Morning and welcome to Thurdsday and there's a bit of a crime spree going on - at least in terms of stories about an alleged crime kingpin which features in The Australian, Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun and The Age this morning. It seems 'Crime boss Kazam 'Kaz' Hamad' has been the subject of a manhunt for some time and at The Oz that includes a quote from now AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett who said Hamad was "an alleged offshore offender who I called a national security threat to this country". It's very Underbelly, (which for younger readers is a reference to a series of hugely successful true-crime thrillers televised and set in Melbourne a couple of decades ago).   The gist of the story today is Hamad has been holed up in Iraq and apparently living a plush lifestyle and avoiding arrest until recently, but is now banged-up in an Iraqi jail and may face the death penalty. Australia wants him back here to face justice

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday granted interim relief to a law student–RTI activist and three journalists, staying further investigation in an FIR lodged against them over a social media post questioning the use of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s official helicopter while he was abroad.  According to the source, Justice Vinod S. Bhardwaj issued notice to the Punjab government, with the matter listed for February 23, and stayed all proceedings in the case.  The petitioners — Manik Goyal and journalists Baljinder Singh alias Mintu Gurusaria, Maninderjeet Singh and Mandeep Singh Makkar — had sought quashing of FIR No. 67 of 2025 registered by the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ludhiana, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.  The FIR stems from a December 9, 2025, post by Goyal citing publicly available data from FlightRadar24, which showed the Chief Minister’s helicopter maki

  The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to entertain a defamation claim filed by a journalist over a social media post, observing that the comment in question was extremely mild and advised public figures to develop thicker skin if they choose to be active on platforms like X. According to News18, Justice Avneesh Jhingan was hearing a plea by journalist Rohan Dua, founder of the news platform The New Indian, who had objected to online criticism of his interview with double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker. The dispute traces back to a 2024 interview conducted after Bhaker won two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics. During the interaction, Dua had asked her about photographs featuring her and fellow athlete Neeraj Chopra. A clip from the interview later went viral, drawing criticism from several social media users who accused the journalist of asking sexist questions and focusing on the athlete’s appearance rather than her sporting achievements. Dua approached the court seeking

Three journalists working with a vernacular news channel were arrested late Tuesday night for allegedly broadcasting defamatory content against a woman IAS officer, sparking a political row and fresh debate over press freedom in Telangana. Former minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao strongly condemned the arrests, accusing the Congress government of acting in a vindictive and undemocratic manner. He demanded the immediate release of the journalists and said the action reflected the government’s failure to tolerate criticism. In a statement, Rao said the government was harassing the media instead of addressing its governance shortcomings. He termed the arrests a direct assault on democratic values and the dignity of the media in the state. “Is this the people’s rule you promised? Is this your idea of restoring democracy?” he asked. Rao also criticised the use of special investigation teams and late-night raids, questioning why journalists were being treated like crim

Image edited by Dinesh Raj M The Madras High Court’s decision to quash a police notice issued to journalist Vimal Chinnappan reads, on paper, like a routine affirmation of procedure. Police cannot summon a journalist for questioning without registering a formal case. Section 35(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) permits arrest under specific conditions; it does not authorise informal inquiries, fishing expeditions, or “come and explain” notices. That much is settled law. And yet, this ruling matters because it exposes how power now operates in quieter ways. Across India, the preferred tool to deal with inconvenient journalism is no longer the FIR. It is the summons without one. There appears to be no formal accusation, paperwork or clarity. Just enough pressure to unsettle a reporter, waste time and send a message. The punishment is not prosecution, like in all matter of redtape, the punishment is the process. In Chinnappan’s case, the

WhistleOut Managing Editor Alex Choros has spoken of the rewarding feeling he experienced when he and fellow WhistleOut scribes Dylan Crismale, Hannah Geremia and Fergus Halliday took out wins at the Consensus IT Writers Awards.  “It is always rewarding to see the team’s work be recognised within the industry. We have such a strong, talented team, and seeing Dylan, Fergus, Hannah, and my own reporting get that recognition from the Consensus Awards judges is a great feeling,” Choros told Influencing.  Choros won the Best Editor category, thanks to his entry which focused on what he described as Apple’s lukewarm AI implementation. Choros had offered his thoughts on new features, including a magic eraser and visual intelligence.  Crismale’s Best News Writer win was thanks to his exclusive report on the new Starlink congestion charge of $145 coming to Australian customers, particularly those living in Greater Western Sydney and Victoria, wh

AI has moved far beyond being a background tool. It now sits inside the very systems that shape how people see, hear, and believe the world. Deepfake videos, synthetic voices, and AI-generated anchors are no longer fringe experiments. They circulate daily on social media, research platforms, and discussion spaces like Quora and Reddit. Often, people engage with them without realising they are interacting with manufactured realities. What looks convincing now carries the power to quietly rewrite truth. This is no longer just a technological concern. It is a newsroom crisis. Even industry leaders admit the danger. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has said that while AI may help invent cures for diseases like cancer, it can also generate deepfake videos powerful enough to keep him “sleepless at night.” That fear is no longer abstract. It is becoming a working condition for journalists. Indian newsrooms are beginning to respond. Organisations such as The Times of India have started flaggi