The Kennedy Foundation has announced the finalists in the 2025 Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism, with the winners to be revealed on August 15 at the Royal Randwick Ballroom in Sydney, The finalists were selected after a judging process involving 101 of the nation’s most experienced media professionals across 37 categories of journalistic excellence. Kennedy Foundation Chairperson Carl Dumbrell said: “It’s been another extraordinary year, with more than 900 entries of exceptional quality. This is clear evidence that not only is a Kennedy Award held in the highest esteem, but that the finest traditions of Australian journalism remain alive and thriving.” All the winners will be announced and celebrated at the Kennedy Foundation’s 2025 Awards Presentation Dinner, which will be held on Friday, August 15, at the Royal Randwick Ballroom.   Award Finalists MEDIA    Indigenous Affairs Reporting   ·         Karla Grant, Gary Cox, Bianca Schneller, G

Google has teamed up with the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) to launch the Google News Initiative AI Skills Academy, a program designed to help journalists and media students learn how to use artificial intelligence (AI) in their work. The 10-week hybrid course will teach participants how to use Google’s AI tools like NotebookLM, Gemini, AI Studio, and Pinpoint. These tools will help newsrooms transcribe interviews, analyse large reports, extract data, and create content in multiple formats and languages making daily journalism more efficient and creative.  Durga Raghunath, head of news partnerships at Google India, said, “Our early engagements with small, medium and large newsrooms have shown us the powerful impact that Pinpoint, NotebookLM and Gemini can have in transcription, translation and presentations, including using and deploying code. We are excited to partner with IIMC to make our lessons evermore relevant to the widest possible cohort of us

    Christien de Garis.   The Seven Network has today announced the appointment of Christien de Garis as Perth News Director, effective from October. Reporting to Seven’s Director of News and Current Affairs, Ray Kuka, de Garis will lead the editorial and managerial direction of 7NEWS Perth. The Perth-born award-winning journalist brings more than two decades’ experience across broadcast news, government communications and branded content. He began his career with Seven West Media’s regional newspapers in Bunbury and Kalgoorlie before moving into broadcast roles with the ABC, Network 10 and Seven Perth. De Garis worked as a senior crime reporter in Perth and Sydney, covering one of the toughest rounds during the infamous Brothers 4 Life gang war in Sydney. He also served as a senior advisor in the WA Government. Most recently, he led a major creative content team in the advertising industry on national and international campaigns. He has received three WA Media Awards

To uncover and reveal the latest cyber attacks and data breaches, CyberDaily’s Deputy Editor, David Hollingworth, said the team “spends a lot of time on the dark web”. Hollingworth told Influencing Insider last Friday, “We follow a lot of threat feeds. We are familiar with the dark web, so when we see that a company's been hacked in one of these feeds, we know where to go, what to look for, and how to prove if this is a real hack.   “This is knowledge we've learned on the fly, as it were, and not to blow my own horn, but no one in Australia was doing this kind of reporting before we started, so Daniel [Croft] and I are very proud of our work.”  Hollingworth joined Influencing Insider to detail how the CyberDaily team go about their cybersecurity reporting, what topics interest them, and how they engage with the PR community.  While following the threat feeds, Hollingworth and fellow journalist Croft look out for particular buzzwords or details of a cyber attack.�

Adelaide-based Solstice Media has purchased a majority shareholding in Australian Traveller Media, the publisher of Australian Traveller and International Traveller magazines and digital assets. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, gives Solstice Media an immediate 80% stake in the company, with the remaining 20% to be purchased over time. Solstice Media said Australian Traveller Media will continue to operate as a separate business. Australian Traveller Media co-founder Quentin Long - who was on Influencing Insider just last month -  has confirmed all executives and staff will remain with the company in their current positions. He said there are no exit plans for himself or fellow co-founder Nigel Herbert, and also committed to keeping its magazine titles in print, with plans for further expansion. Quentin Long. Check out our Insider interview here. Paul Hamra, Solstice Media’s managing director, said the company had been looking to broaden and grow the types of media produc

The kids aren't alright #4721 The nation awoke this morning to a familiar if eccentric sound, the sound of navel gazing about NAPLAN, as newspapers across the land bugled about the good stuff, of which there was a fair bit, whinnied about the bad stuff, of which there was a terrific amount, and eventually resolved, as it always does, a cacophony of anxiety and disappointment into the perennial chant “Back to basics”. The Australian had the succinct but timeless overview, with Education Editor Natasha Bita’s report (“Naplan stars rise, strugglers marooned”), who reported “a gaping class divide is exposed in this year's English and math testing, with an increasing gap between star students and struggling classmates. On average across Australia one in 10 students needs additional support, while one in six performs at the highest level based on the 2025 National Assessment Program, Literacy and Numeracy. (NAPLAN).”     This year (and every year) the key callout

Publieze has announced a strategic partnership with M Sanvi Real Estate, a veteran property advisory firm known for its market foresight and customer-centric approach.   The tie-up brings together Publieze’s expertise in strategic communication and media relations with M Sanvi’s deep-rooted understanding of the real estate market to deliver tailored PR solutions for developers, agents, and property brands.  The collaboration aims to offer an integrated approach to brand building, strategic storytelling, and reputation management, empowering real estate businesses to strengthen their market presence, earn consumer trust, and accelerate growth in a highly competitive sector.  “This collaboration is a perfect match,” said Akshit Bhardwaj, Founder of Publieze. “M Sanvi Real Estate’s reputation in the sector aligns perfectly with our mission to craft impactful stories and intelligent strategies. Together, we’re set to transform how real estate companies connect