Burson has been appointed the agency of record for Amdavad’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, representing the Gujarat Sports Infrastructure Development Company Limited. The agency will handle brand development, competitive narrative, and media relations. A government official said, “With Burson as our communications partner, we are excited to pursue our vision of bringing the Games to Amdavad.” Dolly Tayal, MD, Burson Genesis, added, “We’re honored to support GSID and will use our expertise to build strong support for India’s Olympic dream.”

Senior journalist Sudhir Chaudhary has taken to social media to expose a fraudulent YouTube channel operating in his name. In a post on X and Facebook, Chaudhary clarified that the YouTube channel “BNR24” is impersonating him and has already gained 60,000 subscribers. “Just to be clear: that is NOT me,” he wrote, underscoring the followers are being misled. Chaudhary pointed out that the fake channel displays his photo and branding and confusing the viewers, breaching digital impersonation standards.  “Impersonation isn’t flattery. It’s fraud,” he stated. Chaudhary has recently joined Doordarshan News as a consulting editor. Previously, he has worked as a consulting editor of Aajtak and was the editor-in-chief and CEO at Zee Media. This incident underscores the growing modern challenge of digital impersonation and misinformation in today’s media landscape.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a directive to all news channels, requesting them to refrain from using the sound of 'Civil Defence Air Raid Sirens' in their broadcasts. The advisory emphasised that these sirens are meant solely for community awareness and not for general media use. Citing Section 3(1)(w)(i) of the Civil Defence Act, 1968, the MHA advised that air raid sirens should only be used in programs aimed at educating the public. The advisory highlighted a concern that the frequent use of these sirens in media could desensitize civilians, causing them to perceive the sound as routine, rather than a critical alert. Additionally, the MHA called for cooperation in enhancing civil defence preparedness, in line with the Civil Defence Act of 1968.

Prasar Bharati has extended the application deadline for the 87th e-auction of vacant MPEG-2 slots on the DD Free Dish platform. The new deadline for submission is May 18, 2025, at 3:00 pm, as per a notification released on Wednesday. The online e-auction is tentatively scheduled for May 19, 2025 (Monday) and will allocate available MPEG-2 slots on a pro-rata basis for the duration from May 28, 2025, to March 31, 2026. Prasar Bharati also clarified that all other terms and conditions from its earlier notification dated April 29, 2025, will remain unchanged for this mid-year auction.

With ceasefire holding up for more than 24 hours now between India and Pakistan and some semblance of normalcy returning to the border areas, the blame game has begun with almost all media houses trying analyse the 'why' and 'how'  Hot off the Press Deep precision airstrikes with BrahMos supersonic missiles and other standoff weapons on several crucial airbases in Pakistan early Saturday proved to be decisive in the escalating hostilities between the two nations, causing the US to step in and push for a truce, wrote Rajat Pandit and Sachin Parashar for The Times of India. India agreed as it had achieved its three main objectives — political, military and psychological, claimed govt sources. The major hit on the Nur Khan-Chaklala airbase at Rawalpindi, which caused some damage to the infrastructure there, was particularly significant since it is located close to HQ of Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, which handles its nuclear arsenal, and is barely 10km from Islamaba

The Australian is on the lookout for a new Sydney-based technology reporter to work alongside Technology Editor Jared Lynch.   Influencing understands current technology reporter Joseph Lam is moving to a new role within the publication.  Tech editor Lynch confirmed on Monday morning that The Australian was filling an existing position at the masthead, after advertising the role on LinkedIn over the weekend.  Lynch wrote on LinkedIn: “The Australian is hiring - and it’s one of the best roles in national media.  “We’re looking for a tech reporter based in Sydney with plenty of energy and an eye for cracking yarns.  “If you are passionate about covering everything from high-growth start-ups to the world’s largest tech companies — telling compelling stories that matter to investors, innovators and policymakers — we would love to hear from you. “This is your chance to report about it all.”  

"It’s all about the partners” when writing about the channel industry.  Athina Mallis, editor of the newly re-launched CRN Australia publication, told Influencing Insider last Thursday, that “partners are at the centre of our universe. They are our favourite things to talk about. Even if I am talking to a vendor or a distributor, it always comes back to that partner and their voice”. Mallis also said CRN Australia readers should expect to see more agentic AI stories on the website.  “Agentic AI, everyone's talking about agentic, but I’m also interested in what’s happening in the channel sector. I think tariffs and skill shortage are topics people discuss on the channel. “I’m interested in technology. I’m interested in Australia and New Zealand stories and APAC. As long as they're partners, and I’m also interested in unique stories, something different.” Mallis mentioned one particular angle for agentic AI she’s “desperate” to cover.  “I want s