With the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance sweeping Maharashtra polls decisively and the BJP securing 132 of the 288-seat assembly on its own, the question of who would lead the alliance has occupied prominent front page space in all leading publications with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis emerging as the front runners. "Shinde would have been a shoo-in as CM had the poll results thrown up a modest majority for Mahayuti, but the scale of BJP’s performance has transformed the party’s outlook. It would like to leverage the numbers it has to anoint Fadnavis as CM as it believes he scripted the big win after playing second fiddle to Shinde for 2.5 years as deputy CM," wrote Akhilesh Singh for The Times of India. He pointed out that the BJP’s brass is reportedly pushing for a change while acknowledging Shinde’s leadership, the success of his Ladki Bahin initiative and his persona as a man of action. But it believes the win has equally been that of Hindut

Sarah Sharples has been appointed to lead News.com.au’s newly established investigative reporting team, marking a significant step in her accomplished journalism career.  Sharples announced the move on LinkedIn. She wrote that she was happy to start a new position as Investigations Editor at news.com.au. She brings extensive experience in impactful storytelling across global platforms, including News Corp Australia. Joining her in the new unit is Alex Turner-Cohen, who is known for hosting The Missing $49 Million podcast and recently returned from covering the US elections.  Turner-Cohen expressed excitement about working under Sharples’ leadership, stating that the opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking investigative journalism is inspiring.  

Sports Entertainment Network has announced its updated programming lineup for 2025, confirming several key changes for its Melbourne station SEN 1116am, according to Radio Today.  Garry Lyon and Tim Watson will continue their popular Breakfast show on SEN 1116am, Tuesdays to Thursdays, with Tim returning for his 20th year at SEN despite retiring from television. Watson was excited to remain part of the Melbourne media scene while Garry emphasised the show’s bold takes on AFL issues. Kane Cornes and David King will expand their roles on SEN Breakfast with their new segment, Fireball with Kane & Kingy, airing on Mondays and Fridays. Kingy expressed excitement to engage with listeners and offer analysis of weekend AFL action. Nathan Buckley will increase his involvement with Whateley joining Gerard Whateley for The Monday Means Test and regular Wednesday appearances. Whateley praised Buckley’s sharp insights and expertise, which he believes will provide meaningful analysis o

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has launched a revamped portal, India Cine Hub (ICH), for producers and directors, to obtain permissions for filming in India. Set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, ICH acts as a “single window clearance and facilitation point” for producers and production companies, assisting them in obtaining filming permissions. The ICH is managed by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), a central Public-Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and operated by Invest India, the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency. It works closely with State Governments and disseminates information on shooting locations and facilities available within the Indian film industry for production/post-production. The filmmakers should register and fill out the application form in the portal along with the supporting documents, including the details of shooting locations, the period of sho

ABP Network has reinforced its dominance in the latest Comscore rankings, emerging as a key player in India’s digital media landscape, according to NTmedia. The network secured the #2 spot on the Comscore VMX leaderboard for September 2024, reaching 122 million users and surpassing competitors like India Today Group, Zee Digital, and Times Network. On the Comscore MMX leaderboard for October 2024, ABP Network ranked 6th with 97.8 million visitors, ahead of NDTV and Times Network. Its regional channels also performed exceptionally well, highlighting the network's broad audience appeal. ABP Ananda led video engagement in the Bengali market with 285 million video views in September. “This remarkable achievement not only solidifies its position as the #1 choice among Bengali publishers but also highlights its consistent audience appeal,” BMI reported. In the Marathi market, ABP Majha claimed the top position with a reach of 18 million viewers and 270 million video views. The ne

CHOICE’s Jarni Blakkarly says the investigation that sparked last week’s published findings from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner regarding Bunnings’ use of facial recognition technology can be traced back to a lead provided by a CHOICE reader.  Appearing on Influencing’s Insider show last Thursday, Blakkarly said, “That tip-off prompted us to do a broad-ranging investigation into the retail sector to try and find out where this was being used. In July 2022, we published our investigation, which found that Kmart, Bunnings, and the Good Guys were all using facial recognition technology in stores.” Having worked at CHOICE as an investigative journalist for the last four years, Blakkarly covers stories within consumer affairs. He says he’s “always really wanted to do stories that make a big difference.” “I think what highlights [a story] and makes it really hit home for people is that human interest. That always hits hard when you've got a

Saumya Rastogi, assistant manager at Little Black Book, seamlessly blends creativity with journalism, bringing untold stories to life. With a passion for social causes, culture, and lifestyle, Saumya continues to amplify voices often left unheard, and is a firm believer in journalism’s irreplaceable human touch. 1) How did you get started in journalism? Many don’t know but I was pursuing my BA LLB, so I was doing law from a college. I dropped out and took a gap year in which I pursued creative writing classes and volunteered for a lot of organisations. I realised that I really enjoyed writing especially for social causes, so I decided that I will do my degree in Mass Communication from Delhi University. I did a lot of internships in journalism and worked for She the People, Youth Ki Awaaz and other organisations. So, after that I did my Masters in Journalism from Boston University and I worked in the US. Coming back to India, I worked for organisations like Jagan New Media, Ind