The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has added Clause 1.8 to its code for self-regulation in advertising, requiring media companies to clearly label paid or sponsored content on their social media platforms.  Under Chapter 1 – Truthful and Honest Representation, disclosures such as “Advertisement,” “Ad,” “Sponsored,” “Partnership,” “Free Gift,” “Collaboration,” or platform-specific tags must appear at the start of any promotional post.  The Norms of Journalists’ Conduct also require newspapers to clearly distinguish ads from editorial content.  The move addresses rising concerns about ads being presented as an editorial matter, following consumer complaints about undisclosed promotions on trusted media handles.  ASCI CEO Manisha Kapoor said clear labelling builds audience trust, ensures legal compliance, and protects publishers from penalties. She noted that undisclosed ads are increasingly appearing alongside editorial posts, a

Here’s the thing about Janvi Manchanda: she doesn’t slow-walk her point. She runs a digital newsroom by day, tests the limits of women’s safety by night, and refuses to trade credibility for clout. As Managing Editor at Hauterrfly, Janvi’s journalism is part edit calendar, part cultural audit, and entirely uninterested in tiptoeing. The day job: deadlines, dials and a desk that doesn’t sleep Her mornings start deceptively early. “I usually log in around 8:30 or 9, assign stories to the team… and then I go back to sleep for an hour. That’s my little relief,” she laughs. By 10:30 she’s back online, approving headlines, juggling PR calls, and—depending on who’s calling—shoot requests or edit approvals. “It’s mad. Some days I feel like I run a call centre,” she says. Between the social team asking for reels, the production crew pushing videos for review, and brainstorms that start at 7 p.m. and run past 10, midnight homecomings are routine. The trolls

Prasar Bharati will conduct its 90th online e-auction for vacant MPEG-2 slots on the DD Free Dish platform on August 20, 2025. Successful bidders will get slots from August 29, 2025, to March 31, 2026.  Channels will compete within genre-language buckets, with reserve prices ranging from Rs 9.60 crore for Hindi/Urdu GECs (Bucket A+) to Rs 1.76 crore for regional language channels (Bucket R). Categories include Hindi/Urdu movie and music (Bucket A), sports and Bhojpuri (Bucket B), news (Bucket C), devotional, Marathi, Punjabi, English news, and select regional languages (Bucket D).  From next year, any Indian language represented for two consecutive years in Bucket R will move to Bucket D. Broadcasters must ensure at least 75 per cent of monthly programming matches the declared genre and language, excluding ads, or risk slot cancellation.  Applications must be filed online with supporting PDFs, a Rs 25,000 non-refundable processing fee, and a Rs 1.5 crore participation

Image source: NBC News, Reuters and The Economist; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   With the threat of 50 per cent tariff on US exports looming ahead, the National Statistics Office (NSO) came up with some good news claiming that retail inflation had slowed down to an eight-year low in July, thanks to moderating food prices. Meanwhile, PM Modi is expected to meet Donald Trump in September on the sidelines of the UNGA Summit to ease tensions. Hot off the Press Food inflation declined by 75 basis points in July, compared to June, reported The Times of India. "The food inflation in July 2025 is the lowest at –1.8 per cent, after Jan 2019, when it was at –2.2 per cent. The core inflation also decelerated sharply and for the first time in six months stood below 4 per cent (at 3.9 per cent). Excluding gold prices, the core inflation decelerated below 3 per cent to 2.96 per cent in July, almost 100 basis points lower than headline core CPI,” said Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief econo

If you’re a PR professional and you’re sending Cyber Daily’s Deputy Editor, David Hollingworth, a pitch, they have a message for you.  “Give me everything,” Hollingworth told Influencing Insider, “If a PR can get us an excellent, complete story with everything we need, including good quotes, easy numbers, and a headshot of whoever gave the quotes, that's everything we need. “If I have to respond to a PR and say, "Hey, can I get a headshot of this guy?" Or "Hi, can I get some quotes from this person?" And the response is, "Oh yeah, we'll go to the US and return to you,” then three days later, that's no longer news, and it’s moved on.” Hollingworth spoke on Influencing Insider live about how they and the CyberDaily team break cyber attack stories and cover cybersecurity trends, as well as detailing how they engage with PRs. Hollingworth said they had told PRs during coffee catchups that one way to get their releases is via commercial partnerships.  “Support

  If today’s front pages are to be believed, Jim Chalmers’ upcoming economic reform roundtable will arrive just in time for the nation’s favourite parlour game: guessing the RBA’s next snip, shave, or surgical strike on interest rates. Depending on your masthead, we’re either on the cusp of a Goldilocks economy (with the small matter of a productivity ice age), bracing for a wage-pain winter, staring down a “grim reality check,” or squinting at what might be “a double shot of good news.” Throw in a dash of property-price panic, and it’s less a coherent forecast than a choose-your-own-economic-adventure. Better rate than never The Daily Telegraph’s ” John Rolfe leads off, under the headline of the day: “Better rate than never – more cuts predicted for homeowners, with one catch.” The widely held view is that interest rates are likely to fall in November, with two more cuts in prospect for next year as the RBA “moves to deliver a Goldilocks outcome

Mediatronics PR, a strategic communications agency, has entered the original content space with The Founders Cut Show. The in-house-produced series will feature candid conversations with unicorn founders, VC-backed leaders, D2C disruptors, and industry change-makers, offering an unfiltered look at their real journeys, from early struggles and pivotal moments to branding breakthroughs. Breaking away from traditional interview formats, each short-form, high-impact episode blends visual storytelling with founder-led insights. “We’ve built hundreds of brands behind the scenes, now it’s time to bring those raw and powerful stories to the forefront,” said Richank Tiwary, Founder & CEO of Mediatronics PR. The series will stream on YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms, aiming to inspire and demystify entrepreneurship. The pilot episode, dropping this week, features an exclusive conversation with one of India’s most talked-about bootstrapped brand builders.