Newsletters, projects, an international mission and more: PMA’s 2021

23rd December 2021
By Sally-Ann Wilson, CEO of Public Media Alliance

Another year of cancelled conferences. Another year of virtual, on-screen meetings stretching back to back throughout the day ….and its yet again time to reflect on the year past. Firstly, I must pay tribute to my colleagues, Jas, Kristian, Clare, Chloe, Desilon and Harry. Like so many teams we rarely see each other face to face and, as you are all aware, it’s not quite as effective to have ‘water cooler moments’ on Zoom! But it happens.

Every Tuesday the team brings you PSM Weekly a terrific task of pulling together public media news from around the world and delivering a digest direct to your phone or device. We are witnessing greater collaboration between public broadcasters and PSM Weekly is not just a quick way of checking up on what’s happening, it also a means to spot new ideas and potential collaboration partners.

SA Wilson

Our Public Media Glossary has become a useful tool for many of you. It’s also provoked some good debates amongst the team here and I was delighted to hear it quoted in one public media parliamentary hearing.

Projects may not happen ‘in field’ at present but with support from UNESCO and other partners we have run two major projects in South Asia. In November we launched a new Code of Conduct that aims to improve conflict sensitive reporting and journalist safety in South Asia. It was developed by the journalists who participated and who will use the code as they work.  And our report covering the impact of Covid on media in nine countries in South Asia will be launched on 20th January 2022.

We also launched PSM Unpacked the first of a planned series of virtual roundtables for members to discuss the issues that concern them most.

Alongside all of this, we continue to provide support to the Global Task Force for public media and work with individual members on a daily basis to provide them with information, support, advocacy and resources. Furthermore, we continue to play a role in the Media Freedom Coalition as a member of the Consultative Network, which has been particularly active assisting with journalists left stranded in Afghanistan. And we have also supported the Media Freedom Rapid Response, working alongside them on a mission to Slovenia.

Much of the world now sees ‘media’ as synonymous with ‘entertainment’. It is our role to remind them of the work our members do that goes way beyond entertaining. The role of public media during the pandemic has been essential in providing trusted and verified news, home education and factual information that keeps people safe in a time when mis and disinformation fill the media space.  Alongside which you have also kept people entertained for hours on end!

Thank you for the work that you do and for your continued support for PMA.