AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijan police raid Russia’s Sputnik media offices 

DW: Azerbaijan’s police have stormed Sputnik’s Baku bureau, detaining staff as ties with Moscow sour. The raid follows the deaths of two Azerbaijanis in a Russian police operation last week.

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BANGLADESH: DBC, Betar reporters among 10 injured in Satkhira Press Club attack

BDNews: An attack on a general meeting at the Satkhira Press Club, involving correspondents from DBC News and Bangladesh Betar, among others, has left at least 10 journalists injured.

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CAMBODIA: Training journalists for tomorrow in Cambodia

BBC: Three young women who took part in a BBC Media Action-funded training course are now kicking off their media careers!

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HONG KONG: Why a Hong Kong law that is eroding press freedom is also bad for business

CPJ: Hong Kong, an international financial hub and once a beacon of free media, is now in the grip of a rapid decline in press freedom that threatens the city’s status as a global financial information center.

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INDIA: S.K. Varma, press freedom, and India’s silent Emergency today

The Hindu: He fought British rule and Emergency censorship. Today’s media, loyal and docile, shows how far India has fallen from that ideal of dissent.

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INDIA: X accounts of Reuters, TRT World, Global Times restored in India

Tribune India: The X accounts of UK-based news agency Reuters, Turkish broadcaster TRT World, and China’s English language newspaper Global Times were restored in India on Sunday evening, a day after users were unable to access them.

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INDONESIA: Ministry of Creative Economy partners with RRI to revive radio in the era of digital transformation (Indonesian)

Antara: The Ministry of Creative Economy in collaboration with the Public Broadcasting Institution Radio Republik Indonesia (LPP RRI) initiated the Radio Masih Ada program to revive the role of radio in the midst of the digital transformation era.

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KYRGYZSTAN: Freedom of expression eroding in Kyrgyzstan (Statement)

Civil Rights Defenders: We are very concerned by developments in Kyrgyzstan that curb freedom of expression and seem designed to encourage self-censorship among journalists, activists and ordinary citizens.

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MALAYSIA: Malaysia’s RTM Sarawak gets a new look

RedTech: Malaysian radio and TV broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia recently upgraded its Sarawak operation in Kuching. RTM Sarawak provides content on its stations in Malay, Melanau, English and Chinese languages.

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NEPAL: Stakeholders Voice Concerns Over State of Mother Tongue Journalism

Radio Nepal: Journalists working in the field of mother tongue journalism have said they continue to face major challenges in carrying out journalism in their mother tongue.

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NORTH KOREA & US: A Secret Program Allowed VOA to Broadcast Television into North Korea. Now It’s Gone.

CJR: How the Trump administration undermined its own strategic position.

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SOUTH KOREA: President Lee calls for broadly supported broadcasting legislation

The Korea Post: President Lee Jae-myung has emphasized the need for broadcasting laws that can gain broad public support regardless of power structures or which political party is in power, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung on July 7.

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UZBEKISTAN: Euronews office opened in Tashkent: A new era in the global information arena

Zamin: One of the most reputable and prestigious TV channels in the world — Euronews — has now opened its office in the city of Tashkent. This was officially reported by the press secretary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Akhror Burkhanov.

AUSTRALIA: Lattouf took unlawful termination case to court as ‘public has a right to know what is happening’ at ABC

The Guardian: Journalist tells the podcast We Used To Be Journos she wanted to make public information uncovered by her legal team.

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AUSTRALIA: Pacific Break 2025 launches for first time in Samoa! (Press release)

ABC: Entries are open for the Pacific’s biggest music competition, ABC Radio Australia’s Pacific Break which launched in Samoa last weekend with a huge, live concert at Friendship Park, Apia.

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AUSTRALIA: SBS On Demand boosts global news offering with launch of France 24 FAST Channel (Press release)

SBS: SBS is expanding its international news offering today with the launch of the 24-hour France 24 FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) channel on its popular streaming platform SBS On Demand.

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AUSTRALIA: The ABC and Creative Australia panicked in the face of controversy. These vital institutions must not be so timid (Opinion)

The Guardian: In the Lattouf and Sabsabi cases, the apparently unmanageable sensitivity was discussion of Israel and Palestine.

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NEW ZEALAND: Christopher Luxon denies RNZ’s funding cut was sending ‘a message’ about its journalism

Stuff: Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said the Government’s decision to cut $18 million from RNZ’s budget would have sent “a message” to the state broadcaster about its journalism.

