Over 800 journalists and media workers in Tripura staged a three-hour mass sit-in protest in front of Rabindra Bhavan in Agartala on Monday, demanding action on a 11-point charter of issues from the state government.  The protestors, from various media organisations, submitted the charter to Chief Minister Manik Saha, calling for urgent steps on press freedom, journalist safety, fair access to information, better working conditions, and other professional concerns.  According to the Tripura Chronicle, media professionals from various organisations carried banners and raised their voices, urging the state government to respond to their memorandum.  The demonstration underscores growing unease among the journalistic community in Tripura regarding professional rights, protection, and government accountability on media matters. 

Kulithalai police have registered cross cases against Srirangam MLA M Palaniyandi, his son Vimalathithan, two quarry workers and two journalists following an altercation at a private quarry in Kulithalai on January 30. As per a DTNext reported, TV journalist I Kathiravan and cameraman R Sebastian were allegedly assaulted after entering the quarry to record visuals. Both sides sustained injuries and were treated at government hospitals in Kulithalai and Tiruchy. Cases were registered on February 5 based on complaints from both parties. Journalist associations condemned the incident and staged protests.

Two international rights organisations, the Human Rights Foundation and FORUM-ASIA, have approached the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention seeking the release of Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj, calling his imprisonment illegal. Mehraj was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in March 2023 and has been lodged in Tihar Jail since then, with his trial yet to begin. Rights groups say his detention is linked to his earlier association with a Kashmir-based human rights group. They have urged the UN body to declare his detention unlawful and ask the Indian government to release him immediately. Mehraj is accused in an NGO-related case, which activists say targets independent voices in Kashmir.

Refraction Media managing editor Jasmine Fellows has gone back to university to undertake a PHD. The decision, she said, came from annoyance about science publications being closed down.  “I am so sick of science media outlets being shut down. Twenty years of Cosmos gone, 40 years of Double Helix magazine inspiring young Australians, gone,” Fellows told Influencing.  “I know too many science journalists who are underemployed right now. They can tell the most amazing stories, investigate, dig-up stories, and information that Australians need to help them make evidence-based decisions to participate in democracy.” Fellows is studying the Science Media Ecosystem while at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science for her PhD.  For Fellows, to be at the university is really an exciting and energising place to be. She said, while only a few weeks in, she hopes to “find some methods to better understand this ecosystem and look for opportunities”.

South Australian publisher HWR Media has launched Teen Spirit, a national quarterly print magazine focused on Australian music targeting 14 to 18-year-olds, following the youth social media ban. The magazine is an extension of three-year-old title The Note, which has tapped a niche youth audience in South Australia.  Teen Spirit will produce eight state and territory-specific editions, with each issue including a hyper-local section sourced by writers who are experts in their hometown's music scene. Each quarter, 45,000 copies of the free print magazine will be distributed directly to high schools around Australia, reaching 100,000 14 to 18-year-olds, in addition to a dedicated Teen Spirit online portal housed on thenote.com.au. Following a localised ad-free pilot edition created with support from the South Australian government and youth arts organisation Carclew, government bodies Creative Australia and Music Australia have come on board for the national iteration. Tee

News Corp Australia’s State & Community mastheads, including The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Courier-Mail and The Advertiser, have introduced a new campaign putting journalists front and centre, and is aimed at showcasing the publisher's "breadth of content and 'commitment to trusted, relevant journalism". The campaign celebrates the reality that people follow people, not just brands, underscoring the value of professional reporting by journalists who live and work in communities across Australia, says News Corp. It marks the start of a long‑term program to put faces to the journalists' bylines and increase visibility across marketing and subscriber communications. The Daily Telegraph Editor Ben English said: “Our campaign celebrates real reporting by real journalists and emphasises our commitment to our We’re for You brand line. Every day our journalists cover hospitals, scho