The All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) has served a legal notice to the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), demanding the immediate withdrawal of a report the union described as “baseless, unverified, and defamatory.” The AMWJU has also requested a public apology. The notice, issued through Advocate Hijam Chandrakumar on behalf of the AMWJU, contests several claims made in the PUCL’s report on media testimonies related to the conflict in Manipur. The union alleged that the report contains “serious and unsubstantiated” accusations. According to the AMWJU, the PUCL report referred to the union as “Godi media” and accused it of playing a “decisive role” in suppressing news with partisan bias. The report also allegedly linked the union to acts of coercion against journalists, misrepresented its membership criteria, and used terms such as “Imphal-based Meitei media,” which the union described as “communal and irresponsible.” In its response

Two women journalists were allegedly threatened and manhandled in separate incidents reported from the northern and eastern parts of the country. Both cases have sparked concern over the safety of women reporters while on duty. In the first case, Uttarakhand’s Director of Primary Education, Ajay Kumar Naudiyal, sparked outrage after a video surfaced showing him snatching the phone of a woman reporter during a heated exchange. The 58-second clip, now widely circulated on social media with over 1.2 lakh views, shows Naudiyal visibly agitated as the journalist tries to protect her phone while bystanders attempt to defuse the situation. According to a News18 report, the incident occurred when parents of D.El.Ed (Diploma in Elementary Education) trainees visited the director’s office seeking clarification on their inclusion in the ongoing primary teacher recruitment process. During the interaction, Naudiyal reportedly lost his temper when questioned by the reporter. The video shows

An event recently organised by the Thrissur Chamber of Commerce, and attended by Union Minister Suresh Gopi as the chief guest, has stirred controversy after invited journalists were barred from entering the venue. According to Mathrubhumi, the event invitation was officially shared with journalists by both the Chamber of Commerce and through the Minister’s official WhatsApp group, Suresh Gopi Media. However, when journalists arrived to cover the event, they were reportedly denied entry by the organisers, who claimed that Minister Suresh Gopi had instructed that media personnel should not be allowed inside. As the issue gained attention, members of the Suresh Gopi Media group later clarified that it was the Chamber’s decision to restrict media access, and that the Minister was informed of it only at the last moment. Meanwhile, representatives of the Chamber stated that they had acted based on a message conveyed by individuals associated with the Minister. Responding to the co

Image source: News On Air, The Hindu and Mint; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   Bihar’s electorate headlined Round 1 of the “vikas versus badlav” battle Thursday with the state’s highest-ever voter turnout of 64.7 per cent in 121 assembly constituencies of 18 districts, marking a decimal-point improvement over the previous record of 64.6 per cent in the 1998 Lok Sabha election. The assembly poll turnout closest to the new record is 62.6 per cent in 2000. Hot Off the Press Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha’s convoy and a CPM candidate’s car were reportedly attacked but they were the only law-and-order blips as an estimated 2.4 crore out of 3.7 crore registered voters voted across 45,341 polling booths, 36,733 of these in the rural belt. A voter in Vaishali came on buffalo back, some rode horses, and a few reached their designated polling stations by boat, reported Manoj Chaurasia and Bharti Jain for The Times of India. The first phase had 1,314 candidates, 122 of them women, con

The Delhi High Court has quashed a criminal defamation complaint filed by lawyer Vikram Singh Chauhan against senior journalist Arnab Goswami and two former Times Now executives, Shrijeet Ramakant Mishra and Samir Jain, The Legal Affair reported The case stemmed from a 2016 episode of The NewsHour, the channel’s primetime debate show, which discussed the violence at the Patiala House Court during the hearing of former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar’s sedition case. Chauhan had alleged that the remarks made in the broadcast were defamatory and intended to harm his reputation. A bench presided over by Justice Neena Bansal Krishna examined the matter in detail, analysing the contours of journalistic privilege and the provisions of defamation under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code. After reviewing the evidence and the scope of free expression in news reporting, the court set aside the trial court’s order summoning the accused and quashed the entire criminal compla

A journalist has been accused of involvement in a job fraud case amounting to approximately Rs 10.5 lakh, following allegations that he promised police jobs to five individuals in Tripura, Tripura Chronicle reported. The accused, identified as Joydul Hossain, a self-proclaimed editor of the Boxanagar Press Club, allegedly assured the aspirants of employment in the state police department in exchange for payment. After realising they had been misled, the victims filed a police complaint. An investigation into the matter is underway.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha expressed concern over India’s position in the 2023 Press Freedom Index, describing it as a “disturbing signal” that warrants collective reflection, Tripura Chronicle reported. Saha made the remarks during the inauguration of a three-day media workshop held at the Agartala Press Club on November 4. The event, organised by the Information & Cultural Affairs Department in collaboration with the Press Club, brought together 356 media professionals from print, digital, photojournalism, and broadcast sectors. Highlighting the role of the press in sustaining democratic values, Saha noted that while press freedom is not explicitly listed among the Constitution’s foundational pillars, it is protected under Article 19(1) and remains essential to a vibrant democracy. He recalled his early interactions with journalists at the Agartala Press Club and acknowledged the media’s influence on public discourse. Addressing past incidents involving jour