Image credit: Deccan Herald The passing of S. Thyagarajan at 85 marks the end of an era in Indian sports journalism. Revered as “Mr Dependable”, he embodied the values of integrity, diligence, and clarity that defined the very best of the profession. Over five decades with The Hindu, Thyagarajan chronicled Indian sport with unmatched depth and precision. From grassroots tournaments to the grand stages of six Olympic Games and nine Asian Games, his reporting carried a distinctive style that brought matches alive for readers. His alliterative flair and measured criticism made him not just a chronicler of events, but a trusted interpreter of the game. Though he wrote across disciplines, hockey was his true canvas. His coverage of the sport earned him respect globally, with the International Hockey Federation and the Asian Hockey Federation recognising his contributions. His leadership roles in the Sports Journalists Federation of India and the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists’ Ass

The Odisha Sports Journalists Association (OSJA) has elected its new office bearers for the 2026–28 term at its Annual General Meeting held in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, March 21. The meeting, held at the Utkal Journalists Association premises, reviewed the income and expenditure for 2025–26 and finalised the work plan for 2026–27. Sandeep Mishra was re-elected unanimously as president. Samikhya Pattnaik was elected working president, while Tapan Kumar Swain and Suresh Kumar Swain were elected general secretary and treasurer respectively. Several other office bearers and executive committee members were also elected. The meeting was chaired by Mishra, with Pattnaik delivering the vote of thanks, Odisha Bytes reported.

The first district conference of the Andhra Pradesh Working Journalists Federation (APWJF) was inaugurated in Tirupati on Sunday by Chandragiri MLA Pulivarthi Nani. Addressing the gathering, he assured that efforts would be made to provide house sites for journalists who do not own homes, The Hans India reported. He said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Minister Nara Lokesh would work towards resolving journalists’ issues. He also flagged concerns over fake news affecting society and media credibility. APWJF leaders demanded a Media Commission and a pension scheme, highlighting challenges posed by AI-generated fake content and the evolving role of journalism.

When US President Donald Trump announced on Monday evening (IST) that talks were on between US and Iran to end the three-weeks-old war, news outlets across the world competed with each other to put out a narrative that suited their audience. Right wing American outlets claimed an outright victory for the United States while Iranian media rejected any such claims and labelled Trump's announcement as "fake news". Israeli media was quick to clarify that bombardment of Tehran continued like any other day while admitting that talks were on between a top Iranian official and Americans. Al Jazeera, easily one of the leading English language outlets (the media organisation has services in multiple languages) in the region claimed that this must be one of Donald Trump's tricks to give the stock markets a temporary reprieve as the week began and decided to "wait and watch". For the digital news consumer, all these strikingly different narratives were just a click

Image of the Day A worker at a domestic gas supply agency loads cylinders on to a vehicle in Bengaluru - Sudhakara Jain -The Hindu   Madurai Sessions Court convicts nine cops in Sathankulam double murder case Kaushik Kannan for The Times of India reported that Nearly six years after a father and son were tortured and killed by police in custody at Sathankulam police station in Tamil Nadu, a sessions court in Madurai has found all nine police personnel accused in the case guilty of double murder. The victims, P Jeyaraj and his son J Beniks, were picked up on June 19, 2020, on charges of having kept their shop open beyond the deadline during the Covid-19 lockdown. They were brutally assaulted by the policemen at night and were lodged in a sub-jail the next day. Beniks died of injuries at a hospital on June 22, 2020, while his father died on June 23. Sentencing is on March 30. Delhi projects 7.9 per cent growth in per capita income for 2025–26 Alok K N Mishra for The Times of

  Press bodies across the country have strongly condemned the sealing of the Delhi office of United News of India (UNI) on March 20, calling it a serious threat to press freedom and democratic functioning. The Press Club of India expressed deep shock over the alleged manhandling of journalists at the UNI premises following a court order related to a land dispute. It condemned the “high-handedness” shown by authorities, noting that journalists, including women, were forcibly removed by personnel of the Delhi Police and central forces and were not allowed to collect their personal belongings. The Club emphasised that the right to work is a constitutional guarantee and urged authorities to take prompt action against those responsible. The Mumbai Press Club also raised serious concerns, citing reports of forcible eviction, alleged manhandling of journalists, and misconduct by police personnel. Allegations of officials being intoxicated on duty and instances of abuse involving pol

Journalists across Himachal Pradesh have voiced strong displeasure over the alleged neglect of their demands in the state budget. Members of the Himachal Pradesh Union of Journalists said that while the budget included announcements for farmers, gardeners, employees, and pensioners, it failed to address long‑pending concerns of the media fraternity. State President Joginder Dev Arya, along with senior union leaders, criticised what they termed the government’s “indifferent attitude” towards journalists. They stressed that the press, as the fourth pillar of democracy, plays a crucial role in bridging the government and the public, making its exclusion from policy considerations concerning. The union warned that continued neglect could have wider implications for democratic functioning and urged the state government to take an early decision on issues concerning the media community to ease growing dissatisfaction, Dainik Tribute reported.