It lasted about two hours. That is how long The Wire’s Instagram account disappeared from India on February 9. In digital terms, that may sound trivial. In democratic terms, it is anything but. The trigger was a 52-second satirical cartoon criticising Narendra Modi for avoiding questions in Parliament, referencing former Army chief MM Naravane’s memoir on the 2020 China standoff. What followed was telling. Users opening The Wire’s Instagram page were met with a stark notice: the account was “not available in India” due to a legal request. The account had over 1.3 million followers. The satire vanished. So did the newsroom, briefly. When questioned, officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting denied blocking the account. Informally, The Wire learned that the ministry had asked Meta to restrict the cartoon alone, and the platform had blocked the entire account “in error”. Access was restored within hours. The cartoon r

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. 

Travel trade media platform Karryon is launching a new quarterly digital travel publication -  Luxury Unpacked. - which will also feature a short print run. The ‘rich-content’ e-magazine is a response to growing demand for purpose-led luxury travel storytelling that goes beyond purely descriptive travel features, says the publishing house, and comes as the sector continues to surge.  The new title will be edited by Karryon Luxury Editor Kirstie Bedford, who brings more than 30 years of media experience, including editorial leadership across seven publications.  Published quarterly, Luxury Unpacked will be themed by edition, with in-depth features around key topics that shape the future of luxury travel. The inaugural issue will focus on innovation, examining how new ideas, technologies, experiences, and ways of thinking are redefining the sector. Designed as a premium, immersive e-magazine, Luxury Unpacked will also be supported by a short run of print

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”.