Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world
Public media is in peril and facing many challenges. Social media platforms are presenting an existential crisis to public service media. Governments are trying to extend their control and influence on the editorial output of the broadcasters. Funding systems for many are up in the air. Journalists are facing threats, attacks and harassment, both online and in-person. But it’s also an exciting time for public service media – digital platforms provide new opportunities to reach audiences, technology means public broadcasters can be innovative in how they provide a public service.
Every week, PMA compiles all the latest news from the public media and media freedom industry. Have a story to feature? Get in touch!
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What we're watching...
Is that picture real?
NHK: Fake information tends to spread widely during disasters like earthquakes. In this episode, a social media post warning about escaped cats puts the father in panic mode as he searches his house for any strays. We explain what to watch out for, especially with the increase in AI-created fake images
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The rise of the extreme right and nationalism in Europe, a threat to the cultural sector in 2025? (French)
RTBF: With nationalist upsurges all over Europe, how is culture doing? Is there a threat to the expression of its diversity? What about Belgium? For Matin Première , Françoise Baré, Culture editorial manager at RTBF, draws up a rather gloomy assessment of a European cultural sector that tends to withdraw into itself.
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ALGERIA: Algerian authorities arrest journalist Abdelwakil Blamm, target other journalists
CPJ: “Abdelwakil Blamm’s detention is a troubling escalation of the ongoing crackdown on press freedom in Algeria,” said CPJ Interim MENA Program Coordinator Yeganeh Rezaian, in Washington, D.C. “Algerian authorities must immediately release Blamm, ensure his safety, and cease targeting journalists and activists for their work.”
KENYA: Kenya’s ICT Regulator Seeks Public Views on Major Licensing and Broadcasting Reforms
TechAfrica News: Kenya’s ICT Authority invites public feedback on telecom licensing reforms, DVB-T2 digital receiver standards, and digital radio broadcasting frameworks.
Africa Check: The Kenyan president keeps lamenting that he has a disinformation problem. But the trouble isn’t the headlines – it’s the trust. How can this be fixed?
MALI: Suspension of Joliba TV: a political sanction that overwhelms all journalists in Mali and the AES (French)
RFI: In Mali, Joliba TV ceased broadcasting on November 26, 2024. The private television channel was sanctioned by the Malian High Authority for Communication (HAC), at the request of neighboring Burkina Faso, after the broadcast of a debate during which the veracity of an alleged foiled coup d’état in Burkina was questioned.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC: Citizens urged to pay TV licenses or be fined
Cape {Town} etc: The South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has urged South Africans to pay their TV licences in the new year, as the public broadcaster has faced a decline in revenue gained from TV licence fees in the 2023/2024 financial year, Cape {town} Etc reports.
REGIONAL: A year of fact-checking: Lessons learned as an Africa Check researcher (30 December)
Africa Check: One of the organisation’s newest fact-checkers shares the most surprising lessons of her first year.
AFGHANISTAN: 181 cases of media rights violations documented in Afghanistan in 2024
Amu: The Afghanistan Journalists Center has reported 181 cases of media rights violations in the country over the past year, including the closure of 18 outlets due to new restrictions imposed by the Taliban and the detention of 50 journalists.
BANGLADESH: Reforms in media crucial to build new Bangladesh: journalists
BSS: Editors and senior journalists from print and electronic media and online news portal today called for bringing reforms to media so that it could play a vital role in rebuilding new Bangladesh with the spirit of July Revolution.
CHINA: Quiet on set: China’s film industry fights for relevance in changing media landscape
SCMP: With lower ticket sales and fierce competition from online entertainment, China’s film industry faces demotion in cultural status.
CHINA: The many faces of the People’s Daily
China Media Project: First launched as a newspaper in 1946, the flagship media group of the Chinese Communist Party is now a sprawling content empire – relaying everything from the dictates of the leadership to the latest entertainment news. But the party, as ever, remains at the centre.
INDIA: Media bodies demand probe into murder of Chhattisgarh journalist
Kashmir Media Service: Media organizations have condemned the murder of Chhattisgarh-based journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who was found dead in a septic tank in Bijapur on January 3, following his disappearance earlier that week.
MALAYSIA: Malaysia grants WeChat and TikTok licenses to operate under new law
Nikkei Asia: Telegram and Meta close to receiving licenses; X says its user base is too small.
MYANMAR: Myanmar’s new cybercrime law will suppress information, say analysts
VOA: Myanmar’s military leaders have enacted a new cybersecurity law that analysts say will provide the junta with extensive control over access to information.
