Senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan, Anusha Ravi Sood, Krishna Prasad and K Srinivas discussed the challenges facing Indian journalism at the Book Brahma Literature Festival in Bengaluru on August 23.   At the session titled Truth Under Pressure: Journalism, Democracy and the Public Mind, they highlighted how the race for clicks, political and business pressures, financial constraints and changing audience habits are affecting newsrooms.  The panel stressed that the growing speed of digital news has often come at the cost of verification, context and editorial independence. Varadarajan said media organisations were becoming increasingly risk-averse, while Prasad criticised editors for losing the courage to question those in power. Srinivas highlighted the pressures faced by regional newsrooms and journalists.  The discussion also focused on short-form content and whether journalism can compete with reels and entertai

Wednesday, 26 August 2026 #1  ·  Front Page  ·  Breaking news Def min okays DRDO missile tech transfer to pvt domestic industry By Surendra Singh   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page 1 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the transfer of DRDO-developed conventional missile technologies — including Akash, Nag, VSHORADS, Astra and Rudram systems — to Indian private-sector companies for domestic production. The story quotes a defence ministry source explaining the supply-chain rationale behind the decision: ensuring missile availability is not disrupted during a conflict, and expanding beyond existing PSU and private partners like L&T, Tata Advanced Systems, Bharat Forge and Adani Defence. The move is framed as a structural shift to reduce import dependence and boost domestic defence manufacturing value addition. The story goes beyond the ministry press release by obtaining an on-back

Every school day, a small newsroom comes to life at PM Shri Government Senior Secondary School in Raholi, Rajasthan. Teacher and co-editor Pooja Patidar sits down with student reporters Aabiti Saini, Sona Meena, Komal Kanwar Rajawat, Payal Sain, Vipin Batam and Nitesh Chanwla to discuss what they will cover. The students report, write, photograph and edit stories for two publications: the Hindi-language Raholi Shiksha Samachar and its English counterpart, Raholi Education Times. “This is their routine almost every school working day,” said Dr Yogendra Singh Naruka, the school principal and editor of the publications. Launched in 2024, the initiative gives students from Classes 10 to 12 practical experience of running a newsroom. While the publications are now primarily distributed digitally, the school has also produced print editions. The idea grew partly from Naruka's own experience with journalism. Before becoming a full-time teacher, he spent three to four years freelanc

Six media professionals will be honoured with the Indian Journalism Award and Odisha Journalism Award 2026 at a ceremony in New Delhi on September 6. The awards will be presented at the India International Centre by the Pallibani Mission, which recognises contributions to literature, culture and quality journalism.  According to Pragativadi, the Indian Journalism Award recipients are Akrur Srivastava, Chief Editor, Navodaya Times; Richa Aniruddh, Producer and Presenter, Zindagi with Richa; and Aditya Raj Kaul, Editor (Foreign Affairs & National Security), NDTV. The Odisha Journalism Award will go to Ajit Kumar Dash, Bijayalaxmi Rath and Jaladhara Pradhan.  Former Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, MP Bhartruhari Mahtab and journalist-writer Alok Mehta will attend the event.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has registered an FIR against journalist Pawan Tyagi for allegedly posting false and misleading information on social media suggesting a change of guard in Gujarat. Tyagi, who describes himself as Executive Editor of ‘Pyara Hindustan News Network’ and ‘The News Exclusive’, allegedly posted on X that Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi would become Chief Minister and CM Bhupendra Patel would be appointed Governor.  According to The Print, Police said the post was aimed at harming the reputation of Patel, Sanghavi and the constitutional position of the Chief Minister. The case was registered under sections 336(4), 353(1) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act.  Following the FIR, Tyagi issued an apology, saying the post was based on speculation and comments by journalists and social media users. He said he had no confirmed information and promised not to post such claims

The demand for a pension scheme for retired and soon-to-retire journalists has gained momentum in Odisha, with the Senior Journalists Association holding a zonal conference in Sambalpur on Sunday. Journalists from Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Subarnapur, Balangir and Boudh attended the conference organised under the aegis of the Sambalpur District Journalists Association. Senior Journalists Association state president Kahnu Charan Nanda said a pension scheme was necessary to provide financial security to retired journalists. He said similar schemes were already in place in around 19 states and Union territories and urged the Odisha government to introduce one in the state. The association has been pursuing the demand with the government since 2022 and had also approached the Orissa High Court. The court directed the state government to introduce a pension scheme. Following non-compliance, the association filed a contempt petition. On June 23, the High Court gave the g

Young people are relying on digital creators rather than traditional media to follow political discourse, according to new research from Griffith University. Titled Democracy in our Feeds, the research examined 564 political creator posts published in the lead-up to the 2025 federal election and explored audience responses through a survey and focus groups. Creators not only out-published traditional media four to one, but audiences "rated them the most influential political content they encountered". However, with that influence comes responsibility, and young adult audiences told the study they wanted binding standards on how they operate. Dr Susan Grantham (above) from the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research who partnered with the Sentiment Agency on the study said young people experienced political content very differently. “It’s important to respond to this shift because regardless of whether we like the idea, creators are now an integral part of the democ