Contrasting futures for international public media

Nigeria: Reform, AI & shortwave on VON’s future agenda

The Director General of Nigeria’s international broadcasting service, Voice of Nigeria (VON), has pledged reforms, urged journalists to embrace AI, and announced a return to shortwave. The comments were made during a visit to the organisation by the new leadership of the Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers’ Union. 

“We are rebuilding VON as a pan-African and globally respected broadcaster, with emphasis on operational excellence, digital transformation, and international relevance,” Jibrin Baba Ndace said. The broadcaster plans to reactivate a 250KW transmitter to deliver shortwave radio across Africa and further afield. The organisation is also undergoing a restructure, with an emphasis on being digital-first and increasing its international prominence. 

In a separate speech, given at the Broadcasting and Digital Convention West Africa in Lagos, Ndace also called for newsrooms to adopt AI, albeit responsibly. VON reported him calling on media workers to understand and integrate AI for the public good, while also recognising risks. “AI cannot replace broadcasters; rather, broadcasters who understand AI will replace others,” he said.

US: VOA director takes legal action, claiming illegal firing

The director of VOA, Michael Abramowitz, has filed a complaint against the U.S. Agency for Global Media, accusing the organisation of trying to illegally remove him from his position. 

In July, Lake ordered Abramowitz to accept a reassignment as a chief administrative officer at a shortwave radio facility in Greenville, or be fired. This proposal was rejected by Abramowitz. “Under the law, I can only be removed from my position as director of VOA with the approval of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board. No such action has been taken,” said Abramowitz. USAGM argued in their own filing that President Trump and the people acting on his behalf had the power to determine who holds a position of authority in the executive branches of public services. 

VOA has faced a drastic shrinking over the past few months, with only a handful of employees remaining after hundreds were fired last June. In total, some 1400 employees and contractors have lost their jobs since March. 

Read more >>

Belgium: RTBF defends editorial independence amid rising tension

The RTBF has defended its newsroom’s editorial independence and pledged support for its journalists, following a dispute between the president of the conservative-liberal Reformist Movement (MR), and a journalist from the public broadcaster. 

It followed a phone call between the president, Georges-Louis Bouchez, and the journalist, which was leaked to the press, where Bouchez allegedly lost his temper at the journalist and her colleagues and demanded an article be removed. Some of Bouchez’s comments were interpreted as physical threats. In an effort at transparency, the RTBF retraced the events and explained its editorial decisions and the ways they handled the issue. But that did not please Bouchez, who questioned the RTBF’s editorial independence in a post on X. The Society of Journalists (SDJ) condemned Bouchez’s vehemence, saying “this repeated behaviour is unacceptable. It is a particularly dangerous threat to press freedom in a democracy.” 

It is not the first instance of tension between the francophone public broadcaster and the MR president, who has described the RTBF as “opinion media” on several occasions and put journalists under increased pressure since his rise within the MR. It comes as the public broadcaster makes drastic cuts, including the closure of its alternative music radio station “Jam”, after the Walloon MR-led government revised its budget.

Read more >>

Italy: RAI hits back at critical RSF report

RAI has rejected the findings made in the Reporters Without Borders’ European-wide report, “Pressure on Public Media”, which criticised the independence of Italy’s public broadcaster.

The report’s section on Italy alleges that since Georgia Meloni’s government came to power in 2022, censorship and political pressure on RAI has increased. It references the abrupt cancellation of writer Antonio Scurati’s – an outspoken critic of Meloni – appearance on one of RAI’s television channels, along with the parliamentary summons of Sigfrido Ranucci, a well-known journalist who hosts the investigative TV series Report. RSF also stated that the government was dictating international news coverage, with a journalist for RAI saying that they were not allowed to portray certain world leaders like Donald Trump in a negative light.

In a statement, RAI expressed surprise at the contents of the report and denied accusations of censorship and political bias. The broadcaster cited statements from its leadership and an internal investigation conducted by RAI after Scurati’s cancellation, which found no censorship. They also mentioned Scurati appeared on several RAI television and radio shows in the weeks and months following his removal. Regarding claims of political bias, RAI pointed to independent studies conducted by the Pavia Observatory and AGCOM, which found the broadcaster’s news programming was balanced between the opposition and governing parties.

With the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) coming into effect in August, the government’s opponents have claimed that Italy is in violation of the Act, as the public broadcaster is not independent from the ruling party.

Read More >>

Israel: Supreme Court tells Communications Minister to stop interfering in KAN appointments

Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled the communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, does not have the authority to be involved in the process of appointing members to the public broadcaster’s governing council. It comes amid ongoing government efforts to interfere in KAN’s operations, while there is also a wider dispute with the judiciary. 

The latest controversy is over Karhi’s continued interference in the appointments process of KAN’s board. These appointments are handled by the Placement Committee, which is supposed to have three members, or at least two to operate. But this committee has been without a quorum for months, with only one member, retired judge Nechama Munitz. 

Munitz recently interviewed candidates to join her on the committee, but her preferred candidate was rejected by Karhi, who called it a political appointment. This led to the legal intervention, headed by the Attorney-General, who complained of repeated interference by the minister. This resulted in the decision handed down by the Supreme Court judge. 

KAN faces the loss of its news division after a bill passed a preliminary vote in June, and will next head to the Knesset. The bill – not subject to committee scrutiny because it was put forward as a private members’ bill – would prevent the public broadcaster from producing news and current affairs content. The current news division would be sold off. 

Read more >>

Jamaica: Rival media companies agree partnership to save costs

Two of Jamaica’s largest media organisations have signed an agreement to share their printing and distribution services, part of a wider effort to save logistical costs. The agreement between the Gleaner Company and the Jamaica Observer only covers print production and distribution, with both companies retaining separate ownership, operations, and editorial control. The two companies will now explore ways to pull it off, with a strategy in development. The announcement comes amid other media restructures in Jamaica aimed at addressing falling revenue. 

Read more >>