SINGAPORE: Singapore in talks with Australia over social media ban for young users
The Straits Times: Singapore shares the same objectives as Australia in legislating age limits for social media access to protect young users and is engaging its Australian counterparts and social media platforms to understand their views, said Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam in Parliament on Jan 7.
AUSTRALIA: Peter Dutton the latest politician to seek popularity boost by podcast
The Guardian: Liberal leader rarely sits down for one-on-one interviews outside his old 2GB slot, yet he chatted for over an hour with a social media star.
AUSTRALIA: What will Australian media look like in 2025? Messy and imperfect but with glimmers of hope (Opinion)
The Guardian: Amid the rise of AI and the dominance of news ‘influencers’ comes a minor miracle – a government media policy addressing the crisis in journalism.
NEW ZEALAND: Media leaders on 2025: TVNZ’s Jodi O’Donnell, RNZ’s Paul Thompson, The Spinoff’s Duncan Greive, Pacific Media Network’s Don Mann, Pead PR’s Deborah Pead, Together’s Penelope Brown (Paywall)
The NZ Herald: What does the new year have in store for New Zealand media and its audiences and advertisers? Over the next three weeks, Media Insider quizzes top media, marketing, PR and advertising executives with five questions for 2025, including, today, our two biggest public broadcasters.
AUSTRIA: Coalition negotiators quickly planned new ORF committees, a “convention” on FM4 and a contribution (German)
Der Standard: ÖVP demand to abolish FM4, ORF 3, freeze ORF contribution and other topics for ORF “convention”. Increase in digital tax for advertising discussed
BELGIUM: Open letter: give all political groups a seat on the VRT board of directors (Opinion – Paywall – Dutch)
De Standaard
FRANCE: Charlie Hebdo marks decade since gun attack with special issue
BBC: Exactly 10 years after the jihadist gun-attack that killed most of its editorial staff, France’s Charlie Hebdo has put out a special issue to show its cause is still kicking.
GEORGIA: Protesters Gather by Georgian Public Broadcaster (Liveblog)
Civil.ge: Demonstrators gathered at the Georgian Public Broadcaster to protest against the suspension of live broadcasts with civil society representatives. They say that since December 30, 2024 the GPB has been avoiding their attempts to continue the broadcasts.
GERMANY: ARD and Dritte only in HD quality (German)
ZDF Heute: After 14 years of parallel broadcasting, it’s over: On Tuesday, ARD will say goodbye to SD quality and will only broadcast in high definition.
IRELAND: RTÉ marks 50 Years of providing access to News for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
RTÉ: RTÉ is proud to celebrate 50 years of delivering accessible news to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community this week.
MALTA: PBS fined more than €10,000 by Broadcasting Authority over budget spots
Malta Today: BA fines PBS more than €10,000 over budget adverts while PN accuses national station of delivering news of the ruling in an incomprehensible way
POLAND: Another Polish radio station experiments with AI. Owner calls it an “interesting direction”
Onet: According to the Wirtualne Media service, Radio Wielkopolska has been experimenting with AI-created presenters in weather services and in some bands for over a year.
POLAND: Local governments are destroying local media. “The president is doing everything to introduce one correct message” (Paywall – Polish)
Gazeta Wyborcza: In the cities that local government media describe, reality is simply wonderful. Roads are being built, flowers are blooming, mayors are excellent.
SLOVAKIA: Both the government and the opposition let the media “rot” (Opinion – Slovak)
SME.sk: The media has become part of the political compost heap. It’s worse than it seems.
SLOVENIA: Temporary financing of RTV Slovenia for 2025 (Press release – Slovenian)
RTVSLO: The RTV Slovenia management will establish temporary funding from January 1, which will last until the adoption of the Program and Business Plan for 2025.
SPAIN: Roberto Lakidain, new director of Corporate Development and Public Service at RTVE (Press release – Spanish)
RTVE: New organizational unit, transversal and dependent on the Presidency of RTVE, aimed at the development of the Corporation from the perspective of public service
SWITZERLAND: Swiss adapt to digital-only state broadcaster
RedTech: The Swiss appear to have swiftly adapted to their state broadcaster’s decision to transmit exclusively on digital platforms. On New Year’s Eve, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) turned off connections to its analog FM transmitters at 11:59 p.m.
BARBADOS: Barbados needs tenacious journalists, vibrant media (Opinion)
Barbados Today: As Barbadians prepare to usher in a new year, people will, expectedly, become reflective and think about how they could possibly improve their lives in 2025.
