A year after Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini promised to implement a cashless medical facility for journalists, the commitment remains unfulfilled, prompting renewed appeals from the media fraternity. On July 23, during a programme in Rohtak, a delegation of the Haryana Union of Working Journalists (HUWJ) led by President Manmohan Kathuria urged the Chief Minister to immediately implement the scheme. Speaking to Influencing, Kathuria said: “We journalists endure risks while covering news, and with low salaries, a cashless medical facility is a necessity rather than a luxury.” He added that the Chief Minister assured the delegation the promise would be fulfilled. The delegation also pressed for an increase in the monthly pension for journalists and invited Saini to attend the upcoming HUWJ state‑level conference in Nuh district.

  Photo: Journalist Dev Kotak Journalists covering a Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi were assaulted this week, drawing condemnation from press bodies across the country. Times Now reporters Dev Kotak, Shafali Nigam and Jyoti Mishra were among those attacked; equipment was damaged and several journalists were injured, according to statements from Times Network and the Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ). Kotak, who has covered the CJP protests since they began, said the incident hasn't changed how he plans to report. "This will not affect anything or change the way I continue to report," Kotak told Influencing. "I have been covering the CJP protests since day one. We have been on the ground trying to highlight the concerns over education and asking for reforms in the education system." Kotak rejected suggestions that mainstream media had ignored the protesters' concerns, pointing to his own reporting on the issue, including visits

Friday, 24 July 2026 #1  ·  Times City / Front Page  ·  Ground-reporting / In-depth feature 'Ran from one hospital to another': A mother's ordeal to save her son's life / 'I thought he was only trying to scare me': Youth in the line of pellet gun fire By Sugandha Jha, Neha Mishra, Priyangi Agarwal   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi – July 24, 2026  ·  Page 2 Two accounts of young protesters — 19-year-old Sahil and 25-year-old Irshad Shaikh — who suffered pellet-like injuries during the July 20 Sansad Chalo march detail the human cost of police action that authorities deny. Sahil's mother describes a 12-hour hospital odyssey across multiple institutions before AIIMS finally admitted him, with doctors giving less than 1% chance of saving his eye. Shaikh, an IT worker from MP, recounts the alleged moment an RAF staffer pointed a weapon at his face and fired, leaving pel

Media Production & Entertainment hiring rose 24 per cent year-on-year, according to the latest Naukri report, a jump reflected in recent newsroom recruitment, with organisations including The Pioneer, The Times of India and The Indian Express announcing editorial vacancies. The rise comes amid broader momentum in white-collar hiring, which grew 6 per cent in June according to Naukri's JobSpeak Index, closing the first fiscal quarter at a steady 4 per cent. Among functions tracked, Media Production & Entertainment recorded the sharpest growth for the month, ahead of Healthcare & Life Sciences (22 per cent), IT & Information Security (18 per cent), Production, Manufacturing & Engineering (14 per cent) and Marketing & Communications (12 per cent). The hiring surge has also been driven disproportionately by entry-level roles. Fresher hiring rose 8 per cent year-on-year in June and 9 per cent for the April-June quarter, according to the report, even as hiring

Victorian jobless spike fuels Labor leadership jitters Victoria’s unemployment rate has climbed to 5.1% — the highest in the country — triggering a fresh political fight over whether the Allan government’s taxes, regulation and workplace policies are hurting confidence and hiring. The economic hit is colliding with internal Labor unrest and leadership chatter, turning a bad data point into a direct test of Jacinta Allan’s authority and the government’s broader “Big Build” credibility. Covered by: Herald Sun, The Australian, Australian Financial Review. Labor conference erupts over Israel, China–Taiwan flashpoint and climate pushback Labor’s national conference is being overshadowed by internal divisions over Israel policy, with senior figures trying to contain a platform fight that has become a proxy for broader factional tensions. Adding diplomatic heat, a dispute has flared after Chinese officials objected to a Taiwanese representative’s presence, while party

“Being able to create the news, not just react to it, is such an important commodity in this day and age,” says Blair Wise, the recipient of 2027 ABC Andrew Olle Media Scholarship.  “I am looking forward to pursuing that under this scholarship”, he told Influencing.  Wise was named the scholarship's 2026 recipient on Tuesday night at the Andrew Olle Media Lecture in Ultimo, succeeding Madi Chwasta. He will take up the role in January, after completing his ABC Caroline Jones Cadetship. Wise said he hoped to sharpen his skills by working alongside some of Australia's leading journalists.  "The ABC has so many incredible programs here, like Four Corners and StoryLab, which are so innovative and impactful. For me it's to spend time with some of these teams, learn and produce and be mentored by some of the journalists." He hopes to utilise such skills learnt in the ABC’s new platforms and programs, remarking he’d been working with the ABC loop team, and hoped to con

Veteran journalist and founder‑editor of Sikkim Express, Mala Rana Patro, was honoured with the Kanchenjunga Kalam Puraskar by the Press Club of Sikkim during its 24th Foundation Day celebrations at Chintan Bhawan. The award recognises her five decades of dedication to journalism and her pioneering role in establishing one of the state’s most respected newspapers. Patro launched Sikkim Express in English in 1976, followed by its Nepali edition in 1977, making it one of the first bilingual newspapers in the region. Today, nearly 50 journalists work under the banner she built. Reflecting on her journey, Patro said, “This lifetime achievement award is for my dedication to Sikkim Express, which I founded in 1976. I also established the Nepali edition in 1977.” She recalled that after the passing of her spouse in 1994, she devoted herself fully to journalism and continued to strengthen the newspaper. Sharing advice for aspiring journalists, she urged: “Stay