In June 2020, during the first phase of India’s COVID lockdown, journalist Prabhakar Tamilarasu began receiving information about a disturbing incident in the town of Sathankulam in Tamil Nadu. Two men — Jayaraj and his son Benix — had allegedly been detained by police for keeping their shop open beyond permitted hours. Travel restrictions made reporting difficult, and movement across districts was tightly controlled. “When I first got information about the case, it took more than twenty four hours to reach people connected to the victims because travel was difficult during the lockdown,” Tamilarasu recalls. Eventually he managed to speak with friends of the victims who had been outside the police station that night. What they described would stay with him long after the story was published. “The assault reportedly began in the evening and continued until early morning,” he says. Friends waiting outside the station said they could hear the victims’ cries throug

Picture credit: Odisha Bytes The third annual Odisha Women in Media conference was held on Sunday, bringing together women journalists from across the state to celebrate achievements and discuss professional challenges. The event featured a special programme with participants sharing experiences from the media industry. Senior journalist Shantilata Mishra was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her long contribution to journalism. A panel discussion on the health and well‑being of women journalists highlighted the need for greater awareness and support systems for professionals working under pressure. Organisers said the conference fostered dialogue and strengthened solidarity within the media community, Odishatv reported.

Senior journalist Ashok Gulati has been appointed the Uttarakhand State President of the Journalists’ Press Federation. The Federation’s National Executive entrusted Gulati with the responsibility in recognition of his long experience in journalism and his consistent work for the welfare of journalists. The nomination was officially announced by Central Office Incharge Jayant Dutt, with the consent of National Secretary Sarvendra Chauhan and National Executive Member Anand Vikram Singh, Rudrapryag Post reported.  

Image edited by Dinesh Raj M   India's news titans are staring down a digital guillotine and it's not platforms wielding the blade, it's their own addiction to someone else's audience. Kunal Sinha for Maxim India noted that nearly 900 million users are glued to WhatsApp forwards packed with half-baked scoops and 491 million YouTube addicts lapping up rants from bedroom pundits instead of primetime anchors. It appears the audience didn't bail, they just built their own news bazaar with viral reels and carousel posts. If we rewind back to the golden era, newsrooms were the full-stack bosses: they dug up stories shoved them down your throat via Doordarshan or dailies, raked in ad rupees from Fair & Lovely to Fevicol, and whispered what India should think about everything from Mandal riots to Manmohan Singh budgets. No more. That iron has grip snapped.  The Reuters Institute's 2026 Trends report drops the mic: influencers and creators are turboch

Image of the Day  Yamuna froth has turned pink over the last three days. Picture by Arvind Yadav - Hindustan Times    States tighten checks on petrol, diesel and LPG hoarding Rajeev Jayaswal for Hindustan Times reported that the state governments are undertaking enforcement measures to prevent hoarding and black marketing of petrol, diesel and cooking gas, petroleum ministry said on Sunday, adding that several states such as Andhra Pradesh and Bihar have conducted raids to check hoarding and black marketing of gas cylinders. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply continues to be monitored in view of the prevailing geopolitical situation, it said in its daily update. “No reported dry-outs at LPG distributorships,” it said, adding that LPG bookings have shown a decline, with about 7.7 million bookings recorded on March 14 as compared to 8.88 million bookings on March 13. Pink froth blankets Yamuna stretch, raises pollution concerns Paras Singh for Hindustan Times reported

In a meeting aimed at addressing concerns of the media fraternity, Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Thursday held discussions with leaders of the Indian Union of Working Journalists (IUWJ) and the Odisha Union of Working Journalists (OUWJ) at the Secretariat. The delegation raised several key demands, including the implementation of a pension scheme for journalists to ensure financial security, revival and restructuring of the State Accreditation Committee, fair distribution of government advertisements, and a streamlined process for issuing identity cards to journalists. Senior officials present at the meeting included development commissioner and additional chief secretary Deorajan Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary (information and public relations) Hemant Sharma, director Anuj Kumar Das Pattnaik, director (technical) Gurbir Singh and other departmental officers. The journalists’ delegation was led by IUWJ National President Pitabas Mishra, Odisha State President B

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) interacted with a visiting media delegation from Meghalaya during a dinner hosted at his official residence in Gangtok on Wednesday, March 11, where discussions ranged from governance and development to environmental initiatives and tourism. During the informal interaction, Tamang spoke about the state government’s priorities, including sustainable development, environmental conservation and social welfare. He highlighted the “Mero Rukh Mero Santati” initiative, under which 108 trees are planted for every newborn child in the state, symbolically linking the birth of a child with environmental responsibility. The Chief Minister also spoke about the need to encourage childbirth in Sikkim amid a declining Total Fertility Rate, noting that the government has introduced incentives to support families and ensure the well-being of mothers and children. Tamang reiterated the government’s zero tolerance policy against