AFGHANISTAN & UK: Anger grows over Afghan journalists still stranded by Home Office inaction

The Guardian: Hundreds of Afghan journalists remain stranded in increasingly “dire” circumstances as frustration mounts over the UK government’s refusal to share the latest entry criteria for its flagship resettlement programme.

BANGLADESH: Media Freedom Coalition expresses concern over closing of Dainik Dinkal

The Business Standard: Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) in Bangladesh has expressed concern about the government’s recent decision to cancel the declaration (authorisation to publish) of the Dainik Dinkal. 

CAMBODIA: Ahead of Elections, Cambodia’s Strongman Crushes the Last Vestiges of Free Media

Polygraph.info: On February 13, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen shuttered the independent Voice of Democracy (VOD) news outlet after a disputed report on the government’s disaster relief for earthquake-hit Turkey.

CHINA: China’s Control of the “Pipes” of Information and Its Implications for Global Internet Freedom

Council on Foreign Relations: In the past decade, China’s government has stepped up its efforts to wield powerful tools of information around the globe—in its near neighborhood and, increasingly in farther places including North America, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. 

CHINA: Foreign journalists in China restricted, harassed and constantly tracked in 2022, says press group

HKFP: Foreign media in China endured strict Covid controls, widespread harassment and constant surveillance in 2022, a press group said Wednesday.

HONG KONG: For Some Hong Kong Journalism Students, Security Law is a Challenge

VOA News: From compulsory classes on national security to uncertainty over what can be discussed about Hong Kong’s new laws, journalism students and media professors are navigating a difficult landscape.

INDIA: BBC raids show India’s shrinking media freedom under Modi, some journalists say

Reuters: At around 11 a.m. on Feb 14, some 20 Indian tax officials and police burst into the BBC’s offices in New Delhi, shouting at staff to step away from their computers and hand over their mobile phones, according to two people present.

INDIA: Journalist Under Police Protection After Shooting in India

VOA:  Shot by an unidentified assailant and left bleeding on the street, Indian journalist Devendra Khare considers himself lucky to have escaped with his life.

INDIA: Prasar Bharati signs news feed deal with RSS-backed agency

Scroll: The deal with Hindusthan Samachar was signed after the public broadcaster ended its subscription with the Press Trust of India in 2020.

JAPAN: Japan Govt Releases Broadcasting Law-Linked Internal Papers

Nippon.com: Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on Tuesday released internal documents showing its exchanges with the prime minister’s office over the interpretation of political impartiality under the broadcasting law.

KAZAKHSTAN: Wary media see peril in government attempt to combat fake news

Eurasianet: While the government insists it is trying to stop the spread of disinformation, press freedom advocates see a familiar attempt to control the message.

KYRGYZSTAN: Kyrgyz Court Upholds Decision Blocking RFE/RL Websites; Broadcaster Says It Will Appeal

RFE/RL: A court in Kyrgyzstan has upheld a decision of the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policies to block the websites of RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Radio Azattyk, after the broadcaster refused to remove a report on a border dispute with neighboring Tajikistan.

PAKISTAN: ARY News suspended by regulators

IFJ: The Pakistani news and current affairs channel ARY News has had its license suspended for broadcasting clips of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose speeches Pakistani authorities are claiming undermines state institutions and incites enmity.

PAKISTAN: Senate body seeks Rs500 radio fee on registration of vehicles

Dawn: A Senate committee has recommended charging Rs500 “radio fee” from all vehicles, excluding motorcycles, at the time of registration to generate additional Rs15 billion per year revenue for the financially-hit state-run Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), commonly known as Radio Pakistan.

THAILAND: Thai PBS is ready to serve dramas to promote cultural values. insert knowledge entertainment Complete with all the flavors that can be seen by all ages (Press release – Thai)

Thai PBS: Thai PBS in collaboration with the Center for Multicultural Studies and Social Innovation Institute of Asian Studies Chulalongkorn University share information and disseminate cultural stories linked to various dimensions in Thai society by extending research into drama to promote cultural values.

