NRI journalist Harjinder Singh Basiala will be honoured with the King’s Service Medal (KSM) in New Zealand’s 2026 New Year Honours List.

Senior journalist S. Krishnarao, 79, passed away at his residence.

Telangana Revenue, Housing and Information & Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has clarified that accreditation cards and media cards for journalists carry the same benefits.

Veteran sports journalist Gouri Shankar Mitra, former secretary of the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club (CSJC), died at a Kolkata hospital on Dec 30, 2025.

In 2025, journalism’s biggest threat wasn’t AI, it was violence. The International Federation of Journalists reports 128 journalists killed and 533 jailed worldwide simply for doing their jobs. Most deaths came from conflict zones, especially Palestine and West Asia, while China led global press imprisonment. From drone strikes in Ukraine to brutal killings in India, the message is stark: journalism isn’t dying of irrelevance. It’s being silenced because it still matters. And in our TODAY'S TEN section, you'll find news exclusives that you really shouldn't miss.

Happy New Year. Today, we’re taking the day off. No column. No hot take. No manufactured urgency. Not because nothing is happening — but because it’s healthy, occasionally, to stop reacting and start thinking. Fourth Right will be back on Friday, Jan 2, with the same intent as always: to slow down the noise, ask uncomfortable questions, and treat journalism as a public service, not a content treadmill. Until then, step away from the scroll. And start the year with a little less outrage and a little more clarity. See you on Friday.

Journalists in Dumka staged a protest against the alleged assault and mistreatment of reporters Mrityunjay Pandey and Nitesh Verma by the officer-in-charge of Hansdiha police station and his driver.

A 35-year-old former journalist was arrested in Bengaluru on Monday for allegedly attempting to extort Rs 15 lakh from three police inspectors following a recent drug seizure by Maharashtra’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force, Bengaluru City Police, and the Narcotics Control Bureau.

As work increasingly moves beyond office walls and into phones, laptops, and late-night notifications, the boundary between professional and personal life is becoming harder to define. In India, long hours, remote work, and an always-connected digital culture have renewed debate around the right to disconnect — the idea that employees should be able to switch off after work hours without fear of consequences.

As 2025 draws to a close, Influencing India looks back at some of the most engaging conversations from our Insider series. Over the year, we spoke to journalists who shared their journeys, newsroom realities, and what it truly takes to be a journalist today. Here are some of those interviews.

Alpha Lead Academy, a Defence Department training centre in Mysuru, organised a workshop on defence journalism to guide reporters on responsible coverage.

Golin MENA has been appointed as the regional PR partner for TOD, the MENA region’s leading sports and entertainment streaming platform owned by beIN MEDIA GROUP, following a competitive pitch.

Across Indian newsrooms, women remain underrepresented in leadership, prime-time panels, and decision-making roles. Pay gaps, safety risks, and structural bias continue to push women out. This isn’t perception. It’s a documented pattern. When half the newsroom lacks authority, journalism’s credibility inadvertantly takes the hit. And in our TODAY'S TEN section, you'll find news exclusives that you really shouldn't miss.

Former BJP minister Jagannath Patil expressed anger towards journalists covering the Kalyan- Dombivli municipal elections, telling them to “turn off their cameras or he would throw them away,” in an incident that has stirred political reactions in the area.