In today's news, bombs in Canberra, floods carry cars out to sea, hate law rumbles on, lots of fishy headlines, tobacco wars, and a Trump Tower for the Gold Coast, plus more. Stories and pictures by Steven Siewert, Andrew Potts, Paul Weston, Ellen Ransley and Jessica Wang, Chris Vedelago, Megan Gorrey, Paul Sakkal, Max Maddison and Nick Newling, Ronald Mizen and Nicola Smith, Paul Kelly, Sarah Ison, Dennis Shanahan, Zoe de Koning and Mandy Squires, Rachael Dexter, Alexander Darling, Cara Waters and Erin Pearson, Grace Crivellaro, Zac de Silva and Tess Ikonomou, Lucy Arundell and Bageshri Savasachi.

Happy Pongal, Sankranti, and Lohri to everyone celebrating 🌾✨ Since it’s a national holiday, Today’s Ten and Fourth Right are taking a brief pause today. We’ll be back tomorrow with a fresh, compelling mix of media stories worth your time. Until then, enjoy the festivities, the food, and the well-earned break.

WIN News Bendigo will be available to people in the Bendigo TV market as video on demand via 9Now, following catastrophic bushfire damage to the Mt Alexander transmission infrastructure.

In today's news - 'Dealing with death', 'curing a killer', hate laws under the microscope, 'Rushin' Roulette' and a spot of fishing, plus more. Stories by Jessica Wang, James Morrow and Ellen Ransley, Ronald Mizen and Nicola Smith, Paul Sakkal and Mike Foley, James O'Doherty, Jackie Sinnerton, Chris Vedelago and Marta Pascual Juanola, Damon Johnston and Mohammed Alfares, Olivia Jenkins and Mark Buttler, Bronte Gosling, David Swan, and Oliver Lane.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday granted interim relief to a law student–RTI activist and three journalists, staying further investigation in an FIR lodged against them over a social media post questioning the use of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s official helicopter while he was abroad.

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to entertain a defamation claim filed by a journalist over a social media post, observing that the comment in question was extremely mild and advised public figures to develop thicker skin if they choose to be active on platforms like X.

Three journalists working with a vernacular news channel were arrested late Tuesday night for allegedly broadcasting defamatory content against a woman IAS officer, sparking a political row and fresh debate over press freedom in Telangana.

Police intimidation of journalists no longer begins with an FIR, but with a phone call or a “come explain” notice. A recent Madras High Court ruling exposes how informal summons are used to chill reporting without formal charges. As courts push back, the bigger question remains: how many stories are quietly silenced before judges ever step in?

WhistleOut Managing Editor Alex Choros has spoken of the rewarding feeling he experienced when he and fellow WhistleOut scribes Dylan Crismale, Hannah Geremia and Fergus Halliday took out wins at the Consensus IT Writers Awards.

AI has moved far beyond being a background tool. It now sits inside the very systems that shape how people see, hear, and believe the world. Deepfake videos, synthetic voices, and AI-generated anchors are no longer fringe experiments. They circulate daily on social media, research platforms, and discussion spaces like Quora and Reddit. Often, people engage with them without realising they are interacting with manufactured realities. What looks convincing now carries the power to quietly rewrite truth.

As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) heads to polls on 15 January, CNN-News18 launches extensive on-ground election coverage with its special programming, ‘Ballot Maximum City’.

Gaurav Banerjee, Managing Director and CEO of Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), is being widely recognised for his journey from journalism to leading one of India’s largest entertainment networks.

Sky News Australia is enhancing its reporting footprint across Australia and globally, with new journalist appointments and expanded coverage.

"In 2026, good journalism is not defined by how fast it is published or how loud it travels online, but by how honestly it serves the public. That is not just a resolution. It is a quiet declaration of resistance in a world that rewards speed over truth."

Anurag Varma has been appointed chairperson of the advisory wing of the Editors Club of India. The appointment letter was handed over by the club’s president, Amitabh Agnihotri.