West Bengal Chief Minister condemned the assault on journalists during a protest over alleged NEET irregularities in Kolkata, describing mediapersons as "our asset" and assuring strict action against those responsible. The Chief Minister visited the injured journalists at the state-run SSKM Hospital and directed authorities to ensure they received proper medical treatment.  The attack occurred while journalists were covering a march organised by Left-backed student organisations demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak. Several reporters and camerapersons were injured, including a television journalist who was assaulted while reporting live from Dorina Crossing.   The Kolkata Press Club also condemned the incident, calling the targeting of journalists during protests an "extremely dangerous trend" and demanding action against those responsible.  &n

Upa Lokayukta Justice B. Veerappa urged journalists to uphold ethical values and refrain from resorting to intimidation or "cash for news" practices while gathering stories. Addressing the district-level Press Day programme organised by the District Working Journalists Association in Hosapete, Karnataka, he stressed that journalists should remain committed to truth, even in difficult circumstances, and never compromise their integrity for personal gain. Veerappa also called on media professionals to resist pressure from the powerful and corrupt, describing the pen as a powerful tool to expose wrongdoing. He encouraged journalists to act as watchdogs of society and use their profession to serve the public interest with honesty and courage.     Image credit: Deccan Herald 

The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has directed HT Media Ltd and the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to conclude ongoing settlement talks in their long-running dispute over access to television ratings data.   The tribunal, which heard the matter before Justice Ram Krishna Gautam, posted the case for further hearing on September 11 after both parties informed it that discussions were underway to resolve the nearly nine-year-old dispute out of court.  

Tuesday, 28 July 2026 #1  ·  Front Page / Times City  ·  Breaking news / Legal affairs Supreme Court: Constitution Guarantees Right To Peaceful Protest, Not Violent Agitation By Dhananjay Mahapatra   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page 5 The Supreme Court, led by the CJI, heard cross-petitions covering alleged police brutality on NEET student protesters, attacks on policemen by rioters, and assaults on journalists, declaring it duty-bound to protect the constitutional right to peaceful protest while equally concerned about injuries to police. The bench announced it would formulate mandatory pan-India standard operating protocols governing both protest management and police anti-riot conduct, rejecting an adversarial approach from the government. The Solicitor General assured the court of unbiased cooperation, while the bench underscored that self-restraint is a hallmark of democratic process. Mahapatra ca

  The Cockroach Janta Party called off its Jantar Mantar agitation on July 25, after the Centre agreed to compensate NEET-leak victims' families and withdraw FIRs against protesters. In the fortnight before that, its "Chalo Sansad" demonstrations produced one of the more sustained runs of on-camera attacks on Indian television journalists in recent memory. Influencing India has accessed the Committee to Protect Journalists' civil-disorder advisory, put together to help journalists covering protests be better prepared. A protest rarely turns all at once. It shifts in increments small enough that a reporter mid-shot can miss them: a chant changes register, a police line tightens, someone near the front throws the first thing that isn't a word. By the time the change is obvious, the decisions that would have kept a journalist safe needed to be made already. CPJ's advisory is built on that premise, so most of it isn't about what to do in the moment.

When pitching News Corp’s National Technology Reporter Eilidh Sproul-Mellis, try to pitch exclusives. But not exclusives that are just interviews.  “Give me a sense of how this could drive the agenda,” she said while appearing on Influencing Insider last Thursday.  “Another super helpful thing is knowing whether or not there’s a case study. For example, if it’s about children and families, if you have a case study of a family that's willing to talk and be in photos, make that clear really high because that is a huge plus in your favour.”  As are high-resolution photos.    In addition to those pitching tips, Sproul-Mellis told the audience of PR practitioners to be careful with statistics when pitching her. When asked by an audience member about the formatting of pitches, she advised “keep the pitch itself quite brief”. “If there's other supporting documentation you can put in with it, chuck the PDF, chuck the screenshots in there. If you've got a good c