A Parliamentary panel has recommended stronger measures to tackle the growing menace of deepfakes and misinformation, including cancelling the accreditation of journalists or creators found guilty of publishing or telecasting fake news. The proposal was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, December 2, as part of the report Review of Mechanism to Curb Fake News. The Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, chaired by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, also urged the government to clearly define “fake news” and incorporate safeguards within the media regulatory framework to ensure freedom of speech is not compromised. The report advised the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to consult all stakeholders before finalising the definition, The Telegraph reported. Reacting to the recommendations, Akshaya Sahoo, State Head of The Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle in Odisha, said ethical journalists should not be penalised. “I don’t think journalists who work within

    Picture Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle                        In a moving act of compassion, two journalists in Odisha’s Cuttack district stepped in to perform the final rites of an elderly woman after no villagers came forward to cremate her. Speaking to Influencing, Bhairab Sethy, a journalist with The Samaja newspaper, said he received a call on Sunday, November 30, from a resident of Lendura Bhagawanpur village under Kalamishri panchayat in the Cuttack Sadar Assembly constituency. The caller informed him that a 102-year-old woman, identified as Rangalata Sadangi, had passed away. With no family members to take responsibility, the caller sought help to conduct the last rites.      Bhairab Sethy                                                                    Chitranjan Behera Understanding the gravity of the situation, Sethy, along with fellow journalist Chitranjan Behera of Prameya newspaper, immediately travelled to

  The Bombay High Court will begin final hearings in the appeals filed by gangster Chhota Rajan and eight others from January 3, 2026, as they challenge their conviction in the 2011 murder of senior journalist Jyotirmoy Dey (J Dey). A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Shyam Chandak scheduled the matter for January, following directions from the Supreme Court during earlier bail proceedings. On Monday, the High Court confirmed the case was ready for a full hearing and ordered it to be listed after the Christmas break. All the accused remain in jail, except one who was acquitted earlier. In 2018, a special MCOCA court had sentenced Rajan and others to life imprisonment, convicting nine people in connection with the killing. The court also noted that several convicts had previously sought bail. Four applications were rejected in October 2024, while another accused withdrew his plea in July. In the latest plea, judges observed that this was the applicant’s third attemp

Image source: ET and TOI; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   The government’s mandate on Monday (December 1, 2025) for smartphone makers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app sparked backlash from the Opposition and from digital rights activists. Sanchar Saathi is an app that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) launched initially as a website in 2023 to allow users to flag fraudulent phone calls. The app also integrates other tools the DoT has launched in the past, such as a feature to check the “genuineness” of the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number assigned to a device, and to block a stolen phone by barring telecom operators from working on a blacklisted IMEI. Hot off the Press Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that “unilateral directions to preload this app without taking into confidence various stakeholders and citizens is akin to dictatorship,” and that the app was

  OG Media 360 has announced its acquisition of Times of Business, a rapidly growing Instagram-first business news platform. Known for concise business updates and startup coverage, Times of Business will now operate within OG Media 360’s broader social-led ecosystem.  Founder & CEO Ankit Chowdhary said the acquisition accelerates the company’s ambition to build India’s most influential social-first business media network. Co-founder Shivangi Chaudhary noted that Times of Business fits seamlessly into their existing digital IP structure.  For Times of Business, the transition brings greater scale, reach, and sharper storytelling opportunities, said team member Anand Prajapati.  OG Media 360 has outlined plans for platform expansion, premium offerings, interview-led content, and cross-network distribution.  

  NDTV has marked a major milestone in its digital journey, further cementing its place in an era where audiences increasingly turn to online platforms for news. Fresh rankings for November 2025 underline this growth. Databeings placed NDTV India at the very top among Hindi news channels on YouTube, while Playboard confirmed that NDTV 24x7 has held the No. 1 spot among English news channels for six straight months. The numbers speak for themselves. In November alone, NDTV India pulled ahead with more than 700 million views, while NDTV 24x7 maintained a strong lead with 48.2 million views. Together, these figures highlight not just digital expansion but also the trust NDTV continues to enjoy among its audiences. Industry watchers note that this success is no accident. According to Adgully, it follows a deliberate digital overhaul across the network—ranging from sharper use of analytics and improved livestreaming quality to smarter discovery systems and storytelling form

InnovationAus will be releasing up to five podcasts a week in 2026, as announced via its Activate webinar held Tuesday afternoon.  The extended podcast lineup will feature two new additions to the masthead’s podcasting network, with Aussie Quantum and Delivery to be released each Tuesday and Wednesday.  Aussie Quantum, a Q1 project for 2026, will feature host and Editorial Director James Riley covering topics including quantum computing, quantum sensing, semiconductors, and silicon quantum, in a bid to reach beyond its traditional audience.  “It’s a good moment to take a snapshot in time of who the Quantum players are in Australia. What are the capabilities in Australia, and interviewing those players.” Riley said on the webinar. Another new podcast, Delivery, will see one-on-one chats with government technology leaders, including CIOs, CISOs, others who are delivering solutions to satisfy government tech requirements.  “What we