Morning and welcome to Wednesday.  They say there are several stages of grief and that's playing out in real time in our dailies following the Bondi massacre, with recriminations starting to flow, both from some of the bereaved and also from writers and even ex-Prime Minister John Howard who at age 86 has come out swinging, saying Anthony Albanese needs to do more.  Let's start with The Sydney Morning Herald which has an excellent picture by Jessica Hromas taken in Bondi yesterday of heavily armed police and their kitted-out vehicles which the SMH uses big on the front page and leads to an analysis piece by chief reporter Jordan Baker - she takes over the Herald's editor's chair next year. The question in a piece which straddles pages 4 and 5 is, as the headline says, 'Where was the back-up in Bondi?' It's a very balanced story, with quotes from senior officers pointing out, for example, that general duties police - the ones first on th

  A two-day All India Media Meet of media employees’ unions concluded on Monday, December 15, with newspaper and news agency workers from across the country deliberating on the future of print journalism and the challenges faced by its workforce. According to The Tribune, at the meeting, the unions resolved to demand the constitution of a new wage board to ensure fair pay for newspaper and news agency employees. They also decided to oppose the four labour codes, stating that the proposed laws could dilute workers’ rights. The meet, hosted by The Tribune Employees Union, was held under the theme “Why Print Media Will Always Be Relevant”, highlighting the continued importance of newspapers in the digital age. Addressing the gathering, Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri praised The Tribune for its independent and non-sensational journalism. He said that while many newspapers were witnessing increasing corporatisation, The Tribune had retained its unbias

The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim bail to journalist Mahesh Langa in a money laundering case linked to allegations of fraud against him. A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India directed the Special Court handling the case to conduct the trial on a day to day basis. The court asked both Langa and the Enforcement Directorate to cooperate fully and made it clear that no adjournments should be sought during the trial. In its order, the Supreme Court said Langa and his lawyer must assist the Special Court at all stages. The court noted that the Gujarat High Court has not stayed the trial, and therefore the proceedings must continue without delay. The court also placed a restriction on Langa, asking him not to publish or write any articles, in his role as an Assistant Editor, on the allegations that are currently being heard by the Special Judge in Ahmedabad. At the same time, the court said Langa is free to raise all legal arguments, objections and defence points before

Image source: Punjab Kesari, India Today and Odisha Connect; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   India’s flagship rural jobs programme is on the brink of its biggest rewrite in two decades. The Centre is preparing to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and replace it with a new framework that promises more workdays on paper but tighter controls in practice. The proposed shift touches the core of rural welfare: who pays, when work is available, and who decides how much employment a State can actually offer. Hot off the Press Reporting for The Times of India, Subodh Ghildiyal and Dipak Dash say the new law — the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 — will raise guaranteed work from 100 to 125 days, but fundamentally alter the scheme’s DNA. Unlike MGNREGA’s demand-driven model, the new programme will run on fixed, “normative” allocations decided by the Centre. States crossing tha

  As winter tightens its grip on Jammu, most families in the Narwal area are staying indoors to escape the cold. But journalist Arfaz Ahmad Daing and his family are living in a tent, struggling for survival and justice after their home was demolished by the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) last month. The house, where seven members of the Daing family lived, was demolished on November 27, 2025. The family says the action was sudden and carried out without any prior notice or legal process. Arfaz’s father, 70-year-old Ghulam Qadir Daing, has accused JDA officials and police personnel of demolishing the house illegally. In a written complaint, he has asked the Jammu police to register an FIR for criminal trespass, intimidation and misuse of power. With no action taken so far, the family has announced that they will begin a hunger strike from December 22 if their demands continue to be ignored. While the elected government has blamed the lieutenant governor’s admin

CRN Australia is introducing Channel Chiefs in 2026 - the first such event in Australia under masthead owners The Channel Company - with applications now open for executives until January 30.  CRN Channel Chiefs will celebrate those executives setting the tone for partner success in the channel, according to CRN Australia Editor Athina Mallis.  “We're recognising the top vendor and distribution executives who are driving partner strategy and growth,” Mallis told Influencing.  “We're looking at an individual executive, and we're asking, ‘What have you done for the past 12 months within the channel that makes you worthy of being a channel chief?’ It's not a pay-to-play model to get on a list.” The concept began with CRN’s US publication a decade ago, and following The Channel Company taking back ownership of the CRN Australia title in April, Mallis said the launch of the CRN Channel Chiefs was a part of its re-launch editorial strategy.   “We’ve launched it

A new survey of Australian independent news publishers - mostly local and regional newspapers and outlets - has revealed a sector defined by deep structural challenges, as well as strong signs of growth, innovation and resilience.  The Local & Independent News Association’s annual membership survey covered 77 publishers that collectively operate 139 news services, with more than a quarter of publishers (27%) running multiple newsrooms or mastheads. LINA's Claire Stuchbery. One third (34%) of publishers identified their news organisation’s future as being uncertain or at-risk. However, key indicators of sustainability, including median revenue and average number of employed staff, increased in 2025 compared to previous years. Fewer publishers identified as being in the “emerging” stage, with more identifying as being in phases of business growth or maturity.  LINA Executive Director Claire Stuchbery said the respondents represented a new c