CHILE: TVN Press Department closes 2024 with important achievements (Press release – Spanish)
TVN: The Central newscast surpasses CHV Noticias in December and its Canal 24 Horas is the most watched news channel on all pay television.
CHILE: TVN’s big hit that significantly increased its rating (Spanish)
Tiempo X: The public television channel’s new strategies are yielding results.
HAITI: A gang attack on a Haitian hospital reopening kills 2 reporters and a police officer
NPR: Two reporters were killed and several were wounded Tuesday in a gang attack in Haiti on the reopening of Port-au-Prince’s biggest public hospital, the country’s online media association said. A police officer was also killed in the attack.
MEXICO: Protection mechanisms for journalists must be strengthened: RSF (Watch – Spanish)
Aristegui: Balbina Flores, representative of Reporters Without Borders in Mexico, acknowledged that the mechanisms for protecting journalists have worked to a certain extent, but these must be strengthened in light of the growing “zones of silence” in Mexico.
VENEZUELA: Cameraman detained during post-election protests in Venezuela released (Spanish)
CNN Español: Cameraman Paúl León, who was arrested while covering post-election protests in Venezuela, has been released from prison, the National Union of Press Workers of Venezuela (SNTP) and VPITV , the media outlet where he works, reported on Tuesday.
REGIONAL: “Physical attacks, threats, restrictions and persecution” suffered by the region’s press in 2024 (Spanish)
VOA: Latin America continues to be one of the most difficult regions to practice journalism. Violations such as physical attacks, death threats, stigmatization, restrictions, judicial and financial harassment, raids against media outlets, among others, continue to affect professionals and media outlets.
IRAN: Bypassing censorship to reach audiences in Iran: The case of Zamaneh Media
IJNet: For nearly two decades, Zamaneh Media has brought the people of Iran valuable information about their country, one of the most closed information ecosystems in the world.
IRAN: Iran’s Journalists Face Widening Legal Challenges
IranWire: Today, journalists covering everything from environmental issues to architectural preservation find themselves navigating an increasingly complex legal issues.
IRAN: Press freedom groups call for Iran to release jailed Italian journalist
VOA: Press freedom groups and media organizations are calling for Iran to release an Italian journalist who was arrested last month.
ISRAEL: Karhi says he will not follow High Court orders, after court blocks dismantling of KAN
Jerusalem Post: Karhi was attempting to prevent the appointment of new KAN board members, which would leave the board incapable of functioning and, thus, legally non-existent in his own legal opinion.
ISRAEL & PALESTINE: Stop targeting journalists covering the war
Article19: ARTICLE 19 condemns the ongoing targeting of journalists in Palestine and the tragic casualties among them in December 2024. These incidents, which continue into early 2025, contribute to the devastating toll of journalist deaths since the start of the war in October 2023, one of the most deadliest conflicts for journalist and media professionals in recent history.
PALESTINE: Al Jazeera Is Banned, Again
CJR: Last year, Israel suspended Al Jazeera. Now the Palestinian Authority has done likewise.
PALESTINE: CPJ urges Palestinian Authority to lift ban on Al Jazeera’s operations in West Bank
CPJ: “Governments resort to censoring news outlets when they have something to hide,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “The Palestinian Authority should reverse its decision to suspend Al Jazeera’s operations and allow journalists to report freely without fear of reprisal.”
SYRIA: Documents Found After the Fall of Assad Show Syrian Intelligence Spying on Journalists
SIRAJ: A file discovered at General Intelligence Directorate headquarters details an operation to investigate SIRAJ, a Syrian journalist collective that is part of the OCCRP network.
SYRIA: Transitional leadership must ensure journalists’ rights are respected
IFJ: After the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) sent a letter to Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed Al Sharaa, calling on the transitional leadership to ensure that international laws and treaty obligations concerning journalists are fully respected during the current political transition in the country
CANADA: Akwesasne’s only newspaper forced to shut down as Indigenous media struggles
CBC: Indian Time, Akwesasne’s only newspaper, is being forced to shut down due to declining revenues, leaving the Indigenous territory with over 23,000 residents on the Canada-U.S. border without local media.
Mondaq: The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is continuing its efforts to modernize the broadcasting regulatory landscape in Canada following last year’s passage of the Online Streaming Act and recent CRTC stakeholder listening sessions.
CANADA: Google makes $100M payment to news groups for Online News Act exemption
National Post: Google has sent the $100 million it agreed to pay Canadian news outlets in exchange for an exemption from the Online News Act to a journalism organization designed to distribute the funds.
