The Desk Journalists' Sangham (DJS) has flagged concerns over Telangana's journalist accreditation policy, alleging that restrictive eligibility norms and administrative hurdles are locking a large section of working journalists out of both government welfare schemes and official coverage access. Speaking to Influencing, DJS President Badini Upendra said the stakes are higher in Telangana than elsewhere because the state has one of India's largest journalist networks, built on a distribution model that pushes reporting down to the grassroots. Unlike states where newspapers deploy reporters mainly at the district level, Telangana's papers run extensive district editions backed by mandal-level correspondents and stringers — a structure Upendra said has created employment for thousands of journalists across urban and rural areas. "Almost every mandal has newspaper contributors or stringers. Telangana has one of the largest networks of journalists because of the tabloid system," he s

Veteran journalist Guruaribam Naocha Sharma, widely respected in Manipur’s media fraternity, passed away on June 30 at the age of 57 after a period of ill health. A familiar presence in both television and print journalism, Sharma worked with Sahara TV, NewsX, and ANI before joining Imphal Times in 2013, where he remained associated for more than a decade. Even as his health declined following the Covid‑19 pandemic, he continued to visit the newsroom, coordinate with reporters, and contribute actively to journalistic work. Sharma also played a prominent role in journalists’ organisations. As General Secretary of the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (2011), he was often at the forefront whenever the media fraternity faced arrests, intimidation, or other challenges. Colleagues recall his unwavering commitment to press freedom and journalists’ rights, noting that he never hesitated to lead protests. Paying tribute, Imphal Times Editor-in-Chief Rinku Khumukcham desc

The stream of redundancies impacting media houses continued this week with numerous exits at Junkee and Pedestrian. According to Mediaweek, Junkee’s decision to adopt a “creator-led model” meant the team had been reduced to just two. Including head of editorial Sophie Hanson. Meanwhile, the Pedestrian team acquired by Vinyl has been halved with the 35 full-time staff to be reduced to 17, according to a Mumbrella report last month. Yesterday, Pedestrian news writer Tom Disalvo announced the restructure had seen his role made redundant. “I consider myself extremely lucky to have worked in that newsroom, and I'm going to miss this job with all my heart,” Disalvo wrote on LinkedIn. “I had the privilege of flexing new muscles in my journalism coverage, interviewing my celebrity idols, and writing about the kind of exceedingly silly things that first got me into this line of work.” Disalvo also posted to his Substack his feelings on getting

ICAC shockwave hits Liberals as Elliott urges Taylor to quit A widening NSW ICAC public inquiry into alleged illegal donations and corruption links involving Liberal figures, councils and Catholic schools has spilled into federal politics, with former NSW police minister David Elliott calling for Opposition Leader Angus Taylor to resign over his connections to a key figure in the probe (which Taylor denies). The story matters because it threatens to destabilise the Coalition’s leadership narrative and keep integrity and political fundraising front-of-mind nationally. Covered by: Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph. Big Build corruption pressure: leak probe, apology — and royal commission talk Victoria is facing a fresh integrity crisis as police investigate an alleged CFMEU-related leak to the criminal underworld, while Premier Jacinta Allan issues an apology over Big Build issues. In parallel, Labor MPs are reportedly warming to a royal commission into Big Build corr

The Tripura government has expanded support for journalists by increasing the monthly pension under the Tripura Journalist Honour Pension Scheme from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000 and introducing a Rs 5,000 family pension for the eligible kin of deceased journalists. The guidelines for both schemes were revised in 2025 to improve their implementation. Five more retired journalists have recently been added to the scheme, taking the total number of beneficiaries to 13. Two additional families have also been brought under the family pension scheme, raising the total number of beneficiaries to seven. The government has also provided financial assistance for medical treatment to four journalists through the Journalist Welfare Fund. Welcoming the initiative, Agartala Press Club Vice President Chitra Roy said, "The increase in the welfare pension is a positive and helpful step. However, it should not be limited to only a few senior or well-recognised journalists. Many small and local journa

"Science and space are shaping the future, and I find it rewarding to make these subjects understandable and meaningful for everyone." For journalist Dr Anubha Jain, that philosophy has guided more than two decades of reporting across science, technology, health and space. At a time when artificial intelligence, climate change, biotechnology and space exploration are increasingly shaping everyday life, she believes journalism has a responsibility not just to report scientific breakthroughs, but to explain why they matter. In an episode of Influencing Insider, Dr Jain reflected on her career, the evolution of journalism and the growing responsibility of reporters in an era shaped by rapid technological change and misinformation. Among the defining moments of her career was covering India's landmark space missions, Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1, experiences that brought her face-to-face with the scientists behind the country's achievements. "It was a goosebumps moment," she said. "N

Chandrashekhar “Chandu” Kulkarni, one of Marathi journalism’s most respected editors and investigative reporters, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 61. Kulkarni began his career with Navshakti in 1985 before serving in editorial roles at Sakal, Maharashtra Times, Loksatta, and the Lokmat Group. He was widely known for his pioneering food column “Chatakdar”, considered among the first dedicated restaurant and food columns in Marathi journalism. He also earned acclaim for his investigative reports exposing corruption in private engineering colleges and irregularities in prisons, work that won him the Yamunabai Khadilkar Investigative Journalism Award. Beyond journalism, Kulkarni authored, translated, and edited several books, remained closely associated with science and education, and presided over the Science Literature Conference in 2017, ABPLive reported. Mourning his passing, actress Ashvini Bhave wrote: “It is hard to accept that you are no longer with us, Chand