The Press Club of India has strongly condemned the alleged attack on senior journalist Hem Bhatt in Dehradun and expressed concern over the handling of the case by authorities. In a statement issued on February 12, the Club said Bhatt reported that his channel’s digital platform was briefly taken down following a complaint lodged with Uttarakhand Police, and that he was later chased and assaulted by unidentified persons, sustaining injuries. While arrests were reportedly made, the Press Club questioned the investigation process, citing the absence of CCTV evidence and Bhatt not being asked to identify the accused. The Club urged a fair and independent probe, called for accountability, and reiterated that any attack on a journalist is an attack on press freedom.

The Editors Guild of India has condemned the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for ordering the removal of a cartoon on Narendra Modi that appeared on The Wire’s Instagram page. In a statement issued on February 12, the Guild said The Wire’s Instagram account was also briefly blocked before being restored by Meta. The Editors Guild called the move an attack on free expression and editorial independence, stating that public officials are legitimate subjects of scrutiny, including through cartoons. The Guild also raised concerns over the newly notified IT Rules, citing warnings from the Internet Freedom Foundation, and urged the government to review regulations that could undermine media freedom and artistic expression.

Morning, welcome to Monday and hope you all had a fine weekend. Let's start with Coles supermarket and a really well written story in the Australian Financial Review by Carrie LaFrenz and Max Mason with a clever headline too ('ACCC challenge to Coles's status quo'). The regulator is taking Coles to Federal Court - it's been a while getting there, some 16 months, but the case has its first public airing today - with the ACCC alleging the 'Down Down' deals weren’t actually lower and the promotion entirely misleading.  As LaFrenz and Mason write: "Since 2010, Coles has hung its hat on the jingle – “Down, Down, Prices are Down” – inspired by the Status Quo song, Down Down. The $30 billion supermarket giant even paid the British rock group to reunite and record a version at London’s Abbey Road. Accompanied by a giant red hand pointing south, the jingle has assured shoppers, t

Image edited by Dinesh Raj M   In most democracies, radio is the quickest way to break a story. In India, it’s the quickest way to play a song. That’s not a creative choice. It’s policy. On International Radio Day, let's understand why private FM stations here cannot broadcast original news.  Let's start with the facts: Radio stations can relay unedited bulletins from All India Radio. They can talk traffic, weather and celebrity gossip. But if they attempt structured, independent news reporting, they risk licence trouble. Meanwhile, stations in the US and Australia air hourly bulletins as a matter of course. The official reasoning is familiar: national security, misinformation, uncontrollable radio waves. Unlike television channels that can be suspended individually, or websites that can be blocked, FM signals travel freely. There is no neat district-level “kill switch” without disrupting the entire band, including AIR. That logic h

  A late-night call. A nervous laugh. A sudden silence when a listener breaks down mid-sentence. Radio has always lived in these small, unscripted moments, the kind technology can mimic, but never truly feel. As World Radio Day is celebrated on February 13, 2026, this year’s theme, “Radio and Artificial Intelligence,” puts a timely question on air: what happens when AI enters broadcasting? The global slogan offers a clear starting point: “AI is a tool, not a voice.” Across India’s radio landscape, professionals broadly agree. Artificial intelligence may be finding a place in workflows, but the soul of radio remains unmistakably human. AI as support, not replacement     Kanmani, digital strategist and applications at Red FM (East), said their stations Red FM and Suryan Radio continue to operate entirely on human power, even after more than two decades in the industry. “Our ethos has always been human-to-human connection. RJs speaking to audiences, live intera

The All Assam Journalists’ Union (AAJU) on Tuesday announced the recipients of its 2026 journalism awards at a meeting held at its central office in Tezpur. The awards ceremony is scheduled for March 9, 2026, in Bongaigaon district. According to The Sentinel, AAJU president Pankaj Kr Nath and general secretary Nakul Talukdar, veteran journalist Naren Bora will receive the Prafulla Chandra Baruah Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award. The Radhika Mohan Bhagawati Memorial Journalism Award has been awarded to Nitumoni Saikia, Chief Editor of Pratidin Time. Adip Kumar Phukan, Chief Editor of DY 365, will receive the Swahid Journalist Manik Deuri Memorial Journalism Award, while Imran Hussain, Executive Editor of Prantik, will be honoured with the Hari Barman Memorial Journalism Award.

  Fact-checking has undergone its own transformation. Real-time verification systems now cross-check claims against official records, trusted databases, archived reports, and public datasets within seconds. What once required hours of manual research can now be initiated almost instantly. For deadline-driven newsrooms, this shift has reduced the risk of amplifying misinformation while allowing journalists to maintain pace. But the story is not just about machines working faster. It is also about roles evolving. Data checkers and analysts now hold a more central place in editorial workflows. Data checkers review AI-generated outputs, flag inconsistencies, and apply judgment where algorithms fall short. Data analysts interpret large datasets, contextualise patterns, and translate complex findings into accessible stories. Their work has grown more strategic, giving them an editorial influence that was far less visible just a few years ago. Even so, AI has not replaced editorial res