Journalists in Bihar are increasingly becoming targets of violence, and the latest incident underlines the risks they face. On the evening of January 21, journalist Sudhir Kumar was allegedly kidnapped near Yashpal Sweets on Khagaul Road in the Phulwarisharif area of Patna. Four unidentified men in a black Scorpio, reportedly without a number plate, abducted him. During the attack, Kumar was beaten, verbally abused, and threatened with death while being forced to quit journalism. He was also robbed of Rs 35,000 before being abandoned on the roadside near Beur Tej Pratap Nagar. The Phulwarisharif police acted swiftly after receiving information about the incident and rescued Kumar within four hours. The journalist has filed a formal complaint, following which an FIR was registered. Sub-Inspector Deepak Kumar has been assigned to investigate the case. Authorities are examining CCTV footage near the crime scene to identify the vehicle and the attackers, Patna Press reported.

Journalists at the All India Journalists Safety Committee (AIJSC) divisional‑level conference on January 23 demanded the implementation of a Journalist Protection Law in Uttar Pradesh and across the country, The Times of India reported. Addressing the gathering, Shahi Gupta said AIJSC aims to provide a common platform for journalists and push for nationwide enforcement of the law, citing its implementation in Chhattisgarh in 2023. District president Akash Soni highlighted the rising incidents of attacks and intimidation against journalists, stressing the need for collective grassroots action. State coordinator (Youth Wing) Khaliq Ansari noted that the committee has been active in multiple states and is striving to replicate the Chhattisgarh model elsewhere. Speakers underlined the role of journalists in strengthening democracy, emphasising that fearless and responsible journalism remains essential for democratic accountability despite growing challenges. The programme was at

A delegation from the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) met Mizoram’s Minister for Information, Public Relations, Printing, and Stationery, Pu B. Lalchhanzova, on Wednesday to discuss issues of news dissemination and strengthening cooperation between journalists in Mizoram and the rest of the country. The IJU team was led by President Pu Geetartha Pathak, along with Vice President Pu Basheer Madela and Office Secretary Sunita Devi. The meeting focused on improving coordination and professional collaboration between Mizoram journalists and their counterparts nationwide. Welcoming the delegation, Minister Lalchhanzova urged them to closely observe Mizoram’s progress across sectors during their visit and highlight these developments in their reports. He stressed that news from Mizoram and the wider northeastern region receives limited space in national media, and called for stronger efforts to bring the region’s issues and achievements into the national spotlight. He also underlin

Say hello to Friday and there's plenty of coverage this morning on Australia's National Day of Mourning for the victims of the Bondi massacre, with The Sydney Morning Herald devoting half of its front page to a large picture seen here - taken by Dean Sewell - of folks gathering at Bondi Pavilion and the heading 'LIGHT WILL WIN", with extensive coverage inside by on page 6 by Ben Cubby reporting from the Opera House.   The Australian also goes big on the memorial event, again invoking the light with a front page picture of folks lighting candles and the headline 'Deeply sorry': PM's vow as nation looks to the light'. Main coverage in The Oz by Stephen Rice, Lachlan Leeming, Joanna Panagopoulos and Bimini Plesser.  The other big story is of course the Coalition's meltdown. It's rather like watching a soap opera where they keep repeating the same drama over and over again until even the most avid viewer goes, "

After Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan made newspaper reading compulsory in state‑run schools, leading print media group DB Corp is now in talks with other states to introduce similar policies, Best Media Info reported. Rajasthan’s school education department has directed government schools to include 10 minutes of newspaper reading during morning assemblies to build reading habits, improve vocabulary, and enhance awareness. Schools must subscribe to newspapers in both Hindi and English, with costs covered by the Rajasthan School Education Council. Students are also expected to learn five new words daily and discuss editorials and major news topics. Uttar Pradesh has introduced a similar rule, aimed at reducing screen time and improving students’ grasp of current affairs. DB Corp promoter‑director Girish Agarwal said the initiative was encouraging and could lay a strong foundation for children to become regular newspaper readers. He added that discussions are ongoing wi

The Editors’ Guild of India (EGI) has expressed serious concern over what it described as the continued repression of independent journalism in Jammu and Kashmir, following repeated summoning and questioning of journalists by the police. In a statement shared on X, the Guild said several journalists, including those working with leading national media organisations, have been repeatedly called to Srinagar’s Cyber Crime Police Station and questioned about their routine news reporting. The Guild said journalists were also asked to sign bonds or affidavits stating that they would not undertake any activity that could “disturb the peace,” a phrase it said was vague and open to misuse. Calling the action arbitrary and unjustified, the Editors’ Guild said that summoning journalists and questioning them about their work amounts to coercion and intimidation, and is an attempt to interfere with their professional duties. “This is just the latest instance of increasingly threat

The Journalist Federation of Kashmir (JFK) has strongly condemned the recent actions of the Jammu and Kashmir Police involving the summoning of journalists for routine reporting, saying it amounts to an attack on press freedom and is creating a climate of fear in the region. In a statement, the JFK said it was deeply disturbed by the manner in which senior journalist Basharat Masood of The Indian Express was repeatedly summoned to the Cyber Police Station in Srinagar, made to wait for hours and later taken to a magistrate’s office, where he was asked to sign a bond directing him not to “repeat his mistake”. The federation said treating journalism as a threat to public law and order is unacceptable in a democratic society. It added that the continued summoning of the journalist after he refused to sign the bond amounted to coercion and harassment. The JFK also expressed concern over reports that Ashiq Hussain of Hindustan Times was summoned without any stated reasons. It said