The Association of Indian Magazines will hold its 14th edition of the Indian Magazine Congress (IMC) on August 8, 2025, at The Imperial in New Delhi.   The event will focus on this year’s theme, “The Deep Connect: Building Communities, Nurturing Trust and Re-imagining the Future”.   The conference will explore how magazines can leverage their strengths in curating credible, emotionally resonant, and intellectually rich narratives for clearly defined readers. The agenda is designed to help publishers understand the digital world, reimagine magazine publishing models and sales, and build digital products for their communities.   The event will feature an esteemed lineup of speakers, including Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for I&B, Railways; Uday Shankar, co-founder of Bodhi Tree Systems and VC of Jiostar; Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharati; Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG Mediabrands India; Anant Nath, executive publisher of Delhi Press and president of AIM; B Sriniv

Image source: IE, SKJ Landbase, ET Now and Mint; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   Even as Trump's accusations on India funding the Russian war continued for yet another day, the day's papers exposed the US president's double standards on doing business with Russia. Incidentally, Trump who described the Indian economy as "dead" has privately invested substantianly in Indian real estate through the Trump Organisation and has reportedly earned close to Rs. 200 crore last year alone. Hot Off the Press Ties between US and India are headed downhill on the slippery slope of Russian oil, wrote Chidanand Rajghatta for The Times of India. In a phone-in interview on CNBC, Trump claimed that New Delhi had agreed to zero tariffs for US exports into India, but asserted that’s not good enough because of the Russia issue. Accusing New Delhi of “fuelling the (Russian) war machine”, US President Donald Trump said he would, in the next 24 hours, raise tariffs on Indian exports “substantially”

Gen Z is stepping into Indian newsrooms armed with fresh ideas, digital savvy, and a healthy dose of scepticism. But their arrival is also laying bare the cracks in journalism education, outdated training models, and shifting expectations around work. Influencing India spoke to young reporters and newsroom leaders to understand how this generation is reshaping journalism—and what’s holding them back. For many Gen Z journalists, the first few months on the job feel less like a dream come true and more like a rude awakening. Raja Dharshini Annamalai recalls feeling completely adrift during her first internship. “I struggled even with the basics,” she said. “No one told me how to make a story stand out when everyone else was covering the same event. I didn’t even know whether I could include my opinion.” Like many of her peers, she pins the blame on how journalism is taught. “We weren’t taught about newsroom trends. Social media journalism was introduced only recent

Specialised brand ecosystem agency 21N78E has formally acquired Postcard Media, a creative agency known for its corporate and internal communication expertise. The acquisition follows eight months of integration between the two teams, aligning processes, operations, and skillsets to offer a unified, future-ready communications solution. The move combines 21N78E’s strengths in brand ecosystem strategy, consulting, and phygital innovation with Postcard Media’s narrative-driven design and storytelling capabilities. While Postcard Media will retain its brand identity, it will now operate under the 21N78E umbrella and play a key role in delivering content-led and strategic communication mandates. “This acquisition is a strategic partnership, built on shared values and complementary strengths,” said Sudhir Nair, Founder & CEO of 21N78E. “Postcard Media’s focus on corporate and internal communications aligns with our belief that brands must communicate consistently across

Last night, Influencing attended KBI.Media's Next Chapter event, at which founder Karissa Breen announced the company's expansion to the US, with herself leading the coverage on the ground overthere.  “This is more than just a geographical move, it’s a mindset shift for the cybersecurity conversation, said Breen. “We’re bringing our distinctly human coverage of cybersecurity to a bigger stage, where stories of innovation, resilience, and impact deserve to be told louder and clearer than ever before.” She continued, “Cybersecurity deserves better coverage – not just clickbait headlines or sales pitches. We’re here to elevate the conversation."  Breen and COO Cameron Perry also announced the return of the newly relaunched Destination Cyber podcast, with Chaahat Baghla, taking the hosting reigns.   And respected tech journalist and founder of StoriesInk, Jennifer O’Brien, will join the KBI Media team as a freelance contributor and editor. O’Brien brings over

  Should we, or shouldn’t we On the spectrum of hot topics dividing ordinary Australians —somewhere between Gaza and trans people competing in combat sports at one end, and Pineapple on Pizza at the other end — sits WFH: Yes, or no? Views on the subject seem largely split between employers, who don’t love it, arguing that career development, morale, and productivity all suffer when staff stay home, and others — including tech leaders and unions — who argue the opposite: that working from home is both practical and productive. I mention this in the context of an exclusive in The Age by Olivia Ireland, Jessica Young, Chris Zappone, and David Swan (“Labor sat on work-from-home plan”). Their scoop reveals that Labor considered a policy to protect the right to work from home ahead of the last federal election, only to abandon it “to avoid drawing attention to then-Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s unpopular plan to call the public service back to the office. �

Image source: Fortune India, Financial Times, The Nation and Stock Wits India; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   What began as a predictable Trump tantrum over tariffs has now escalated into a diplomatic crossfire. In his second outburst within a week, US President Donald Trump accused India of “profiteering” off Russian oil while promising to “substantially raise” tariffs on Indian goods, following the 25 per cent levy he had already slapped on July 31. This time, the gloves were off and New Delhi wasn’t having it. Hot off the Press The Times of India’s Sidhartha, Sachin Parashar and Chidanand Rajghatta captured the Indian government’s rare and unfiltered pushback. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed Trump’s accusations as “unjustified and unreasonable,” stating India’s energy imports are a matter of economic necessity, not ideology. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted how the same Western powers, namely the US and EU, which criticise India,