Well-respected New Zealand-based tech journalist, Rob O’Neill, has confirmed he’ll be retiring this September, after a journalism career spanning over three decades.  O’Neill told Influencing, "I turn 66 in September, so I feel it is time to slow down a bit. I have a small yacht that needs some TLC and some use, neither of which it has received in recent years.” In a statement to Influencing, Reseller News Editor Julia Talevski said, "Rob’s exceptional reporting, deep industry knowledge, and unwavering professionalism have left a lasting mark on Reseller News and the broader IT community. Over the decades, he has built an extraordinary network across New Zealand, earning the admiration and respect of peers who regard him as a true industry legend. “His presence on the Reseller News beat will be deeply missed. We extend our warmest wishes to Rob as he embarks on a well-deserved retirement." Journalism was, in fact, not O’Neill’s first professional career; he ini

THE BRIEF - 'MARK OF DEPRAVITY' The coverage of Mark Latham’s latest albeit very serious scandal is already threatening to be a masterclass in pearl-clutching moral outrage laced with titillation. The Daily Telegraph screams MARK OF DEPRAVITY, recounting a sordid tale of alleged emotional abuse, intimidation, and yes, sexts sent from the floor of NSW Parliament. Former partner Nathalie Matthews alleges that Latham manipulated and abused her during a chaotic relationship that saw them break up five times in a year. The allegations include coercive behaviour, financial control, and public humiliation. Latham, for his part, admits to some “salty” messages and insists her claims are “complete rubbish.” The SMH manages to keep its palms dry with a cooler take from Alexandra Smith Perry Duffin, and Jessica McSweeney noting the disturbing pattern of control Matthews describes—but staying well clear of panting headlines Meanwhile, The Australian’s Liam Mendes, who bro

Sharada Balasubramaniam didn’t walk into journalism through a media school or newsroom placement. She stepped into it from the ground, driven by instinct, shaped by urgency.  Back in 2003 or 2004, journalism wasn’t a degree you collected. It was something you did. And that’s exactly what she began doing after a brief stint at Greenpeace, where she first saw how climate issues were ignored in mainstream media. That early exposure would shape her life’s work: telling stories that connect people to the ecological emergencies unfolding around them. Her first newsroom job was at The Asian Age in Mumbai, not as a reporter but as a sub-editor on the business desk. It wasn’t the dream beat. But it gave her something just as valuable, an understanding of how newsrooms work. Sharada tells young journalists to start here: “Find your niche, yes, but learn the craft first. Understand how the machine runs before you try to change its course.” It would be years before she report

Behind the news bulletins, headlines, and breaking alerts, a quieter story is playing out, one of journalist mothers balancing deadlines and diapers, live reports and lullabies. While the profession demands speed, stamina and stoicism, it rarely pauses to consider what it means for those producing the news while carrying new life, literally and emotionally. "Motherhood didn’t dull my passion" Laasya Shekhar, an independent journalist, laid it bare. During her first trimester at south-based digital publication, she struggled with relentless nausea and fatigue. There were no naps, no concessions, and certainly no slowing down. “In my sixth month, I was on the ground covering the 2023 Chennai floods,” she said. “Soon after, I was fired for ‘underperformance’, despite informing the organisation about my pregnancy.” After childbirth, Laasya pushed through sleepless nights and two-hour feeding cycles while continuing to write stories as an independent reporter. The pass

Image source: Al Jazeera, Business Today and TOI; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171 — a Boeing 787 Dreamliner — plunged into tragedy shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 270 people. Now, a preliminary investigation has drawn attention to a rarely discussed cockpit component: the fuel control switch. Hot off the Press According to The Times of India’s Saurabh Sinha and Manju V, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered immediate inspections of all Boeing 737 and 787 jets in Indian fleets, demanding checks of the fuel switch locking mechanisms by July 21. This follows findings in the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)’s report that both switches had moved from RUN to CUTOFF just seconds after take-off. The Hindu’s Jagriti Chandra and Hindustan Times’ Neha LM Tripathi further noted that the DGCA directive came even as the AAIB report explicitly stated there was “no urgent safety concern” or syst

Benjamin Veress hopes to explore his passions much more after departing as Native Content Writer at Pedestrian TV earlier this month.  However, after just one week off, Veress is already back at the keyboard, joining Blunt Magazine as a freelance news writer last Thursday.  Veress told Influencing, “I've been in the same role for under three years and decided it was time to move on…After so much change and being in the native content role for so long, I decided I want to take a step back, pursue other opportunities, and focus more on my passions for writing, too. “I stream on the side, I do content creation on the side, and I also love doing that.” Veress added the decision to change roles was “a culmination of things” and that he hopes to focus on “music, gaming, and tech news” going forward. The opportunity to write for Blunt Magazine came from an informal discussion with his former Pedestrian colleague and now editor of Blunt Magazine, Emily Spindler.  “I

The Treasurer might not be promising a new tax—but the sound of economic reform drums is growing louder. The AFR’s Ronald Mizen reports that the Commonwealth Bank has thrown a red flag into Jim Chalmers’ roundtable with a blunt submission: forget about corporate tax cuts, target wealth instead, and review the GST.   A “frank submission” indeed. Most notably, the CBA directly contradicts the Business Council of Australia—of which it's a member—by arguing company tax cuts should not be the priority. That chorus gets louder in The Australian, where Matthew Cranston and Greg Brown write that Chalmers is now “open” to new taxes and more cuts to spending. Their story follows the accidental release of Treasury advice warning that without these changes, the budget isn’t sustainable.  And then there’s Samantha Maiden’s report in The Daily Telegraph, which goes full-facepalm: secret Treasury advice urging the government to raise taxes was accidentally sent to a jo