iWorld
Lallantop’s ‘Guest in the Newsroom’ completes 52 handcrafted episodes
Mumbai: The Lallantop, a digital media platform, has announced the successful airing of the 52nd episode of its weekly show, “Guest in the Newsroom.” This milestone has marked a year of insightful conversations with 52 distinguished guests from various fields, making it a powerful series that has resonated with audiences worldwide.
“Guest in the Newsroom” has revolutionised the interview format by offering a diverse experience for viewers. Recognising that people yearn to learn more about the different personalities beyond their star persona, the show followed its famed RRR format, keeping the show real, raw and relatable with a long format, uninhibited, lounge like discussion platform fostering a sense of community among viewers.
From conversation with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap to conversations with Indian Forensic Pathologist Dr TD Dogra, the show has consistently delivered quality content that sparks intellectual curiosity.
On this milestone, The Lallantop editor Saurabh Dwiwedi said, “Throughout the past year, the show has featured luminaries from a wide range of fields, including writers, medicine, cinema, whistle-blowers, senior journalists, scientists, and doctors. From NASA Scientist Nitin Kumar Singh to renowned actress Sonali Bendre, to IAS Trainer Dr Vikas Divyakirti the show has welcomed a diverse line-up of guests who have captivated audiences with their experiences and insights. We would like to express gratitude to all the guests who have contributed to the success of the show. Their willingness to share their knowledge and experiences has enriched the lives of viewers and elevated the show to new heights.”
The Lallantop COO Gaurav Verma said, “We have created a platform which is beyond just news. With 63.9 Million Unique users, our viewers have clearly shown they appreciated the content we put up. Lallantop remains committed to producing high-quality and thought-provoking content, ensuring that “Guest in the Newsroom” continues to be a platform for insightful conversations with individuals.”
iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
