Pride shouldn't be a seasonal PR stunt. For queer journalists in India, June may bring rainbow logos and token shout-outs—but the real fight is for something far less decorative: daily dignity, representation, and equal opportunity inside newsrooms.   This Pride Month, Influencing India spoke to a few queer journalists who offered candid insights into what inclusion really looks like behind the headlines.   Ragamalika Karthikeyan, a strategic communications leader and co-founder of InQlusive Newsrooms (with Queer Chennai Chronicles and The News Minute), has trained over 300 journalists across India and produced LGBTQIA+ media sensitivity guides in six languages. For her, visibility has never been the challenge—it’s newsroom structures that remain slow to evolve.   “Just because you have a queer journalist in your organisation doesn't mean you bring them out once a year during Pride Month. They have expertise beyond just queerness. They may know about policy, law, history,

CommunicationsDay founder, Grahame Lynch told Influencing this year’s CommsDay Summit saw its “biggest ever audience”.  “We had around 550 badges on the door. An important breadth of the industry was there, and I say that it's a great opportunity for people to network or meet each other for the first time.” “We achieved that number with audience scale, not so big that it wasn’t personal, and it wasn’t so big that it was alienating, which is often the case with international conferences. We thought we achieved a very happy medium with how it turned out.” The Summit took place on June 17 and 18 at The Fullerton Hotel in Sydney and Lynch said the big topic across the two days was AI.  “AI was examined in terms of how it can be applied to the operations of telcos, which can result in both cost savings and the optimisation of operations and the creation of new applications,” said Lynch. “The second was looking at how AI affects telco … it's generated an in

Weather forecaster Jane Bunn. Australian Community Media (ACM) has inked a new partnership with Jane’s Weather, bringing proprietary forecast technology and exclusive weather insights from meteorologist Jane Bunn directly to Australian farmers through ACM’s dedicated agricultural weather platform, FarmOnlineWeather.com.au. ACM - which runs what was previously the Rural Press stable (and then Fairfax-owned) local papers and regional dailies - says the collaboration, "will empower farmers across Australia with access to Jane’s Weather’s advanced AI Forecast model, alongside a new, exclusive weekly column and video updates from Jane Bunn". Stating the obvious, the publisher points out, "the weather is pivotal to the lives of Australian farmers; with almost all activities being weather-dependent – the accuracy of forecasts is valued above all else". Penelope Arthur, ACM’s National Agricultural News Editor, commented on the significance of the partnership: “As Australi

Home Beautiful editor-in-Chief Elle Lovelock.   Australia’s longest-running interiors publication brand, Are Media’s Home Beautiful, has been announced as national naming rights sponsor for Australia’s largest home expo, Home Show Australia and as part of the sponsorship, Home Beautiful will host a live panel with Editor-in-Chief Elle Lovelock at the Sydney Home Show and draw one of two $100,000 renovation giveaways. The partnership comes as Home Beautiful celebrates its 100th year of publishing, marking a century of shaping and reporting on how Australians design, renovate and dream about their homes. The brand will headline all four Home Show events – in Sydney (10-12 October), Perth (20–22 June), Melbourne (20–24 August) and Brisbane (19–21 September) – which attract over 168,000 home lovers, renovators, and design-savvy consumers annually through immersive, multi-channel experiences.  The Sydney show will coincide with Home Beautiful magazine’s

< The prevalence of mental health challenges in journalism, particularly regarding antidepressant use and workplace pressures, remains a significant concern in Australia's media industry. Jordan Bissell,who recently produced a segment for ABC's Life Matters on antidepressant use, sheds light on these important issues affecting media professionals. According to recent statistics, approximately 4 million Australians take antidepressants daily, reflecting a broader societal challenge that of course also extends beyond the media industry.  Bissell, speaking to us on Influencing Insider, notes that while antidepressants can be beneficial, there are important considerations regarding their long-term use and discontinuation that often go undiscussed. "Research suggests people shouldn't stay on antidepressants for more than two years due to potential long-term effects," Bissell explains.  She highlights a critical issue where withdrawal symptoms can mimic anxiety and depression, lea

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has released the names of 19 pre-qualified bidders for the third batch of Phase III e-auctions of private FM radio channels. To help bidders prepare, the Ministry has scheduled a mock auction on Monday, June 30, starting at 9:30 AM. The session will be conducted by MSTC, the government’s official e-auctioneer. All shortlisted participants are advised to configure their systems ahead of time, and technical support will be available via a dedicated helpdesk and email. Bidders were shortlisted based on their Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) and Initial Eligibility Points (IEP). Leading the pack is DB Corp’s Radio Division, which submitted the highest EMD of Rs 8 crore and earned 3,200 eligibility points. Other key players include, Sapphire Media: Rs 7 crore EMD, 2,800 points, Malar Publications (Hello FM): Rs 4.31 crore EMD, 1,723 points, Rajasthan Patrika (FM Tadka): Rs 4 crore EMD, 1,600 points, HT Media (Fever FM, Radio Nasha): Rs

Starting June 26, 2025 (Week 24), BARC India will shift from its current four-week rolling average format to releasing weekly TV viewership ratings. This move aims to improve clarity and offer quicker insights for the television industry,according to e4m. However, the weekly ratings system isn’t new, BARC used it before its 18-month suspension in 2022. However, since then, ratings were shared as monthly averages, which many felt couldn’t keep pace with fast-moving news content. Broadcasters like NDTV, Zee Media and iTV Network even exited the BARC system, citing concerns over transparency and outdated data. With the return of weekly numbers, advertisers and networks expect faster, more accurate data. This change is expected to improve campaign decisions, help identify viewer trends quickly, and offer broadcasters a more real-time pulse on their audience.