10 technology PR practitioners have been recognised as this year’s finalists in the David Hellaby Best Media Relations category at the 24th Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards. The Best Media Relations category is awarded to the PR practitioner who consistently goes above and beyond when working with journalists and clients. Nominations are sent in by journalists to determine the finalists and eventual winner. This years’ finalists reflect a vast array of different technology topics represented, including Business Technology, Consumer Technology and Gaming. The finalists, too, are a mix of in-house, agency or self-employed PR practitioners. The list of the 10 finalists for this year’s David Hellaby Best Media Relations can be found below: Claire Corbel, Nintendo David Bass, Bass PR David Wolf, Closer Communications Doug Johns, POWER UP PR Harvey Ferle, Watterson Justine Taylor, Samsung Electronics Australia Luke Frost, PR D

The “top secret evacuation operation” of five Iranian women soccer players has captured the attention and stolen the heart of Australia, dominating front page coverage this morning. As we noted in Monday’s Upfront, it was The Daily Telegraph who via Jessica Wang, really leant into this story first and this morning Wang was on the story again, with the Tele leading with Donald Trump’s praise: GOD BLESS AUSTRALIA.   Over at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Matthew Knott and Emma Kemp promised readers the ‘Inside Story’. They spoke to lawyer and human rights advocate Sara Raflee who was tasked with trying to make members of the team understand they had options if they wished to stay in Australia. “I simply explained that they are on Australian soi, they have legal rights here, and if they choose to seek protection there are lawyers, various Australian community organisations and ordinary Australians ready to support them.”

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has observed that freedom of the press cannot be used as a tool to extract illegal benefits, while partly allowing a petition filed by a journalist accused of cheating and extortion. The bench of Justice Himanshu Joshi said that although journalists play a key watchdog role in a democracy, press freedom cannot be misused to demand money by threatening to publish news.  According to a media report, The case arose from a complaint filed in August 2023 in Gwalior, where the journalist allegedly demanded money from a group of individuals after claiming that a building was being constructed illegally on village common land.  The complainant alleged that the journalist threatened to publish a report if the money was not paid and later published a news article raising allegations about the construction.  After examining the matter, the High Court ruled that the essential elements required to prove cheati

Journalist Anil Kumar Naik died in a road accident in Shivamogga on Sunday night. He was 44.  Naik suffered a severe head injury after his two-wheeler was involved in a head-on collision with another bike in the Vinoba Nagar area. He was rushed to a private hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.  Naik had worked with several local news channels and a newspaper in Shivamogga, contributing to regional journalism over the years.      Image source: ChatGPT

Liqvd Asia has announced that it has secured the digital communications mandate for outdoor lifestyle brand Woodland, adding a lifestyle client to its portfolio. Under the mandate, the digital-first marketing agency will handle Woodland’s digital communications, including social media management, influencer collaborations, and brand storytelling. The partnership will focus on building the brand’s presence across digital platforms and creator communities. Liqvd Asia will also develop platform-first content strategies, campaign narratives, and community engagement initiatives aimed at strengthening Woodland’s connection with younger, digital-first audiences.

Curiosity and risk-taking ability are generally considered valuable assets for reporters i.e. until one stretches them too far. As reports emerged late last week of the sinking of Iranian war ship IRIS Dena after it was struck by a US torpedo in the Indian Ocean while returning to Iran after participating in a naval exercise off Vishakhapatnam coast, media houses across the country scrambled reporters to Kochi where another Iranian vessel IRIS Lavan was docked after Indian authorities gave permission for the ship to dock. The news development, which was alleged to have brought the US-Israel-Iran war to Indian shores, according to a section of the media, had prompted two journalists belonging to a national TV channel to veer off the beaten track in search of exclusive visuals eventually landing them in jail. The reporter and a cameraperson from the news channel and a boat driver were arrested last Saturday for allegedly entering a restricted high-security zone near the port in K

Image of the Day:    When Hunger Beats War Filed from the visa queues of Delhi, Sugandha Jha, reporting for The Times of India, captured a quiet but brutal truth about migration. War may be looming over West Asia, but outside Gulf visa centres in Delhi, the line hasn’t shortened. Workers from Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab and Kerala sit on pavements clutching contracts, medical reports and passports because staying back often feels riskier than leaving. Her report shows how economics trumps geopolitics for India’s migrant workforce. A job in the Gulf can mean 45,000 a month instead of 10,000 at home, sometimes even 1.5 lakh for drivers. Loans have already been taken, recruitment fees paid, families waiting. Nearly nine million Indians live in the Gulf, sending back remittances that sustain households across the country. Even as 52,000 Indians returned recently due to regional tensions, many more are still preparing to go because for them, the real conflict isn&