The long-running efforts by media organisations to overturn a suppression order, which is protecting the identity of a high-profile individual involved in a black mail case, has failed. A Cairns court ruled to keep the man’s identity a secret because it believed not doing so might deter future blackmail victims from coming forward. The man, who can only be referred to as MM, is part of a black mail case which involves a woman he is alleged to have had a relationship with, being blackmailed. A former partner of the woman had threatened to expose the alleged affair between her and MM. Media outlets including Nine and the ABC had applied to the Supreme Court for a judicial review of the non-publication order originally made back in May. However Justice James Hendry dismissed the challenge in what has been reported to be a one-minute hearing. “Future prospective complainants would likely perceive the nature of the exposure featured by the complainant here was not merely

Albanese declares “code orange” as One Nation surges Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers have escalated their warnings about One Nation after a shock Secret Harbour by-election result, framing the party as a divisive, hard-right populist threat and urging Labor to fight back. With polling showing a volatile contest and One Nation’s momentum spilling into Victoria, the story signals a sharper, more polarised political contest and heightened risk for Labor seats nationwide. Covered by: Daily Telegraph, The West Australian, Australian Financial Review, Herald Sun, The Australian, Courier Mail. Nepal flood catastrophe deepens, with Australians unaccounted for Catastrophic flooding and mudslides in Nepal—linked to a glacial lake collapse—have left towns buried in mud, families searching for missing relatives, and rescue efforts racing against time as hopes fade. Australian coverage highlights both the scale of the humanitarian disaster and the anxiety around m

The Twenty Sided Social Club offers a "safe space for people to come and play [tabletop] games," says co-founder Nathanael Peacock, a PR practitioner and gaming journalist. The club was founded by several game masters, including Peacock, his wife Marian Casey, journalist Fergus Halliday, and professional game master Alicia Warren, after a former for-profit games club folded. “A number of the other game and dungeon masters looked at the community and thought if this stops, all of these people lose their community overnight”, Peacock told Influencing.  “I said, ‘How do we keep this going in a way that doesn't push the cost onto the players’. So we went through the legal loopholes and the government discussion to see to how do we turn it into a not-for-profit, a cooperative or a community group”.  The club has run for more than a year, initially as a community group, and is now finalising paperwork to become a formal cooperative. Peacock said that outside of the afore

The Telegraph Young Metro inducted a new batch of student reporters from around 50 schools at the YM Force Meet held at Vidya Mandir Auditorium, Kolkata, on August 21.  The event introduced the young reporters to report writing and communication skills and encouraged them to cover school events for The Telegraph Student Edition. Several schools participated for the first time, with students sharing their plans to report on activities at their institutions.  The outgoing batch was also recognised with certificates for participation, active correspondence and championship performance. Birla High School emerged as the champion, followed by St Augustine’s Day School, Shyamnagar.  Consultant psychiatrist Dr Sanjay Garg also addressed students on mental health, examination stress, anxiety and social media pressure, encouraging them to seek help and take short breaks during stressful situations.     

Students of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, IK Gujral Punjab Technical University (IKGPTU), Main Campus, secured the second prize in a regional radio feature competition at the Science Journalism Fest organised by Pushpa Gujral Science City (PGSC), Kapurthala.  The award-winning radio feature focused on critical environmental issues, including paddy straw management and pollution control.  The students received appreciation from Dr Archana R Singh, Chairperson, Communication Studies, Panjab University. Dr Rajesh Grover, Director, Pushpa Gujral Science City, also praised the students for their performance.  The winning team comprised Mandeep Kaur, Gurleen Kaur and Abhinav Sharma, all BAJMC third-semester students; Jia Aishwaryam, a BAJMC fifth-semester student; and Rajvir Singh, a BAJMC third-semester student.    Image Credit: The Tribune 

The Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya organised its annual Raksha Bandhan celebrations with journalists at the Vizag Journalists Forum Press Club in Daba Gardens on Thursday, August 27. Event organiser BK Rameshwari said the Brahma Kumaris have been celebrating Raksha Bandhan with journalists every year and and conveyed blessings for their well-being. City Police Commissioner Dr Shankhabrata Bagchi, who attended the event as the chief guest, said Raksha Bandhan symbolised the spirit of brotherhood. He urged people to cultivate a spirit of service and extend help and cooperation to others within their capacity. VMRDA Chairman Pranav Gopal, Kanakamahalakshmi Temple Chairman Dr Kandula Nagaraju, film actor Prasanna Kumar, Colonel Bhadrayya, Gantla Srinubabu, secretary of the National Union of Journalists and president of the Andhra Pradesh Working Journalists Federation, international choreographer and senior journalist R Nagaraju Patnaik, Dr Joshi and several other

Journalists in Rajasthan have come together to launch a YouTube channel aimed at highlighting issues faced by journalists in the state and bringing instances of pressure on the media to public attention. The Rajasthan unit of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) has decided to launch the channel, named IFWJ Rajasthan, amid growing concerns over attempts by those in power to silence the press. The decision was taken during a recent meeting. The channel will be run entirely by journalists, for journalists, with a focus on issues affecting the fraternity across the state. Speaking to Influencing India, Upendra Singh Rathode, president of the IFWJ Rajasthan unit, said, “It is high time that journalists united and spoke about the harsh realities they face day in and day out.” Rathode cited his own experience, recalling a protest he had staged against those in power that lasted 19 days. He claimed that the protest went largely unreported by publications due to fear a