REGIONAL: Time to Revive Asia’s Tradition of Openness

Open Society: Before I joined Open Society, you might say that I was already committed to the ideals of an open society—to the belief that people should have access to information and to have a say in how they are governed.  

AUSTRALIA: ABC accuses News Corp and Daily Mail of amplifying misogynist Twitter abuse of Lisa Millar

The Guardian: The ABC has accused News Corp and the Daily Mail of amplifying misogynist social media abuse by publishing articles that included “vile” Twitter criticism of an outfit worn by News Breakfast host Lisa Millar.

AUSTRALIA: ABC staff call off strike due to a new pay offer

RadioInfo: According to The Australian (subscription required) ABC management have offered a revised pay deal of an 11 per cent pay rise over three years, backdated to October last year.

AUSTRALIA: Out of Covid and from the Community radio sector comes audiobooksradio

Radioinfo: The pandemic lockdowns of the past couple of years have had a detrimental effect on a lot of industries, while others have flourished due to their ingenuity.

AUSTRALIA: Paul Keating blasts Age and SMH for ‘provocative’ China war story

The Guardian: Former Australian PM criticises ‘extent of the bias’ in newspapers’ front-page report warning of armed conflict

AUSTRALIA: SBS Audio goes live with brand evolution (Press Release)

SBS: The launch of SBS Audio means that audiences can now enjoy SBS’s full audio offering in one unified digital experience for the first time. Improvements include better showcasing of podcasts, individual station pages and music search features.

AUSTRALIA: SBS to serve more multilingual Australians than ever; investing more in Indo-Pacific and First Nations languages (Press release) 

SBS: SBS today announced its five-yearly update to its audio content offering to reflect contemporary Australia and serve the record number of Australians speaking a language other than English at home. 

AUSTRALIA: Stoush over media bias highlights the need for greater diversity (Opinion)

The University of Sydney: Andrew Forrest and Kerry Stokes brawl over media representation Share. Associate Professor Timothy Dwyer from the Discipline of Media and Communications explores how a clash between mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and media mogul Kerry Stokes has highlighted the “parlous” state of media diversity in Australia.

AUSTRALIA: TikTok bans ‘haphazard and inconsistent’, as departments make own rules on banning app

ABC: Australian government departments have gone their own way on whether or not to ban TikTok on government devices, after the home affairs minister decided against implementing a ban across the entire public service.

AUSTRALIA & INDIA: ‘We support freedom of press’: Penny Wong raises raid on BBC offices with Indian counterpart

SBS News: Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she has spoken about attacks on the free press with her Indian counterpart, after the country’s authorities’ controversial raid on BBC offices in Mumbai and New Delhi.

NEW ZEALAND: RNZ-TVNZ merger board is still working, costing thousands a day

Stuff: An $8000-a-day board, which was meant to be leading the merger of Radio and Television New Zealand, is still working weeks after the Government ditched the project.

NEW ZEALAND: Signal to noise – is NZ’s AM radio really under threat?

RNZ: Old-fashioned AM radio was an information lifeline for many during Cyclone Gabrielle when other sources wilted without power. 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: PNG Post-Courier: Let’s talk first on media policy and transparency (Editorial)

Asia Pacific report: The discussions on Papua New Guinea’s new draft media development policy will come to the fore today when the media industry presents its response to the government.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Top PNG journalist challenges state media ‘regulation’ plans at stakeholder consultation

Asia Pacific Report: Senior Papua New Guinean television journalist and columnist Scott Waide has challenged the government on what it actually wants to “regulate” in the draft national media development policy.

ALBANIA: Albanian Tax Inspectors Fine Critical Media Outlets

Balkan Insight: Tax inspectors imposed several hefty fines on media outlets critical of the government of the Prime Minister Edi Rama for under-reporting their tax obligations, sparking claims that they were targeted for political reasons.

