ABC Radio National’s Lab Notes returns for a second year with a new host - Science Editor Jonathan Webb. Webb replaces Belinda Smith, who becomes co-host of The Science Show alongside long-time presenter Robyn Williams. “This is an exciting chance for me to tell a few stories myself, but also to showcase voices from within the [ABC Science] team,” Webb told Influencing.  Lab Notes will shorten from a 20-minute episode down to a sharp 10 minutes, with Webb citing the balance between other longer ABC Science programs as the main reason for the decision.  “Having that balance of something shorter with the flagship program [The Science Show] seems to work quite well in the science space, and they find overlapping but slightly different audiences.” The program will feature conversations with researchers, scientists and ABC science journalists on a range of topics, both interesting and fun, he said.  “So far, we've picked up a story that was covered within the unit on

Morning, welcome to Wednesday and let's start today with The Sydney Morning Herald which not only has a well-designed front page, there are a couple of good exclusives too. The main picture is of Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, the Palestinian-Australian academic who was dumped from Adelaide Writers' Week and who it's revealed will be the headline speaker at this year's Sydney Writers' Festival. That story by Linda Morris and pictures by Flavio Brancaleone. I imagine the news hasn't got through to Holt Street yet because firstly the SMH has the exclusive and secondly there's no news on this on The Australian's front page who we might reasonably expect to go into one, as they say, if they had that news.  The second SMH exclusive is on high-speed rail. Has it arrived yet, you might ask. No, and we're all still waiting on the platform, as it were, but an exclusive by Shane Wright and Matt O'Sullivan ('High speed rail link to cost taxpay

The Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) organised a day-long workshop in Jammu on ethical journalism and the evolving media landscape to sensitise media professionals to changing newsroom practices and the importance of ethical standards in the digital age, according to State Times.  Resource persons from IIMC Jammu discussed emerging trends, misinformation challenges, the growing influence of digital platforms and the implications of AI in journalism, while emphasising accuracy, fairness, objectivity and accountability. Officials highlighted the media’s responsibility in shaping informed public opinion and the need for continuous capacity building and stronger collaboration between the department and journalists. An interactive session was also held where participants shared professional experiences and ethical dilemmas Image source: ChatGPT

S.R. Praveen, principal correspondent at The Hindu’s Thiruvananthapuram bureau, has been named Best Reporter (English print media) at the Swaraj Media Award 2026. The jury recognised his feature “How Kerala Eradicated Extreme Poverty” for its depth and impact. The award includes a cash prize of Rs 25,000, along with a citation and memento. The winners were announced by Kerala Minister for Local Self-Governments M. B. Rajesh at a press conference on Monday, highlighting the role of journalism in documenting social change and public policy.

Kalli Purie, Vice‑Chairperson and Executive Editor‑in‑Chief of the India Today Group, on Monday called for fairness, accountability, and reciprocity in the use of Artificial Intelligence in journalism, unveiling a nine‑point charter at the AI Impact Summit. Speaking at a session organised by the Digital News Publishers Association, Purie warned that unchecked AI could distort public discourse if journalism is reduced to raw material for large language models without safeguards. “Fair value for journalistic content is non‑negotiable,” she stressed, demanding transparency in how AI systems use news. Her charter calls for: 1) Fair value for journalistic content with transparency on AI usage 2) Traceability and attribution as democratic principles 3) Recognition of journalism as a public good 4) Rewarding stories that deliver social impact 5) Real valuation of verified content from credible institutions 6) Severe penalties for AI hallucinations 7) Eq

Image edited by Dinesh Raj M   Come winter, the country gets slammed with festivals celebrating the arts, cinema and literature. Beginning with the International Film Festival of India that typically happens in November to the various literary festivals that have now mushroomed all over the country from remote hilly areas like Wayanad to the mother-of-all-lit fests, the Jaipur Literature Festival, that usually takes place sometime in January-February, there is a festival to suit everyone's artistic taste and style these days. If one were to go by the media reports that have appeared so far this week, yet another festival has been added to this long list and this one is dedicated to journalism. The Global Festival of Journalism and AVGC Noida 2026 opened with much fanfare on Monday, according to media reports, most of which came with a disclaimer that the media houses were in no way responsible for the authenticity of the published content. Pleasantly surprised at finally

TechDay has welcomed back Anthony Caruana and Donovan Jackson to the outlet, where the two journalists are Interview Editors.  Both will work in a part-time capacity and replace Melania Watson, who has joined media publication B&T as senior reporter. Caruana told Influencing he was pleased to rejoin TechDay, with the opportunity offered after a chat with TechDay Publisher Sean Mitchell.  “Sean mentioned to me, knowing I was finishing up with Media-Wize, it would be nice to have you back on board, and it just happened. “It's very well organised… They've got a great toolkit behind the scenes, and I'm pretty excited to be working in an environment that's so switched on and modern.” Jackson also said he was very excited to be rejoining the masthead.  “To rejoin is great because Sean's built a fantastic business there, and a fantastic team. He runs a very tight ship with a high level of automation, and he places a high level of trust in his people.   “I’m loo