WAN-IFRA has announced the winners of the Digital Media Awards South Asia 2025, with BBC, The Quint and The Hindu Group taking top honours across key categories. BBC bagged gold for ‘Best Data Visualisation’ with its project on Pakistan’s javelin thrower, while The Quint secured gold for ‘Best News Website’ and for its scam awareness series ‘Scamguard’ under ‘Best Fact-Checking Project’. The Hindu Group won multiple awards, including gold for ‘Best Use of Video’ with its “Made of Chennai” series and gold for its podcast ‘In Focus’. The awards, which recognise excellence in digital journalism, audience engagement, and innovation, received over 100 entries from across South Asia. Winners were selected by a jury of editors and digital media experts, and gold winners will now compete at the World Digital Media Awards. Other winners included Deutsche Welle, HT Labs, Sakal, NDTV, Pluc, and The Daily Star. Trophies will be presented at the Digital Media I

The Association of Indian Magazines (AIM), a collective representing 40 publishers nationwide, recently met with Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Information and Broadcasting.   According to e4m, the members insisted that the government safeguard the interests of the magazine industry, which is threatened by some regulatory and logistical issues. The members of AIM submitted a memorandum on April 17, flagging key challenges, including ambiguous classifications under new legislation and disruptions in traditional distribution channels.    AIM raised concerns about the Press and Registration of Periodicals (PRP) Act, which was enacted in 2023. The act introduces various categories for “newspapers” and “periodicals,” distinct from the Press and Registration of Books Act of 1867, which included magazines within newspapers.    Anant Nath, President of AIM, executive publisher of Delhi Press, and editor of The Caravan, underscored the policy confusions regarding the

Altair Media has been appointed as the official public relations partner for the 72nd Miss World Festival, scheduled to take place in Telangana from May 7 to 31, 2025. Organised by Miss World Limited, the event will feature contestants from over 140 countries and is expected to spotlight Telangana’s cultural heritage, tourism, and economic strengths. The festival will also focus on the state’s advancements in healthcare, eco-tourism, and entertainment. Julia Morley, Chairman of Miss World Limited, commended Altair Media for its “professional handling” of the recent press conference in Telangana. Ashwani Shukla, Founder of Altair Media, said, “We’re proud to lead the communication for this landmark event, which will put Telangana on the global map.”

At least 28 tourists were killed and many wounded Tuesday when terrorists opened fire in a picturesque meadow near the resort town of Pahalgam in J&K, marking the deadliest attack since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The Resistance Front, a proxy of ISI-backed LeT, claimed responsibility. Hot Off the Press This was the deadliest attack on tourists since militancy began in Kashmir in the 1990s, wrote Naseer Ganai for The Times of India. The attack coincided with US Vice-President J D Vance’s four-day visit to India and PM Narendra Modi’s ar rival in Saudi Arabia for strengthening bilateral engagement with the influential Islamic country. Equally significantly, it followed a bellicose speech of Asim Munir, chief of the Pakistan army, the mainstay of terrorists. Mir Ehsan and Neeraj Chauhan for Hindustan Times reported eyewitneses recounting the horror. Some of them claimed that the victims were lined up, asked their names and faith, and to recite an Islamic vers

  Steve Jackson is returning to The Australian, joining the newsroom as a media writer after a stint at the Mail Online. He will start on May 12. Jackson previously contributed to The Australian as NSW Chief Reporter. He returns to the masthead with a sharp eye for behind-the-scenes intrigue, sharp commentary, and a flair for breaking stories at the intersection of media and politics. In his new role, Jackson will take over the paper’s influential weekly Media Diary column. He replaces Media Editor James Madden on Diary, who has been anchoring the column while Nick Tabakoff is on leave. Madden will continue to edit the Media section. Jackson was previously Head of News across The Daily and Sunday Telegraph, Chief of Staff at 60 Minutes, and Supervising Producer at Seven’s Spotlight, as well as The Australian’s NSW Editor. In London, he worked on the features desk of The Daily Mirror, and sports desk at the Guardian and The Sunday Times. Jackson’s appointment strengthe

     There’s an indescribable comfort in the world of stories—where people, creatures, and words quietly come alive. Once drawn in, you realise the stories never really end. How do thoughts find their way onto a page? And how does a reader find meaning in them, like morning light slipping through a curtain to gently warm the skin? It’s in that still moment—stumbling upon a sentence that lingers—that you glimpse the calm clarity of the writer’s mind. As the world marks World Book and Copyright Day, authors and readers across India are revisiting the value of storytelling in a time dominated by screens and scrolls. Influencing India spoke to a few authors and journalists to understand what keeps them engaged with books in the world of Instagram reels and podcasts. Padmaja, an independent journalist and founder of the Guindy Reading Circle, shared how her reading habit waned in adulthood but returned through community. “I wanted to be part of a community of readers.

  Lucy Zelic - picture by Nathan Smith.   Award-winning broadcaster Lucy Zelic will be writing a regular column for The Daily Telegraph in what she says is “a real honour”. A story in the Tele written by Holly Truelove, reveals that for the majority of her career, Ms Zelic has been a sports reporter, appearing on radio stations, hosting podcasts and presenting on national television. But in recent years, the mum of two has transitioned into political commentary. “It’s something that I’ve become more cognisant of - what world are (my kids) growing up in and what does that word look like - and it all starts with politics, right?” “I can see just how challenging and how volatile a space it is, but we need people operating within this space to be able to call people to account ... (and) contribute to the narrative in a more common sense way,” Ms Zelic said. She revealed that foreign aid, equality in sport and citizenship issues are among the topics her columns