The Karnataka government is drafting a new law to curb misinformation on social media, proposing jail terms of up to seven years and fines up to Rs 10 lakh for spreading harmful fake news. According to the Hindustan Times, the Karnataka Misinformation and Fake News (Prohibition) Bill, 2025, will apply to content that endangers public health, safety, peace, or the electoral process, including posts from outside the state targeting Karnataka residents. Lesser offences, such as posts that disturb public order or elections, may attract two to five years’ imprisonment and fines. The bill also penalises aiding or abetting the spread of fake news, with provisions for up to two years’ jail. A new Fake News on Social Media Regulatory Authority, chaired by the Kannada and Culture Minister and including lawmakers, social media representatives and a senior IAS officer, will be established to oversee enforcement. “Misinformation” refers to knowingly or recklessly spreading false claim

Image source: CBS, CNBC and India Today; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   The conflict in West Asia took a sharp and dangerous turn on June 23, when Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and Ain al-Assad in Iraq, both housing U.S. forces. The strikes were retaliation for earlier American attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and came just hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Hot off the Press According to The Times of India, the Iranian missiles—fired as part of Operation True Promise 3—targeted U.S. installations with advance warning sent to both Qatar and Washington, helping limit damage and avoid casualties. Still, the symbolic weight of the attack is immense: it was the first direct Iranian strike on U.S. military infrastructure in Qatar, a key strategic ally. The Economic Times reported that Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain and Iraq all shut down their airspace in response. Flights were rerou

Pickr’s Leigh Stark has been busy developing an AI version of renowned science communicator Dr Karl Kruszelnicki answering climate change queries. Stark on stage with Dr Karl, demo the tool at the Seymour Centre at UNSW last month.  Stark demonstrated the tool for Influencing, developed in conjunction with Dr Karl. The digital Dr Karl works via an audio or written prompt input in the tool, with the output a response from Dr Karl explaining why that is, or why a statement might be right or wrong.  “Dr Karl’s idea came from trying to stop people from going down the spiral of not believing in climate change.” Stark told Influencing, “He thought the initial idea could be done on X, but I, a couple of physicists, and some of his former students, talked him out because people on that platform are there to engage for engaging, not engaging to learn.” “Effectively, it's supposed to be as if you were to talk to Dr Karl. You would get his friendly and enthusiastic respon

In an era where clickbait dominates digital media, ex-Fairfax and Nine executive Chris Janz is championing a different approach at Capital Brief and says the advertising-led model for news is fundamentally broken.  Speaking on the Influencing Insider live interview CEO Janz said he believes the traditional ad-led model, creates a vicious cycle that ultimately undermines journalism's credibility. "The advertising model encourages clickbait, which degrades journalism quality and erodes public trust," Janz explains.  "Eventually, this breaks down the entire sector."  Instead, Capital Brief has embraced a subscription-based model that prioritises quality over quantity. This approach has created what Janz calls a "brilliant cycle" - high-quality journalism attracts loyal subscribers, generating revenue that can be reinvested into even better reporting.  While the company still works with commercial partners, particularly those seeking to reach business leaders and young profes

News Australia has unveiled plans for its flagship advocacy initiative, the National Bush Summit, this year focusing on bridging the urban-rural divide and tackling the problems holding back country areas.  The opening address on August 20 will be made by Australia’s richest citizen, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, and Prime Minister Athony Albanese will also speak, though later when the travelling event moves to Ballarat. As in past year’s this year’s National Bush Summit will be supported by a comprehensive editorial campaign across News’ leading mastheads, including The Australian, Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail, The Advertiser, NT News, The Toowoomba Chronicle, The Weekly Times, and AgJournal. In addition, all live events will be broadcast on Sky News Australia. The event, supported by National Presenting Partner Hancock Prospecting and S Kidman, is a national forum bringing together Australia's most influential decision makers and local leaders to a

  The Nightly's Editor-in-Chief, Chris Dore.   Seven West Media’s national digital news brand The Nightly hit a record high in May attracting an audience of more than 3.2 million readers, up 7% from the previous month. Ipsos iris online audience figures for May show a 17% monthly growth in page views, with more than eight million that month alone. Three out of four readers of The Nightly, Australia’s only digital-only newspaper, live on the east coast - even though The Nightly is headquartered a continent away in WA, with the monthly audience in NSW reaching almost one million in May. In the past year, The Nightly’s audience has grown a whopping 73%. The Nightly marked its first anniversary in March. Almost half its audience is in the key 25 to 54 age range, and 55% of its readers are female. The Nightly’s average minutes per person climbing 20%. Editor-in-Chief, Christopher Dore, said: “The Nightly’s rapid rise is a testament to our no-nonsense editorial appr

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has invited applications for two key posts, Member (Finance) and Member (Personnel), on the Prasar Bharati Board. These are full-time roles for a term of six years or until the age of 62, whichever is earlier.  Both positions carry the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary to the Government of India (Level-15 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix). The Finance Member will oversee financial matters, while the Personnel Member will manage HR and administrative functions.  Candidates must have senior-level management experience, with preference given to MBAs in finance or personnel management.   Applications must be submitted by July 12, 2025, via the proper channel, along with the required clearances. More details are available at mib.gov.in under the "Vacancies" section.