A golden retriever walked into NDTV’s Delhi newsroom and no one complained about the distraction. Oscar, introduced as the organisation’s first-ever “Chief Bark Officer,” spent a day among journalists more used to deadlines than dog treats. What followed was less of a gimmick and more of a quiet reset. “While he was mostly here for the head pats and the occasional treat, he accidentally gave us a masterclass in mental health,” NDTV posted on X, a line that quickly caught on, drawing over 146K views. Behind the humour was a deliberate idea. For NDTV, improving morale didn’t need another structured intervention because sometimes it just needed presence. Purva Misra, Chief People Officer, NDTV Group, framed it simply: “Sometimes, it just requires four paws and a wagging tail. We introduced Oscar as our Chief Bark Officer because we believe the best productivity tool is not a piece of software but the unconditional support and stress relief that a companion like him c

In an era of shrinking attention spans and fierce competition, brand communication is undergoing a reset. Globally, loud messaging is giving way to clarity, trust, and insight‑led storytelling. While markets like the UK and Europe lean on minimalism and precision, India’s communication landscape is more complex — shaped by scale, cultural diversity, and rapid digital growth. Manoj Gupta, Global Lead – Branding & Communication, recalls a standout campaign in the industrial aftermarket space: “The mechanic is the final brand ambassador. We repositioned the brand from a product supplier to a trusted performance partner, integrating influencer advocacy (mechanics), regional storytelling, and ground‑level engagement with a strong digital amplification layer.” The initiative delivered double‑digit growth, stronger channel loyalty, and higher brand recall. Gupta notes: “Authentic storytelling combined with last‑mile influence can outperfo

InnovationAus’ Joseph Brookes believes his winning entries at this year’s Lizzies were good examples of reporting that goes beyond the news cycle.  Brookes was awarded John Costello Best Business Technology Journalist at the Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards.  “[The entries] are the amalgamation of relationships that you build up with people, sources and the experts you speak to. It’s always going on in the background,” Brookes told Influencing.  Brookes' winning entries included “‘Failure on top of failure’: Welfare systems on the brink,” “Australia’s Top Secret cloud and the battle for sovereignty,” and “Ed Santow’s decade of wrestling with AI ethics.” Brookes said the award meant a lot.  “You look around at people like Cam Wilson at Crikey, Josh Taylor at The Guardian, my colleague, Justin Hendry – they do incredible reporting. So to have a place

iTnews has taken out the inaugural Len Rust Best Business Technology Media category at this year’s Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards.  iTnews Associate Editor Andrew Colley accepting Len Rust Best Busines The publication won for work that included an item penned by Editor-In-Chief Ry Crozier titled, “How NAB unwound Teradata's 'tentacles' to decommission it.” Associate Editor Andrew Colley wrote “BoM never planned to end reliance on 'legacy' site,” while Freelance Journalist Juha Saarinen wrote “Melbourne dev finds gift card PINs can be brute-forced.” Former Associate Editor Eleanor Dickinson penned “Defence vacates Global Switch a year ahead of lease expiry.” Accepting the award on behalf of the publication, Colley told the Lizzies crowd, “I don’t know what to say. This really belongs to the [iTnews] team. I’ve been at [iTnews] for six months and I’ve been really impresse

Tuesday, 28 April, 2026 | There’s a type of tech story that’s time-consuming to put together and that rarely makes the front pages. These stories are about the quiet expansion of systems that government agencies use to collect and analyse citizens’ data. For obvious reasons, neither national governments nor intelligence agencies are keen to highlight just how extensively your personal data is monitored. But the occasional FOI request from a media outlet is successful, which inevitably results in more disturbing news about just how much information the powers-that-be have on everybody. That’s certainly the case with two recent articles from Crikey’s Cam Wilson and Bernard Keane. Wilson’s piece, Calls, messages, police records: How Palantir helped an intelligence agency analyse 42 million data points on Australians, starts by examining a Palantir training manual obtained through FOI. It shows how analysts can ingest and connect phone calls, SMS, met

This morning's The Age CFMEU clean-up suffers major setback as administrator quits The federal government’s effort to clean up the scandal-plagued CFMEU has been hit by a major setback after appointed administrator Mark Irving resigned from the role. The departure comes amid deepening allegations of corruption, organised crime links, internal turmoil and pressure for tougher action against union officials and builders accused of paying bribes. Incoming administrator Michael Crosby now faces immediate pressure to restore credibility to the process, investigate alleged misconduct and show that the government’s intervention can deliver meaningful reform in one of Australia’s most politically sensitive unions. Five-year-old girl missing after alleged abduction in Alice Springs Police are continuing a major search for five-year-old Sharon Granites, who was allegedly taken from her bed at an Alice Springs town camp. Authorities have identified a man in connection

Journalism is often seen as a profession rooted in facts and objectivity. But for those reporting on the ground, especially in moments of crisis and loss, the job comes with an emotional weight that doesn’t always end with the story. Repeated exposure to grief, violence, and human suffering can leave a lasting impact. For many journalists, certain moments, a face, a conversation, a scene, stay long after the assignment is over, shaping how they see both their work and the world around them. Ranjeet Jadhav, an environment journalist and assistant editor at Mid-Day, credits one story with redirecting his career. “I didn’t start out with a fixed plan to cover wildlife. Like many journalists, I was drawn to storytelling and being on the ground, understanding people and situations. But what really shifted things for me was the story of a leopard named Ajoba. He had been radio-collared by renowned biologist Dr. Vidya Athreya, and his journey was remarkable; he travelle