Wilton leaves CommsDay after 11 years
By Craig Daveson in Media News on Friday, 07th December 2018 at 12:37pmDecisive Publishing announced in today’s CommsDay newsletter that group editorial director Petroc Wilton is leaving the company.
Wilton has been a fixture within the CommsDay newsletter and wider telco community for 11 years, and founder Grahame Lynch wrote in today’s edition: “For many people, Petroc was the face, heart and soul of CommsDay."“He will definitely be missed, but we are also proud that he will employ his considerable talents to publicising efforts to resolve one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises."
“All of us at CommsDay extend our best wishes and goodwill to him.”
In his new role, Wilton has been named as a communications officer for the United Nations in Uganda, where he will work...
To continue reading this article...
More Influencing|Tech
Upfront: Blue wave shocker, DJs on brink, Rate-rise blame game.
By Staff Writers in Media News on Thursday, 05th November 2026 at 6:02am
US voters deliver a “blue wave”, stripping Trump of Congress
Democrats have seized control of both the House and Senate in a sweeping midterm backlash against Donald Trump, setting up two years of intensified oversight and legislative gridlock. Australian papers frame it as a major rebuke that reshapes global politics and markets, with some also arguing it marks the beginning of the end for the MAGA era. Covered by: Australian Financial Review, The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Advertiser, The Australian, The Australian.
David Jones on the brink as landlord talks collapse
David Jones is expected to enter voluntary administration after rescue negotiations with major landlords broke down, raising fears of store closures, job losses and a fresh hit to already-stressed retail property rents. Coverage highlights both the hard commercial reality—rent arrears and restructuring—and the cultural sting of a potential fall for one of Australia’s
Veteran football journalist Bhasi Malaparamba passes away at 85
By Staff Writer in Media News on Wednesday, 04th November 2026 at 8:16pm
Veteran football journalist, author and former footballer Bhasi Malaparamba died at his residence in Kozhikode, Kerala, on Tuesday. He was 85.
Malaparamba reported from eight FIFA World Cups, covering every tournament from Spain in 1982 to Brazil in 2014 for Malayalam readers. Over the course of his career, he chronicled some of football's most memorable moments, including Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal in 1986 and Zinedine Zidane's headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final.
A former football player, he captained Kozhikode's Young Challengers Club and participated in several editions of the Sait Nagjee Football Tournament. He also met Brazilian legend Pelé and interviewed international football stars such as Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, and Peter Shilton.
Alongside his journalism career, Malaparamba served as a civil engineer in the Public Works Department. He authored several books, including Jogo Bonito and Manasukkal Sagaramgal,
Court seeks action-taken report on journalist's sexual assault complaint
By Staff Writer in Media News on Wednesday, 04th November 2026 at 7:59pm
A Delhi court has sought an action-taken report from the police on a complaint by an independent journalist seeking registration of an FIR over allegations of sexual assault against Vivek Bhagat, an ACP with the Delhi Police.
Judicial Magistrate Kautuk Bhardwaj directed the Parliament Street police station to submit a report on the action taken and ordered the preservation of CCTV footage and other digital evidence, including body-camera recordings. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on December 1.
The journalist, identified as Rosy, has alleged that Bhagat touched her inappropriately while she was recording the detention of an activist during a protest in Delhi. Bhagat has denied the allegations.
The complaint had triggered protests by journalists demanding an FIR against the ACP, during which eight journalists were detained.
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta’s website restored after Hostinger takedown
By Staff Writer in Media News on Wednesday, 04th November 2026 at 4:18pm
Veteran journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta’s website, paranjoy.in, has been restored to its original form after his web hosting provider, Hostinger, took it offline on October 28, triggering concerns over censorship and press freedom.
“Surprise! Surprise! My website - paranjoy.in - has been restored to its original form. What happened Hostinger?” Thakurta posted on X.
The journalist had alleged that Hostinger suspended his entire hosting account without prior notice, removing his 12-year-old website and associated subdomains, which contained decades of his journalistic work, books, documentary films and investigative reports.
In a public statement dated October 31, the Digital News Publishers Association of India (DIGIPUB News India Foundation) condemned the takedown, describing it as an instance of “backdoor censorship by a private intermediary, outside any courtroom.”
The controversy followed an October 24 ex parte interim injunction obtained
TODAY’S TEN: Punjab farmers burn stubble after dusk to evade satellites, 842-crore Delhi health scam exposes shell firms
By Staff Writer in Media News on Wednesday, 04th November 2026 at 4:16pm
Wednesday, 4 November 2026
#1 · Times City · Ground report / Investigative
Fires Are Down In Punjab, But Most Being Lit At Dusk
By Amit Bhattacharya · The Times of India, New Delhi · Page Page 12
A TOI reporter conducted a three-day ground tour across multiple Punjab districts and found that farmers, farm union representatives, and agriculture department officials have learned to set stubble fires in the evening to evade satellite detection, since polar-orbiting satellites used by Indian agencies have a 12-hour observation gap. The reporting reveals that village sarpanches are actively advising farmers to burn quietly after dusk, and that reduced official presence in evening hours further enables the practice.
Rare, genuine field reporting — the reporter physically toured multiple districts over three days, obtained named and anonymous on-record sources at multiple levels, and uncovered a specifi
‘Predictably’ back on RSF’s list, OpIndia turns the spotlight on watchdog’s funders
By Meena R. Prashant in Media News on Wednesday, 04th November 2026 at 4:05pm
OpIndia has accused Reporters Without Borders (RSF) of serving Western geopolitical interests, a day after the Paris-based watchdog named the website a “press freedom predator” for the second consecutive year.
In an article published on its website, OpIndia described RSF as “Ford Foundation-funded” and that it received substantial backing from Western governments. The publication also alluded that it had “predictably” made the cut again, alongside the Adani Group.
“RSF receives substantial backing from Western governments and quasi-governmental democracy promotion organisations, according to its public statements and independent investigations. Large US foundations like the Ford Foundation, which has a lengthy and contentious history of supporting political action and lobbying in India, including organisations later charged with financial irregularities and anti-India campaigns, are also connected to RSF,” the OpIndia
Is this a Pith-take? The Perth startup paying journos per read
By Nigel Bowen in Media News on Thursday, 05th November 2026 at 7:30am
A few hours after Pith News went live on Tuesday morning, co-founder Laura Whiddon was running on minimal sleep and watching the counters tick over on her website. When Influencing rang, 122 people were on her site, and some contributing writers had already started earning money.
“It’s still a nominal amount,” Whiddon was quick to add. “But it’s very fulfilling.”
Pith News, which Whiddon co-founded with The Australian Mining Review’s Leah Clemenger, gives away the basics and charges for perspective. Readers get free bullet-point fact cards on the day’s news. To read analysis or opinion from the platform’s independent journalists, they spend credits from a monthly subscription.
Pith News aims to tackle two problems at once. First, young Australians have tuned out of the legacy media. Second, journalists are looking for other ways to get paid as traditional revenue streams continue to dry up.
From disengaged reader to en
Media news latest
In Front Page News Today: Democrats seize Congress from Trump; David Jones landlord talks collapse; Albanese flags spending cuts amid inflation. ... Show more
Newly appointed That’s Life content producer Samantha Elliott says she would love to hear from PRs with case study-led, point-of-interest stories.
... Show more
In Front Page News Today: Rates hit 18-year high; Chalmers flags budget cuts; David Jones collapse fears. ... Show more
Marcoms news latest
Anna Farrera departs Pead; Ella Werman lands at Wilson Parking