AUSTRIA: Manager complains to ORF that she is professionally disadvantaged after allegations of harassment (German)

Der Standard: Next Friday, the Vienna Labor and Social Court will deal with the complaint of an ORF manager who sees herself disadvantaged by the ORF in her professional advancement in a second hearing. 

AUSTRIA: ORF household fee without regional GIS fees – that’s what the states say (German)

Der Standard: In order to make an ORF levy significantly cheaper for all households from 2024 than the GIS has been so far, federal and state levies are also to be eliminated. 

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: United Media’s N1 secures nationwide licence in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Digital TV Europe: United Media-owned news and information channel N1 Television has secured a national broadcasting licence from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s media watchdog.

CROATIA: SLAPP cases of growing concern, says Croatian democracy watchdog

EURACTIV: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) are a growing problem in Croatia, representatives of Zagreb-based democracy and human rights NGO GONG said during an event at the European Parliament on Tuesday.

GEORGIA: Protests, brawls erupt as Georgia’s ruling party tries to push through foreign agent bills

Eurasianet: The bills, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, would force foreign-funded NGOs, media outlets, and possibly even individuals to register as “foreign influence agents” or face fines and possibly even jail time. 

GERMANY: Warning strike on ZDF (Press release – German)

ZDF: On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, the VRFF, Verdi and DJV unions called for a strike lasting several hours on ZDF.

GERMANY: ZDF presents event series “The Swarm” in Brussels (Press release – German)

ZDF: In his speech, Himmler emphasized the uniqueness of the collaboration for this major project: “‘Der Schwarm’ is an outstanding example of innovative fictional television made in Europe.”

MALTA: Media impartiality court ruling ‘being analysed’ says Owen Bonnici

Times of Malta: The government is “analysing” a recent court ruling which confirmed that the Broadcasting Authority is obliged to ensure impartiality of all broadcast media, according to Culture Minister Owen Bonnici.

RUSSIA & LATVIA: How Russian Journalists in Exile Are Covering the War in Ukraine

The New Yorker: Dozens of media outlets have fled to the capital of Latvia, only to encounter a distrustful public and a set of strictly enforced laws and regulations.

SLOVAKIA: 5 YEARS AFTER KUCIAK MURDER, SLOVAK JOURNALISTS ARE STILL BEING ATTACKED BY POLITICIANS

Balkan Insight: Just days after the country marked the fifth anniversary of the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak, a journalist receives death threats.

SLOVENIA: TV Slovenia Waits as Court Puts New Legislation on Hold

VOA News: Many journalists, academics and analysts expressed regret after the Slovenian Constitutional Court late last month put on hold parts of a new law on Slovenia’s public broadcaster RTV that the center-left government contends would limit direct political influence in the broadcaster’s work.

SPAIN: Galician radio and television workers go on strike against the “unbreathable work climate” (Spanish)

El País: The Inter-Centre Committee of the public company denounces “manipulation” and “retaliation” against journalists and initiates a schedule of strikes until management puts an end to the “abuses”.

SPAIN: The RTVE Chair at the UPM and Cisco prepare the first live DTT 8K broadcast (Press release – Spanish)

RTVE: The pilot, a pioneer in the world, will capture and encode the ultra-high definition signal in real time, and broadcast it with DVB-T2 technology. 

SWEDEN: 140,000 hours of radio for the whole of Sweden (Press release – Swedish)

Swedish Radio: Today, March 1, the annual public service report from Sveriges Radio is submitted to the Authority for Press, Radio and TV. 

SWEDEN: The group chat – a new talk show for young people (Press release – Swedish) 

SVT: Welcome to a new universe. Or rather, a new door for SVT into an already existing universe.

UKRAINE: Ukraine’s reporters adapt amid media restrictions and pressure of war

The Guardian: War restrictions on press freedom and a sense the army is protecting officials complicates the task of rooting out corruption.

UK: Echo of BBC’s first broadcast in Scotland 100 years ago is heard around the world from centenary event at Pacific Quay

BBC: Tim Davie, BBC Director General, met BBC Scotland apprentices and radio amateurs at a temporary radio base and sent out a 5SC call which John Reith had announced a century before.

