Anurag Varma has been appointed chairperson of the advisory wing of the Editors Club of India. The appointment letter was handed over by the club’s president, Amitabh Agnihotri. According to Indian Television, in his new role, Varma will focus on safeguarding the dignity, rights and independence of journalists across the country. A media professional with nearly three decades of experience, Varma has worked across television and digital platforms, including Zee TV, DD News, Reliance Communications, Times Digital and Zee Digital. He is currently a media consultant and a regular political analyst on news channels.

The Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) has quashed a police notice issued to journalist Vimal Chinnappan, ruling that the police had no authority to summon or question him without a registered criminal case, Law Beat reported. Justice Sunder Mohan delivered the order on a criminal original petition filed under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The notice, issued in October 2025 by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Srivilliputhur Sub Division, had asked Chinnappan to respond to questions about an article allegedly containing defamatory statements against the police. The notice referenced a 2023 case under the IPC and the SC/ST (PoA) Act, but the court observed that the investigation in that matter had already concluded and Chinnappan was not involved. Chinnappan argued that the notice failed to clarify whether he was being summoned as a witness, suspect, or accused, and that police could not summon him without registering a separate case. The State government conceded

  The Odisha government has taken a major step to strengthen the social security and working conditions of journalists in the state. Announcing the initiatives at a gathering organised by the Odisha Union of Journalists (OUJ) on Friday, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said the state is in the final stages of implementing a dedicated pension scheme for media professionals. Acknowledging that a pension has long been a demand of the media fraternity, Harichandan said the proposal is now in its “final phase” and will soon be formalized, promising long-term financial security for journalists. The government also outlined several other benefits for journalists: • Legal Safeguards – Measures are being explored to help journalists work with greater safety and independence. • Reduced Accommodation Costs – Room rents at Works Department inspection bungalows will drop from Rs 900 to Rs 300 per day, easing the burden on reporters on field assignments. • Revival of Accredi

SXSW Sydney has confirmed it will not return in 2026, with organisers saying the event will formally conclude its run. In a statement issued by TEG, the decision was attributed to a shifting global environment affecting major events, festivals, and cultural programs worldwide. “SXSW Sydney worked closely with the NSW Government and SXSW’s global owners, Penske Media Corporation, to explore potential pathways forward for the event; however, prevailing market conditions mean the Sydney edition will not be going ahead at this time,” the statement reads. “Between 2023 and 2025, SXSW Sydney generated an estimated $276 million in total economic impact. The event attracted more than 63,000 out-of-region attendees and recorded a 35% year-on-year growth in international visitation between 2024 and 2025. In 2025 alone, the event attracted a total attendance of more than 345,000, representing a 15% year-on-year increase.”

Welcome to Wednesday and let's start with a couple of the tabloids this morning because while there are several stories across the media today about the recall of parliament to discuss hate speech and legislation to try and deal with it following the Bondi massacre, The Daily Telegraph adds significant colour by honing in on people and their connection to the attack - because as we all know, people make a story.  The Tele's front page is a classic, with two great exclusives, the main one by Ryan Keen ('BEACH MASSACRE - ONE MONTH ON') who got to talk to "reluctant hero" Michael Jenkinson a Bondi lifesaver and the first person with emergency medical training to arrive on the scene as the shooting was underway. There's a big picture of the man and it's an excellent story full of emotion and power. Second exclusive - an interview with Premier Chris Minns - is by James O'Doherty where Minns talks candidly about the impact

For several years now, journalists, especially those in digital news desks, have been misled into believing good writing is one that's SEO friendly. Repeating keywords again and again in multiple paragraphs, giving bland headlines to suit SEO guidelines, and deciding the length of a piece based on what Google considers as appropriate have become the qualifications for a good 'desk hand' even as we all knew they were just hacks.  Thanks to the recent Google Core Updates, the last one came in December 2025, that myth appears to have been broken as the SEO algorithms have changed again plunging the rankings of several news websites for reasons best known only to Google. We all know Search engine optimization (SEO) is an activity that deals with optimising web pages, or websites to make them search engine friendly, with an aim to get better website traffic. But then, does getting more eyeballs on an article mean people are actually reading the piece and making sense o

The recent ARN Innovation Awards were spearheaded by one major “mic-drop” moment, according to Foundry Editorial Director Cathy O’Sullivan.  “John Walters, who is the group CEO for NextGen, took the opportunity in front of the channel community to announce his retirement, which is obviously a massive moment for John personally and his family, but also for the wider industry,” O’Sullivan told Influencing.   “NextGen group was acquired by Exclusive Networks, and John has decided that now is the time to retire. He also announced his successor on the night, Wendy O’Keefe.”  It was one of many standout moments on the night that included 43 winners picked out of 320 finalists - another of those moments being two Hall of Fame appointments.  “We had Seccom Global’s Michael and Marianne Demery inducted into our Hall of Fame for 2025. They’re an outstanding couple who have created and driven Seccom into the business that it is today.”  The awards are bigge