NRI journalist Harjinder Singh Basiala will be honoured with the King’s Service Medal (KSM) in New Zealand’s 2026 New Year Honours List. Basiala, a senior overseas team member of the Babushahi News Network, has long contributed to Punjabi media through his work with Tirchhi Nazar Media and as editor of Punjabi Herald, New Zealand’s first online Punjabi news platform. He also serves as a Justice of the Peace and marriage celebrant. The King’s Service Medal recognises exceptional community and public service. Basiala dedicated the honour to the Punjabi media fraternity and expressed gratitude to those who supported his nomination. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sent him a congratulatory letter. The award, part of New Zealand’s Royal Honours system, highlights voluntary and public service contributions that strengthen communities and society.

Senior journalist S. Krishnarao, 79, passed away at his residence. Krishnarao served the profession for over four decades and was widely known as the ‘Ajatashatru’ of the town. He was Honorary Editor of Hoysala Karnataka for many years and received several awards for his contributions to journalism and society. He also held roles as Dharmadarshi of the Srikanteshwaraswamy Temple in Nanjangud and President of the Nanjangud Taluk Journalists Association. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, and extended family, Star of Mysore reported.

Image source: The Hindu, Reddit, IFJ international and Al Jazeera   Over the past year, members of the media fraternity as well as the general public have been having endless discussions on the future of journalism: Will AI tools replace journalists? Are social media influencers taking over the field of news? Is investigative and long form reporting still relevant? Do people depend on YouTube content creators to understand the world around them? And, so forth. Amid all these nebulous debates over the future of news comes the latest year-end report by the International Federation of Journalists (IF) put out on December 31, 2025 which highlights that 128 journalists have been killed either on the job or for doing their job while 533 are in prison globally for the same reason. With 74 journalists killed – including 56 in Palestine – the Middle East and Arab World region accounted for 58 per cent of all media professionals killed worldwide. Yemen ranks second with 13

Veteran sports journalist Gouri Shankar Mitra, former secretary of the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club (CSJC), died at a Kolkata hospital on Dec 30, 2025. According to UNI, Mitra was a respected figure in sports journalism, with a long association with reporting and media work in the region. The CSJC expressed deep sorrow at his passing, recalling his contributions to the profession and to the club. His death marks the loss of a senior and influential voice in Kolkata’s sports media community.

    Today, we’re taking the day off. No column. No hot take. No manufactured urgency. Not because nothing is happening — but because it’s healthy, occasionally, to stop reacting and start thinking. Fourth Right will be back on Friday, Jan 2, with the same intent as always: to slow down the noise, ask uncomfortable questions, and treat journalism as a public service, not a content treadmill. Until then, step away from the scroll. Read something longer than a headline. And start the year with a little less outrage and a little more clarity. See you on Friday.

Journalists in Dumka staged a protest against the alleged assault and mistreatment of reporters Mrityunjay Pandey and Nitesh Verma by the officer-in-charge of Hansdiha police station and his driver. The Times of India states that during the protest, they strongly condemned the attack on the two journalists and demanded accountability. Live Hindustan states that following the demonstration, Dumka Superintendent of Police Pitambar Singh Kherwar suspended the accused station officer, Tarachand, and initiated departmental proceedings.

  A 35-year-old former journalist was arrested in Bengaluru on Monday for allegedly attempting to extort Rs 15 lakh from three police inspectors following a recent drug seizure by Maharashtra’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force, Bengaluru City Police, and the Narcotics Control Bureau. The accused, Sharath Sharma Kalagaru of Windsor Layout, is alleged to have demanded Rs 5 lakh each from inspectors Chethan Kumar, Ramakrishna Reddy, and Srinivas, claiming he had evidence linking them to drug peddlers. According to the FIR filed by Bagalur police sub-inspector Ramesh Bandrada, Sharath threatened to air the allegations on a news channel if the money was not paid. Bandrada recorded Sharath’s WhatsApp calls and messages as evidence. Police also booked the owner and a reporter of BTV Kannada in the case. As per The Indian Express, Sharath was produced before a court and remanded to two days of police custody. BTV Kannada denied any association with Sharath and filed a complaint