UK: ‘I was just doing my job!’ LBC Reporter opens up on arrest as protection for journalists added into anti-protest laws (Opinion)

LBC: As I watch the footage of what happened to me almost exactly four months ago, I feel like I am looking at a child.

UK: The Guardian view on local journalism’s decline: bad news for democracy (Editorial)

The Guardian: The lack of reliable information not only weakens communities, but allows disinformation to flourish.

REGIONAL: Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists Report 2023

IPI: The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins the Partner Organisations in the platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists in publish our 2023 annual report under the title “War in Europe and the fight for the right to report”.

ARGENTINA: The Argentine president charges against “systematic disinformation” from the media (Spanish)

Swissinfo: The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, denounced this Wednesday the existence of a “systematic disinformation action” by the national media during his three years in office, accusing them of “lying with complete impudence” about his policies.

ARGENTINA: The Rosario Press Union celebrates the 70th anniversary of Radio Nacional Rosario (Spanish)

El Cuidadano: The Rosario Press Union celebrates the 70th anniversary of Radio Nacional Rosario Roberto Fontanarrosa and salutes its workers who make possible the existence of an essential medium for the community such as public radio.

BRAZIL: Minister of Secom announces two more names for the EBC (Portuguese)

Agência Brasil: Minister Paulo Pimenta, from the Special Secretariat for Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic (Secom), announced this Saturday (4) two more names to compose the new management of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC). 

CHILE: Chile approves a bill to protect journalists (Spanish)

Cronica Digital: The Commission for Culture, Arts and Communications of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies approved a bill to protect journalists and media workers in the exercise of their duties.

COLOMBIA: Flip insists that the government of Gustavo Petro must allow adequate access to information to the media (Spanish)

Infobae: Jonathan Bock spoke with Infobae Colombia about the pressures that journalists are receiving, due to their publications that show failures in the State, in addition, the danger represented by the creation of channels, which pose as traditional media, but are institutional.

COLOMBIA: Murders of journalists in Colombia: impunity is 78% (Spanish)

Infobae: Through the report “Journalism and elections: democracy at risk” by the Colombian Federation of Journalists (Fecolper), an assessment of the effects on press freedom in Colombia during 2022 was revealed , in which four journalists were murdered, two of these related to his work.

GUATEMALA: Guatemala journalists warn free press under threat

France24: Journalists in Guatemala took to the streets Saturday to warn that free speech was under threat in the Central American country after a judge opened an inquiry into several reporters.

GUATEMALA: RSF denounces judicial harassment of Guatemalan newspaper

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on Guatemala’s judicial authorities to abandon an investigation into nine newspaper journalists accused of “disinformation” about their imprisoned publisher’s trial.

MEXICO: Director-General urges investigation into the death of journalist Abisaí Pérez Romero in Mexico (Press release)

UNESCO: Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, has called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of environmental journalist and student Abisaí Pérez Romero, who was found dead in the state of Tula in central Mexico on 13 February.

MEXICO: Notimex, Mexico’s public news agency, has been on strike for more than a thousand days (Paywall – Spanish)

El País: More than three years after the labor dispute between the workers and the management of the state body broke out, the parties have not been able to reach an agreement.

NICARAGUA: “Political pressure” threatens to leave Nicaragua without journalists (Spanish)

VOA News: This first of March the National Journalist’s Day is commemorated in Nicaragua, amid complaints from the independent press for the confiscation of more than 50 communication companies and the exile of more than 100 reporters.

PERU: Government orders PNP to supervise journalistic work in protests (Spanish)

Infobae: Protocol was drawn up by the General Staff of the National Police and the Ministries of the Interior, Health, Justice and the College of Journalists.

