After over 35 years experience in the media industry as both journalist and PR professional, Djuro Sen has seen it all and knows what’s a good PR pitch.  “Do your homework on the journalist,” Sen told Influencing Insider.  “I appreciate the time, work, and pressure a PR person has to deal with expectations and get coverage for a product. “But what it takes to be a good PR person is a lot of work, and understanding what journalists need. You can’t waste a journalist’s time with expectations of coverage.” Sen provided the insights on Insider last Thursday.  “The first thing is ‘show me the product,’ whether it's a picture or a quick video of something you will be selling, and target it towards what my specialities are, which have increased since [Phil Tann, Senior Journalist] joined. “However, that doesn't stop you from saying, ‘Hey, we've got this. What do you think?’ So that’s the way, because while you should gear your approach to a particul

An innovative and very handy guide on how to set up your own independent, community-focused news outlet has been launched by the Local & Independcent News Association (LINA). The organisation, which counts independent news producers as its core members, says the Starter Kit, “responds to the urgent needs of communities left behind by the collapse of commercial media, and reflects LINA's mission to support a thriving, sustainable ecosystem of independent newsmakers”. From finding the right audience to picking a business model, to launching the whole publication, the kit takes you from start to finish. Sections are comprehensive and really do cover everything you need to know.  Areas covered include:   Why start a newsroom? Who is the audience? Choosing a business model How to fund your newsroom Content and distribution Defining your editorial approach Responsible reporting and governance Smart content distribution Content sourcing and syndication Newsletters

          Above, top row from left: Mridula Amin, Lucas Baird, William Davis, Julian Fell. Bottom row, from left: Erin Parke, Krista Schade, Sarah Sharples. (Photos: supplied)   Seven Australian journalists have been selected to take part in the inaugural Masters & McKenzie Investigative Journalism Fellowship. The program was launched in 2025, named for multi-Walkley Award-winning investigative journalists Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie, who were recognised in 2023 with the Walkley Honour For Media Freedom for their ongoing investigative stories about Ben Roberts-Smith across more than six years. The Fellowship is supported by the Walkley Public Fund and proudly supported by the Dennoch Fund, a sub-fund of the Australian Communities Foundation.  The seven journalists who will attend a two-day workshop in Sydney in July, featuring Chris Masters, Nick McKenzie and a host of other investigative journalism talent are, in alphabetical order: Mridula Amin, Freelance,

  Victims of gender-based violence will come face-to-face with key figures in policy, law enforcement and the judiciary on a special hour-long edition of A Current Affair this evening on Channel 9 and 9Now. The forum aims to ignite honest conversations with the shared hope of saving lives, said Nine. Hosted by Ally Langdon, the program will feature Tanya Plibersek, Federal Social Services Minister, who will discuss the Albanese government's initiatives to support victims and share her own experiences within the system. Also appearing will be Sue and Lloyd Clarke, who tragically lost their daughter Hannah and her three children to an horrific act of violence. Their story is also told in the 9Podcast Hannah's Story. Lee Little, joined by her son Bronson and daughter-in-law Lauren, whose daughter Alicia was a victim of an horrific act of violence at the hands of her partner, leaving behind four children, will also be on the show. Acting NSW Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell will

Well known TV and radio broadcaster Deborah Knight is set to take on a full time television role in Nine’s news division, following her decision to step away from her radio role. Nine has confirmed Knight will present the national Nine News morning bulletin at 11:30am each weekday, as well as presenting the daily Sydney afternoon bulletin. She will continue to host A Current Affair on Saturday nights,  Yesterday it was reported Knight would be stepping away from her radio role at Nine’s 2GB, where she hosted the nightly Money News program.  Knight said she was “incredibly excited to be stepping back into a full-time television role”. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to be part of the daily news cycle and connect with viewers during these important bulletins.” Greg Byrnes, Nine Radio boss said she has been “an integral part of the 2GB on-air team since 2020”. “Nationally, the Money News program with Deb as host, has recorded some of its best ratings on record

Paramount-owned Network 10 has had one of its most successful first half of the year results with its streaming service having its biggest year ever, up 16% year-on-year. Rod Prosser, Chief Sales Officer, Paramount Australia, pointed out this morning that news viewership was dramatically up, which is good news for the broadcaster given they have decided to concentrate more on news with the launch of  10 News+.  “10 News is also up across all bulletins and platforms, and we’ve just launched 10 News+ giving audiences even more in-depth news, current affairs and insights,” said Prosser. Here are the highlights: 10 linear and streaming has reached 22.5 million viewers so far in 2025. 10 linear and streaming reaches 15 million Australians every month. 10 has eight of the top 15 regular programs in 16 to 39s. 10 has seven of the top 15 regular programs in 25 to 54s. Sam Pang Tonight: 10’s biggest new show launch since 2022. 10 News: Total TV audience

Kulp.AI, an AI-first development platform enabling non-coders to build full-stack applications using natural language prompts, has partnered with Team Pumpkin, a full-service digital agency, to lead its performance marketing efforts across India.  As part of the mandate, Team Pumpkin will manage Kulp.AI’s performance marketing stack,including paid media planning, campaign execution, audience targeting, and conversion optimisation, across key digital channels. The agency aims to scale user acquisition and deepen engagement among developers, startups, and no-code innovators.  Founded with the vision to democratise software creation, Kulp.AI allows users to build, run, and deploy real applications in the browser using simple English prompts and proprietary LLM architecture.  Atharv Kulkarni, representing Kulp.AI, said, “We’re excited to team up with Team Pumpkin as we expand across India. Their data-first approach makes them the ideal partner for our next growth pha