citizens

Morning, and welcome to Tuesday and if you were looking for the best designed front page today you can't walk past the Sydney Morning Herald. It's got that perfect mix - good stories, a classic main picture of Barnaby Joyce (when doesn't the man provide that....) and a brilliant layout which is both busy and easily readable. Running a close second is The Age, and of course those Nine newspapers share a fair bit of content too this morning.  The main story - an exclusive - once again sees Nick McKenzie take the lead with more revelations in the increasingly long-running construction industry sheenanigans. Interestingly, The Age now has its own stamp 'BUILDING BAD' for the stories, and that's a nice touch and points to more to come... The other exclusive is that Barnaby will-he-stay-or-will-he-go story, and three of the company's top journos teamed up on that one - James Massola, Mike Foley and Paul Sakkal - to provide an exclusive interview with the man himself. That appea

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed a plea filed by a government officer seeking to quash an FIR accusing him and his driver of forgery after a journalist complained that forged complaints in his name were sent to the Transport Minister and the Transport Commissioner. According to Livelaw, Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke, while hearing the matter, observed that the allegations, taken at their face value, disclosed a prima facie commission of cognizable offences. The court said the investigation appeared to have been conducted in accordance with law and found no indication of mala fide intent. “The plea of vendetta or counterblast is speculative and unsupported by any cogent material,” the bench noted in its order. The case originated from a complaint filed by Dharamveer Kushwah, a journalist with Dainik Rajdhani Media, who said he received several SMS alerts on April 4, 2022, showing postal bookings made under his name. On verification, he discovered that forged letters ad

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday reminded all media organisations to adhere strictly to the 48-hour silence period and exit poll restrictions ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections and bye-polls. The Commission said the guidelines are crucial to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful election process, The News Mill reported. Voting for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly will be conducted in two phases on November 6 and 11, while bye-elections for eight seats across seven states and Union Territories will also be held on November 11. The counting of votes and results for both will take place on November 14. Citing Section 126 (1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the ECI stated that no election matter can be displayed on television, radio, or similar platforms during the 48-hour period ending with the close of polling. Media outlets have been directed to ensure that no programme, discussion, or comment promotes or prejudices any political party or candidate. The

  A commemorative volume of writings by the late veteran journalist Echanur Kumar was unveiled in Mysuru on Sunday, October 26. Titled Bhavya Chitrapata Mysuru, the book marks 50 years of Kumar’s literary journey and stands as a tribute to his enduring commitment to chronicling Mysuru’s heritage. Jointly published by the Mysuru District Journalists’ Association (MDJA) and Vijayalakshmi Publications, the 364-page compilation was formally released by senior journalist G. Satyanarayana, popularly known as Gauri Satya, at the MDJA premises. The book showcases around 50 heritage structures and explores Mysuru’s contributions to World War I, offering readers a vivid portrait of the city through Kumar’s lens, as reported by The Hindu. Gavisiddaiah, Director of the Karnataka State Archives Department, lauded Kumar’s historical sensibilities, recalling his series of articles commemorating the University of Mysore’s centenary as a testament to his archival dedication. N.S. Ra

India’s media landscape is set to welcome Mentality, the country’s first journalism platform dedicated entirely to mental health. Founded by multimedia journalist Raksha Kumar, the platform aims to fill a long-standing gap in how mental health is covered in Indian media — through stories that combine empathy, rigour and depth. The platform will launch in November 2025. “We believe in engaging storytelling — no matter the format,” says Kumar, describing Mentality’s editorial philosophy. The platform doesn’t see itself as an opinion space on mental health but as one grounded in reportage, where narratives, investigations, and analyses converge to make readers reflect on the systems that shape mental well-being. “At Mentality, we seek to raise questions on systems. There is a particular techno-economic system we exist in, which is making us more lonely, isolated, and weak. If we consider journalism’s duty to document history as it unfolds, then that is what we in