Image source: Khabar 24 Express, Deccan Herald, The Week and Telegraph India; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   What should’ve been a historic night of celebration for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) turned into a night of horror, as a stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium left 11 people dead and at least 47 injured.  Hot off the Press The tragedy unfolded between 3:30 PM and 5 PM as an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 fans swarmed the stadium for the IPL victory celebration, which was organised by RCB, as reported by The Times of India. According to The Economic Times and Hindustan Times' Arun Dev, chaos erupted when the police shut all the stadium gates in an attempt to control the surging crowds that had overwhelmed the 35,000-capacity venue. The move inadvertently triggered panic and a deadly crush. The Hindu and Indian Express' Sanath Prasad and Kiran Parashar confirmed that emergency exits were blocked and there were no crowd-diversion plans in place, a fatal oversight in e

  <> The mainstream media's coverage of electric vehicles (EVs) often misses a crucial aspect of their potential - their role in transforming our energy systems, says Renew Economy and The Driven editor-in-chief and founder, Giles Parkinson.  He says, while journalists are increasingly covering EV and renewable energy stories, their approach can be erratic. "Mainstream media, they're a funny lot, you know, they kind of ignore the story for a while, and they might just hop into it and either get it completely mentally wrong or do a really good job of it." One of the bigger pictures that often goes unreported, Parkinson told Influencing, is the potential integration of EVs into the power grid, particularly through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. This innovative system allows electric vehicles to not just draw power from the grid but also feed it back, essentially turning them into mobile power storage units. Despite the government's significant efforts to pave the way

  Nine's Director of News and Current Affairs - Fiona Dear. Nine today announced a significant expansion of its commitment to in-depth journalism with the official launch of a new, dedicated Longform Current Affairs and Investigations Unit. The initiative will be spearheaded by one of Nine's most accomplished producers, Kirsty Thomson, who steps into an expanded role as Head of the new unit, alongside her existing responsibilities as Executive Producer of the flagship program 60 Minutes. The newly formed unit aims to provide a powerful platform for comprehensive storytelling, allowing Nine's acclaimed news and current affairs teams across Australia to delve deeper into compelling national and international issues. This move formalises a highly successful trial period under Thomson's leadership, which has already seen the creation of innovative content and a fresh approach to longform production. Fiona Dear, Nine's Director of News and Current Affairs, said: “This strategic in

CyberShack Reviews Editor, Ray Shaw, has revealed there are multiple new features included in the publication’s recently refurbished website and they’ve already been well received by readers.  “What really excites me is the response from our readers,” Shaw told Influencing.  “They've been so complimentary because we're now a lot cleaner. It's an easier site to navigate, and users appreciate it.  “As a result, the site’s seen an increase in direct site traffic, meaning users are returning regularly. Initially, most of our traffic was from Google search, meaning they’d click on a post and then go. Now they're spending a fair amount of time reading multiple articles at a time.” The refurbished website went live on April 21st, and Shaw highlighted two technical features he’s also excited about.  “It's got a clean, new, fresh code. It doesn't have any of the legacy codes that have been built over the years, like other sites. It doesn't have those compoundin

  Greg Hywood steps down. Free TV Australia has announced its Independent Chair and ex-Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood has stepped down.  Appointed in October 2020, Hywood has chaired the Free TV Board during a period of substantial change in the Australian media and regulatory landscape.  During his tenure, Free TV has secured major policy reforms, including the introduction of a new prominence framework, enhancements to the anti-siphoning scheme, and a 12-month suspension of the commercial broadcasting tax. Under his leadership, Free TV also played a key role in national policy discussions on the impact of global digital platforms and the future of free-to-air television. President of Network 10, Head of Streaming and Regional Lead for Paramount Australia and New Zealand, and Free TV Board member, Beverley McGarvey said: “The Free TV Board thanks Greg for his dedicated service as Chairman of Free TV.  “His extensive media industry experience, including his leadership of Fair

Rosanna Ryan.   As we reported a few weeks ago, Sean Parnell - long serving editor at the Brisbane Times - has left for a new job opportunity and his replacement has now been announced. Rosanna Ryan will step up from Digital Editor on Nine’s Queensland-based digital masthead to the editor role.  Ryan has also previously been Digital Editor for the ABC’s Radio National, based out of Brisbane, and is currently on the board of Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ.   

Paramount Global has ended its decades-long relationship with WPP Media, its media agency of record, in a strategic move aimed at cutting costs. The shift comes as the company works toward its proposed $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, according to Adweek. WPP Media, formerly known as GroupM, had represented Paramount for over 20 years. Industry sources suggest the decision allows Paramount to renegotiate agency deals on the buy-side, securing more favorable financial terms. With a strong presence in TV and streaming advertising, Paramount is reassessing its operations as the Skydance deal progresses. If approved, the merger could mark a major transformation for the media powerhouse.