PERU: Quechua journalists and scholars criticize Peruvian mainstream media’s coverage of protests and allege bias against Indigenous people

LatAm Journalism Review: Quechua journalists and scholars condemned the Peruvian mainstream media’s coverage of Indigenous people amid widespread political protests that resulted in more than 60 deaths, since last December. 

PERU: The government’s “Protocol” for journalists did not include the observations of journalists (Spanish)

Epicentro: Last January, the Government Palace summoned some journalistic unions to elaborate a “Protocol” that would regulate journalistic coverage during the protests, in the midst of several police attacks against reporters. 

VENEZUELA: Chavismo has restricted freedom of expression for 24 years (Spanish)

Diario Las Américas: Transparency Venezuela highlights that the actions of Chavismo have had a negative impact on the performance of the media.

VENEZUELA: What is the pattern of disinformation in Venezuela? (Spanish)

El Pitazo: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to promote campaigns of erroneous, misleading or false information , through influence operations in favor of the interests of the government of Nicolás Maduro, introduces little-known elements to the pattern of disinformation in Venezuela . That is one of the first warnings highlighted by Adrián González, director of the organization Cazadores de Fake News, consulted by El Pitazo.

REGIONAL: What are and who should establish security protocols for journalists? (Spanish)

VOA News: Regarding the attacks in the recent protests and the murders of journalists in the region , the Inter-American Press Association (SIP) has asked the media to create or activate security protocols to protect journalists in risk coverage. But what are they about? Who should establish them?

IRAN: IPI condemns government’s decision to close reformist daily Sazandegi

IPI: Authorities accuse newspaper of ‘false content’ that ‘disturbed public opinion’.

PALESTINE: 36 Violations against Media Freedoms across Palestine, 32 committed by the Occupation

MADA Center: February 2023 has witnessed a decline in the number of violations committed against media freedoms across Palestine compared to January in which significant number of violations and assaults was documented.

PALESTINE: PA faces escalating protests by Palestinian journalists

Middle East Monitor: The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate declared on Monday that it is escalating its protests against the Palestinian Authority, Quds Press has reported. The syndicate is pushing the PA to respond to the “just demands” of its members.

TURKEY: 2 journalists arrested for social media posts on tents allegedly withheld from quake victims

SCF: Two journalists have been arrested pending trial in Osmaniye, one of 10 provinces hit by major earthquakes in Turkey earlier this month, due to social media posts questioning the authorities over tents allegedly withheld from quake victims in the province, Turkish Minute reported, citing the ANKA news agency.

YEMEN: “My role involves a great deal of accuracy and impartiality and the need to preserve the safety of my team”

IFJ: Thuraya Dammaj is a Yemeni journalist and the editor of the online media Yemen Future. She has been covering the bloody conflict in Yemen which started in 2014 and is a witness of the political instability in the country and the growing hostility towards the press. 

REGIONAL: Arab authorities use digital surveillance to control press freedom: journalists’ perceptions (Journal)

Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance: The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent of digital surveillance by Arab authorities, which face risks and threats of surveillance, and how journalists seek to press freedom by using tools and techniques to communicate securely.

CANADA: [Between Us] Your public broadcaster: a space for conversation and connection (Blog)

CBC/Radio-Canada: Catherine Tait reflects on the opportunities we’ve had to foster connections in our communities across the country.

CANADA: Statement re: CMG website posting

TVO: It has come to our attention that the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) has posted a statement on its website regarding its negotiations with TVO Media Education Group.

CANADA: Unionized TVO workers vote for strike mandate if labour talks fail

CBC: Unionized workers at Ontario’s public broadcaster have voted in favour of a strike if ongoing labour talks stall, moving one step closer to a legal strike position.

CANADA: Online News Act threatens Canadian press freedoms, warns senator

Ricochet: Canadian senator is sounding the alarm that new government legislation could fundamentally compromise longstanding press freedoms and independence. Bill C-18, the Online News Act, would force Google and Facebook to enter funding arrangements with Canadian news media, and in so doing would hand unprecedented oversight to the country’s telecommunications regulator.

