The newly elected President of the Pune Shramik Patrakar Sangh, Umesh Shelke, has announced an ambitious one-year agenda that includes constructing a dedicated press club in Pune, expanding insurance cover for members, and making the journalists’ body financially self-sustaining. Shelke, a special correspondent with Sakal, said the state government has already allotted land for the proposed press club after his sustained efforts over the past year and a half. “Pune is a metro city and should have a press club like Mumbai and Nagpur. The government has granted land, and our aim is to complete the press club within one year,” he said. Beyond infrastructure, Shelke emphasised welfare measures: Raising insurance cover for members from 2 lakh to 5 lakh Supporting the education of journalists’ children Increasing revenue streams to make the organisation self-sustaining, reducing reliance on grants and donations Shelke was elected President for the 2026-27 term

Peek TV has crossed 10 crore monthly views within a year of its launch, according to co-founder and journalist Priyanshi Sharma.  In a LinkedIn post, Sharma said the platform focused on meaningful and underreported stories instead of chasing viral content or viewership metrics. She added that several of Peek TV's reports gained traction after publication, highlighting audience interest in public-interest journalism.  Calling the milestone one of many to come, Sharma said prioritising quality, editorial judgement, and audience needs can drive growth. She also invited brands interested in partnering with Peek TV to reach its audience, asking them to connect via [email protected].  

Businessline Consulting Editor Subramani Ra Mancombu has received the SOMS Thought Leadership Award in Agri Journalism at the Specialty Fertilizer Summit & B2B Expo 2026 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.  The award recognises his contribution to agricultural reporting and policy discourse. Other winners included Laxmi Devi Aere of Press Trust of India, Shambhavi Anand of The Economic Times, and Suchetna Chaudhry of Agro Spectrum.  The SOMS Agri Journalism Awards honour journalists for their contributions to agricultural reporting and strengthening awareness around India's agriculture and fertiliser ecosystem.    Image credit: Businessline 

Julianna Richter to step down as global CEO of Ogilvy PR Ogilvy PR global CEO Julianna Richter will leave the agency at the end of July after leading its global PR business since 2020.  Richter announced on LinkedIn that she will depart at the end of the month.  According to an internal memo from WPP Creative CEO Jon Cook, Richter is departing to pursue an opportunity outside WPP, with a successor to be announced soon. During her tenure, Richter repositioned Ogilvy PR around an earned-first model, integrating public relations, social and influencer marketing.  She also served as chief marketing and communications officer for WPP Open X and led efforts to unify WPP's influencer capabilities. Previously, she served at Edelman in leadership positions for more than 15 years.  Richter's departure comes amid broader leadership changes at WPP and Ogilvy as the company continues its Elevate28 transformation strategy. Luis Antonio Comissi joins ASMOF NSW

The Chennai Press Club has strongly condemned the conduct of MDMK General Secretary Vaiko, alleging that he spoke in a threatening manner to a journalist during a media interaction in Chengalpattu district. According to a statement issued by the Press Club, the incident occurred on June 30, 2026, near Thiruporur, where Vaiko interacted with reporters following MDMK's recent exit from the DMK alliance. During the interaction, journalists questioned him about the party's decision. The Press Club alleged that Vaiko reacted angrily to one journalist's question, asking, "Who are you? Which newspaper?" It further claimed that he referred to the journalist's publication as a "yellow rag," questioned who had sent the reporter, and accused the journalist of attending the event with an agenda to create trouble. The organisation also alleged that Vaiko instructed party workers to remove the journalist by saying, "Get him out, send him outside." I

Friday, 3 July 2026 #1  ·  Times City / Front Page  ·  Breaking news Govt orders CAG audit of power discoms over regulatory assets of ₹38,500 crore By Staff Reporter   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page 6 The Delhi government has ordered the Comptroller and Auditor General to conduct a strict and intensive audit of the three private power distribution companies — BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamuna, and Tata Power Delhi — over the accumulation of Rs 38,500 crore in regulatory assets that are to be recovered from consumers. The Delhi cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, recommended the audit on June 29, marking what would be the first CAG audit of the discoms since electricity distribution was privatised in 2002. The audit is expected to be completed within three months, with BSES claiming the matter is sub judice after Delhi High Court recently dismissed its petition against the move. The

The Desk Journalists' Sangham (DJS) has flagged concerns over Telangana's journalist accreditation policy, alleging that restrictive eligibility norms and administrative hurdles are locking a large section of working journalists out of both government welfare schemes and official coverage access. Speaking to Influencing, DJS President Badini Upendra said the stakes are higher in Telangana than elsewhere because the state has one of India's largest journalist networks, built on a distribution model that pushes reporting down to the grassroots. Unlike states where newspapers deploy reporters mainly at the district level, Telangana's papers run extensive district editions backed by mandal-level correspondents and stringers — a structure Upendra said has created employment for thousands of journalists across urban and rural areas. "Almost every mandal has newspaper contributors or stringers. Telangana has one of the largest networks of journalists because of the tabloid system," he