CANADA: Why Canadian journalists are entering politics at a rapid rate (Opinion)
Vancouver Sun: It’s not only Donald Trump filling top positions with personalities from Fox News. The swing of media and public-relations figures into politics is also happening in Canada.
US: A President, the Press, and the Lessons of Hindsight
CJR: On the changing media fortunes of Jimmy Carter.
The Conversation: Despite news organizations’ pledges to provide fact-based reporting, and ongoing investments to build trust, people across the political spectrum in the U.S. are unconvinced of mainstream media’s self-described credibility.
US: Noem’s public broadcasting cut proves she’s nothing like Mr. Rogers and a lot like Trump (Opinion)
South Dakota Searchlight: Gov. Kristi Noem seems surprised about the amount of state money flowing to public broadcasting.
US: Pending CPB board nominations head back to president
Current: A Senate rule requires that nominees who are not confirmed or rejected during the session in which they are nominated must be renominated.
US: Trump, the Public, and the Press
CJR: The billionaire class has proved itself a poor steward of media. Journalists must redouble their efforts to expose the threat to democracy.
US: Trump’s threat to defund all US public media has NPR and PBS on the back foot (28th December 2024)
The Guardian: President-elect’s agenda and Project 2025 playbook align in stripping Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s license
10 media industry trends to watch in 2025
journalism.co.uk: Our community of experts gives a heads-up on the most important shifts your newsroom needs to prepare for this year.
Apple urged to withdraw ‘out of control’ AI news alerts
BBC: Apple is facing fresh calls to withdraw its controversial artificial intelligence (AI) feature that has generated inaccurate news alerts on its latest iPhones.
Around 4,000 journalism job cuts made in UK and US in 2024
Press Gazette: Job cuts in the UK and US journalism industries halved in 2024 compared to the year before, according to Press Gazette analysis.
Can solutions journalism work for local newsrooms?
Nieman Lab: The news is often quite good at being bad — as in deeply negative and depressing. This systemic negativity in news coverage, in one estimation, has gone from being “a mere ‘news value’ to an overarching ‘news ideology.”
Dow Jones negotiates AI usage agreements with nearly 4,000 news publishers
Nieman Lab: Earlier this year, the WSJ owner sued Perplexity for failing to properly license its content. Now its research tool Factiva has negotiated its own AI licensing deals.
Google unveils an AI-powered TV that summarizes the news for you at CES 2025
TechCrunch: By asking Gemini to play your “News Brief,” the AI assistant will scrape news stories from across the internet and YouTube video headlines posted by trusted news channels, and will produce a brief summary to catch you up on the day’s events.
How influencers are impacting journalism (Listen)
NPR: Given the growing role of influencers in the democratic process, it seems we should seriously consider a few things: Should they be trained? If so, how, and by whom?
The Conversation: “The news media is the least trusted group among 10 U.S. civic and political institutions involved in the democratic process,” the polling firm Gallup concluded in a 2024 analysis.
Meta Moves to End Fact-Checking Program
The New York Times: The social networking giant will stop using third-party fact checkers and instead rely on users to add notes or corrections to posts. It is likely to please the Trump administration.
News for young people by young people: How this new Spanish outlet aims to reach an elusive audience
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: Cofounder Mar Manrique discusses the ideas behind Watif, an outlet focused on future-minded topics and producing newsletters, podcasts, and events.
‘No comment’: When it’s time to make that the story
Poynter: What an independent journalist and a student newspaper can teach journalists about sources who block them
Safeguarding Women’s Voices – Newsrooms (Opportunity)
IWFM: The Safeguarding Women’s Voices: Enhancing Gender-Responsive Safety Strategies action, led by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) and UNESCO, aims to support media outlets in different regions, with a focus on the Global South, to strengthen safety policies to address threats based on gender.
The number of journalists imprisoned worldwide increased by 7.2% in 2024, to 550 (Spanish)
Infobae: A total of 550 journalists are imprisoned around the world for their work , according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and that number has increased by 7.2% in 2024 , especially due to the persecution they are subjected to in Russia and Israel.
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All PSM Weekly stories are provided for interest and their relevance to public service media issues, they do not necessarily reflect the views of the Public Media Alliance.
All headlines are sourced from their original story.
If you have any suggestions for our weekly round-ups, please email PMA at editor@publicmediaalliance.org.
Header image: News conference. Filming an event with a video camera. Credit: wellphoto / Shutterstock.com
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