While journalist killings continue to be reported and their safety at large remains problematic in several parts of India, the Northeast has not recorded a single journalist killing in the last eight years despite a history of insurgency, ethnic tensions and communal unrest. According to data compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Assam recorded at least four journalist killings between 1996 and 2008, while Manipur recorded one journalist killing in 2000. In comparison, states such as Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir have continued to record journalist killings in recent decades. But journalists from the region say the absence of killings should not be mistaken for the absence of risk. The Northeast, comprising Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, is often viewed as a comparatively safer region for journalists. Yet reporters on the ground say safety concerns, professional uncertainty and

Anti-corruption watchdog boss resigns amid conflict scrutiny National Anti-Corruption Commission founding commissioner Paul Brereton will step down after sustained questions about conflicts of interest and the agency’s early handling of major referrals. The resignation sharpens pressure on the government to run a transparent appointment process and restore confidence in a watchdog designed to lift integrity standards across federal politics. Covered by: Sydney Morning Herald, The Age. Bondi attack: hotline tip-offs and security checks under the microscope Multiple papers report classified files showing the Bondi attacker was flagged via National Security Hotline tip-offs years earlier, raising questions about how warnings were assessed and acted on. The AFR adds that the event’s security was set locally without a counter-terrorism assessment despite warnings—widening the focus from intelligence failures to event security settings and accountability. Covered by: Daily Telegraph

Multiple FIRs filed against senior journalist and political analyst K. Nageshwar over his remarks on an alleged Pawan Kalyan–Amit Shah conversation have reignited concerns about the shrinking space for political commentary in India’s television media. Nageshwar’s comments, made during a political discussion show and attributed to “highly placed sources,” were strongly denied by the Jana Sena Party, which demanded their withdrawal. The issue escalated into police complaints and criminal cases across Andhra Pradesh. Nageshwar later withdrew his remarks unconditionally, admitting the information may not have been sufficiently verified. The controversy has raised larger questions about the role of source‑based reporting, political analysis, and interpretation of power equations in television journalism. Critics argue that the use of criminal charges against journalists for commentary risks creating a chilling effect on analysts and news platforms. While

The Telangana High Court has raised strong concerns over delays in renewing journalists’ accreditation cards, underscoring that the matter affects the entire media fraternity. Accreditation, the court noted, is essential for access to government offices, official events, and smooth reporting. Despite earlier assurances, delays have persisted, prompting the bench to remind authorities of their responsibility. The state informed the court that validity would now be extended until June 16, 2026. Directing officials to complete the process without further delay, the HC stressed that administrative lapses impacting journalists cannot be taken lightly.   

The Karnataka government is working to strengthen welfare measures for journalists, including easing norms for free bus passes for rural reporters and introducing health schemes for media persons, Chief Minister’s Media Advisor K.V. Prabhakar announced. Speaking at a media interaction organised by the Karnataka Working Journalists’ Association (KUWJ), Prabhakar said two strict conditions for bus passes would be relaxed, with an order expected within a week. More than 6,000 journalists are likely to benefit. He added that discussions are underway on health schemes and revision of government advertisement rates for newspapers. Prabhakar noted that the state’s ad policy was designed to support local and small publications, addressing concerns of discrimination in ad allocation. Describing his role as a “bed of thorns”, Prabhakar said the position comes with daily challenges but affirmed his commitment. KUWJ President Shivanand Tagadoor praised him for acting as an effective

Image source: Bahrisons Booksellers, Instagram Rajasthan has been misread for too long. Two journalists spent 15 years correcting that. Tabeenah Anjum and Deep Mukherjee's new book documents a state whose political depth rarely enters national discourse and explains why that erasure matters. When journalists Tabeenah Anjum and Deep Mukherjee began searching for a comprehensive political account of Rajasthan in English, they couldn't find one. That absence, they say, became the reason they wrote Dynasties to Democracy: Politics, Caste and Power Struggles in Rajasthan, a book born not from an academic brief but from fifteen years of notebooks, field reporting and stories that never made it past word limits. In conversation with Influencing, the co-authors spoke about what it took to document a state that most national conversations have consistently undersold. The challenge of writing the book, Anjum and Mukherjee say, wasn't a lack of material, it was the risk of flat

Winning Video Journalist of the Year, then being made redundant days later, neatly sums up what it’s like working in youth media nowadays. This was the position Re: News journalist Zoe Madden-Smith found herself in after TVNZ confirmed it would close its youth-focused news platform, shortly after she was named New Zealand’s top video journalist for the second year in a row. “Winning Video Journalist of the Year and being made redundant in the same fortnight is pretty wild but here we are!” Madden-Smith wrote on LinkedIn. Media companies need younger audiences. They need to be more digital, more visual, more platform-savvy and more willing to meet audiences where they are. But when the money gets tight, youth platforms are often the first to be shuttered. Re: News was launched by TVNZ in 2017 and spent nearly a decade serving rangatahi [youth] audiences. It went through several changes over that period, including cuts in 2024 and a shift away from text-ba