US: In acceptance speech, NPR’s Scott Simon reflects on the state of journalism (Paywall)

Current: The role of journalism is to tell people the facts of what’s happening, not what they want to hear, Simon said upon accepting an award for distinguished achievements in American journalism.

US: Introducing the youth media starter guide

Reynolds Journalism Institute: To support newsrooms as they invest in youth media programs and produce stories by, for and with young people.

US: Ron DeSantis has his next target in his sights: freedom of the press (Opinion Piece)

The Guardian: Florida’s rightwing governor and legislature want to gut one of the United States’ most important first amendment rulings.

US: StoryCorps’ 2023 Military Voices Tour to Record and Preserve the Stories of Veterans, Active Duty Service Members, and Military Families (Press release)

CPB: StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, today announces its 2023 Military Voices Initiative tour, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and undertaken in partnership with veteran service organizations (VSOs) across the country. 

US & AUSTRALIA: Crikey, Fox News and Rupert Murdoch’s shocking testimony

The Guardian: Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has admitted under oath that several Fox News hosts endorsed false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and he did nothing to stop it. This testimony – revealed in a landmark defamation case in the United States – could affect another defamation suit brought by Lachlan Murdoch against independent news outlet Crikey.

2023 Reuters Memorial Lecture. How to report under a dictatorship: lessons from Nicaragua and beyond

RISJ: Nicaraguan journalist Carlos F. Chamorro delivered the annual Reuters Memorial Lecture on 6 March 2023. Chamorro is an award-winning editor of the news site Confidencial and hosts several popular TV shows. 

A fake news frenzy: why ChatGPT could be disastrous for truth in journalism

The Guardian: A platform that can mimic humans’ writing with no commitment to the truth is a gift for those who benefit from disinformation. We need to regulate its use now.

Disinformation Wars: China, Russia Cooperating On Propaganda More Than Ever, Says Report

RFE/RL: After a year of war in Ukraine, China and Russia have grown closer together in the information space, often parroting each other’s talking points across state-owned media as part of a wider strategy to undermine the West, a new report finds.

EBU NEWS REPORT SHOWS HOW TO DELIVER CLIMATE JOURNALISM THAT WORKS

EBU: A new report commissioned by the EBU delivers solutions-oriented advice for newsrooms on how to cover the climate catastrophe effectively, based on tried and tested, practical solutions from public service media outlets and other newsrooms across Europe and beyond.

Executing the user needs model 2.0 with Dmitry Shishkin

Journalism.co.uk: A revolutionary way of understanding audience behaviour has been updated: newsrooms must provide more than news updates if they want to remain relevant and useful.

Journalism’s Future on the Internet: “We Should Never Design Without Talking to the People Most Affected”

Nieman Reports: Joan Donovan’s work has dug deep into the world of memes, disinformation, media, and the internet.

Meet the companies trying to keep up with ChatGPT

The Verge: With all the hype surrounding ChatGPT, it’s no wonder other companies are vying for a piece of the AI-powered chatbot game.

Non-writing AI tools every journalist should know about

IJNet: The rise of AI technologies is transforming the way journalists work, and while text-generating models like ChatGPT make most of the headlines, there is much more to this rapidly-evolving technology. 

Social Media, A News Destination for The Young?

VOA: If young people are spending so much time on social media, it stands to reason that’s a good place to reach them with news.

The Guardian view on local journalism’s decline: bad news for democracy

The Guardian: The lack of reliable information not only weakens communities, but allows disinformation to flourish

Twitter insiders: We can’t protect users from trolling under Musk

BBC: Twitter insiders have told the BBC that the company is no longer able to protect users from trolling, state-co-ordinated disinformation and child sexual exploitation, following lay-offs and changes under owner Elon Musk.

What do viewers think of TV audio and subtitles?

BBC: As today is World Hearing Day, we thought now would be a good time to talk about a survey conducted by the Audio Production team that shows how audiences with different hearing abilities use subtitles, and experience TV sound across a range of genres.