The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has asked the state government to step in after Zee Malayalam dismissed 12 journalists without prior notice, a move the union has condemned as an unlawful mass layoff that breaches labour law. According to KUWJ, the affected staff had worked across various departments for several years and were let go as part of a cost-cutting exercise, even though the channel had been performing well. The union has urged the Kerala government to intervene if management does not reverse the decision. Speaking to Influencing, KUWJ President Reji K P said, "We received a verbal complaint that 12 journalists have been asked to leave their jobs. Seeking justice for them, we have urged the Kerala government to look into the matter." One of the affected journalists, speaking on condition of anonymity, said employees were told of the decision during an online meeting. "Two days ago, we were called for an online meeting and informed that we had been removed

  Monday, 29 June 2026 #1  ·  Front Page / National  ·  In-depth feature Many Hangovers Of India Going Dry By Vishwa Mohan   ·   The Times of India  ·  Page 16 With India logging a 43% rainfall deficit and IMD forecasting below-normal monsoon with 60% probability of deficiency, the report examines cascading impacts on Kharif and Rabi crops, rural consumption, hydropower generation, and drinking water supply. It draws on historical El Nino years (2002, 2004, 2009, 2015) to quantify crop losses, flags that 315 districts across 12 states face heightened drought risk, and notes that 166 key reservoirs stand at only 26% of storage capacity. The piece connects IOD neutrality, El Nino persistence, West Asia-driven fertiliser cost pressures, and urban water stress into a unified economic and agrarian risk assessment. The story goes well beyond weather reporting, weaving together IMD probabilistic data, ICAR-IFSR d

An open letter by concerned citizen Rikzing Norbu Dorjee Bhutia, published by Sikkim Times, has sparked a debate on what he described as the rise of "half-told news stories" in today's media. The concern reflects a wider shift in digital journalism, where speed and engagement often take priority over depth and follow-up reporting. Audiences are often told that an incident has taken place, but are not always given enough context on why it happened, how it unfolded or what eventually followed. Journalists say incomplete reporting is not always the result of negligence. Ethical obligations, legal restrictions, privacy concerns and ongoing investigations often prevent reporters from disclosing every available detail immediately. The problem begins when the first report becomes the only version many people ever encounter. Journalist Thennivalan said the race to publish first has changed newsroom priorities. "Today, there is intense competition among television chann

Not long ago, breaking news meant a television anchor cutting to live coverage or a newspaper correspondent filing from the ground. Today, it often arrives as a 60-second Reel, a swipeable carousel or a vertical explainer viewed on a smartphone. India's newsrooms have not simply moved online. They have moved to Instagram, reshaping how journalism is produced, consumed and distributed. As Instagram and short-form video become central to news consumption, media professionals say publishers are adapting their storytelling, hiring practices and business strategies to remain relevant. But they also warn that the pursuit of reach must not come at the cost of credibility. The numbers reflect the shift. According to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025, around 68 per cent of Indian online news users access news through smartphones, while nearly 38 per cent of English-speaking online news users consume news on Instagram every week. For Viswas Dass, Account Director at Seraph

Science misinformation is one of the greatest challenges of our time, according to Refraction Media editor-in-chief Jasmine Fellows. “We are facing an information environment that is so huge and overwhelming, like nothing humans have ever seen before. We're going to have to find new and creative ways to tell what's real from what's not,” she told Influencing.  Freelance science journalist Dyani Lewis believes the question of trust is an important one and can’t be separated from the wider social context.  She also finds that when communicating about science, “We need to be much better at communicating that there is uncertainty in science. That message can change, and that’s a good thing because it means that we are learning more and trusting that readers are smart enough to understand nuance if it's communicated well.”  The pair spoke after the AusSMC Science Misinformation Symposium in Sydney on June 9 and 10, where researchers, journalists, policymakers and techno

The Australian Financial Review will bring across journalists Zoe Samios and Emma Rapaport to join Paul Smith on the tech team. The appointments follow the departures of Tess Bennett and Amelia McGuire. Bennett has made a lifestyle move to North Queensland, while McGuire has joined Joe Aston’s Rampart masthead. Samios (left above), who has been covering the gambling and sports sectors for The Fin, has prior tech-related experience having worked the telecommunications beat at the Sydney Morning Herald prior to shifting to the AFR. She starts this week. Rapaport (right above) is currently a co-editor on Street Talk, which has also seen her report regularly on the technology sector. Prior to working on Street Talk, she was a markets reporter, and prior to that worked as Editorial Manager at Morningstar. She will shift to the tech team in August. The Fin's technology editor, Paul Smith, told Influencing he was looking forward to working with the duo. “Both are fantas