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NEW ZEALAND: Paul Henry Joins TVNZ Board Amid Strategic Revamp of Public Broadcaster

DevDiscourse: Paul Henry is one of New Zealand’s most recognisable media personalities. His career spans television and radio, including roles with TVNZ, RadioLIVE, and MediaWorks.

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NEW ZEALAND: RNZ appoints Patrick Crewdson as Director of AI Strategy & Implementation (Press release – 27 June) 

RNZ: Experienced editorial leader Patrick Crewdson has been appointed RNZ’s first Director of AI Strategy & Implementation.

ALBANIA: Integrating European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) and Digital Services Act in Albania’s Media Framework 

Council of Europe: As Albania advances on its path to EU accession, aligning its media legislation with European standards is a critical step. 

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AUSTRIA: ORF as a “public good” (German) 

ORF: The Austrian Constitutional Court (VfGH) has ruled that the ORF contribution is constitutional.

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BALKANS: 20 Years On, New Threats Worsen Outlook for Free Media in Balkans

Balkan Insight: When BIRN was founded two decades ago, media freedom in the Balkans faced serious challenges, but there was hope; now, the prospects are even bleaker.

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BELGIUM: Ketnet introduces “Timbalo”, a thoughtful animated series for growing minds (Press release) 

VRT International: In a media landscape often dominated by fast-paced visuals and overstimulation, Timbalo emerges as a thoughtful alternative for the youngest among us.

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BELGIUM: Majority parties want to give VRT more flexibility for advertising 

Belga: The Flemish majority parties N-VA, CD&V and Vooruit want to give public broadcaster VRT more flexibility to sell advertising space, particularly on digital platforms like VRT MAX, without exceeding the existing advertising ceiling.

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BELGIUM: Police raids journalist’s house in Brussels without showing warrant (Paywall) 

The Brussels Times: Freedom of expression and the protection of journalists are among the fundamental principles in the EU but when they are violated in the capital of Europe the European Commission is reluctant to comment.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Souček filed a lawsuit against the Czech Television Council, sent a pre-litigation summons to the CEO of ČT (Czech) 

Česky Rozhlas: Former head of Czech Television (ČT) Jan Souček has filed a lawsuit against the ČT Council, the weekly Respekt reported on Friday.

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FINLAND: Marit af Björkesten has been appointed as Yle’s new CEO (Press release – Finnish) 

Yle: Yle’s Board of Directors has appointed Marit af Björkesten as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. She succeeds Merja Ylä-Anttila, who previously announced her retirement this autumn.

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FRANCE: FRANCE 24 coverage resumes as public media reform bill heads back to Senate 

France24: FRANCE 24’s broadcasts and digital platforms returned mostly to normal on Tuesday after being disrupted by a widespread strike Monday at France Médias Monde, the parent company of FRANCE 24, against the proposed merger of France’s public broadcasting outlets.

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FRANCE: France 24 in French now available on the france.tv platform (Press release – French) 

FMM: France 24 in French, the public international news channel from the France Médias Monde group, has just expanded the offerings of France.tv, the streaming platform of France Télévisions.

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FRANCE: Prime Video and France Télévisions announce the launch of france.tv on Prime Video from July 3, 2025 (Press release – French) 

France Télévisions: Prime Video and France Télévisions announce a historic agreement to distribute the france.tv offering on Prime Video in France starting July 3.

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FRANCE: Public broadcasting reform in limbo after surprise rejection of text defended by Rachida Dati in the Assembly (Paywall – French) 

Le Monde: The motion championed by the left was adopted on Monday, June 30, sending the bill to create a public broadcasting holding company back to the Senate. To everyone’s surprise, the National Rally supported it.

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FRANCE: “The public broadcasting reform project hides a cultural battle of which France Inter is the main target” (Paywall – French) 

Le Monde: On the fringes of the debates surrounding the proposed holding company, political leaders are now discussing what a public service media outlet should be. 

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GERMANY: ARD launches cross-channel fact-checking network (Press release – German) 

ARD: ARD is expanding its capacity to combat disinformation: Under the leadership of Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), a new, cross-broadcaster fact-checking network is beginning its work.

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GEORGIA: Urgent action required as ruling party accelerates efforts to silence independent media (30 June) 

IPI: The EU must immediately respond to unprecedented crackdown on media in candidate country. 

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POLAND: Liquidation of TVP deemed lawful by the Court (Press release – Polish) 

TVP: On July 3, 2025, the District Court in Warsaw, XXVI Commercial Division, dismissed in its entirety the lawsuit filed by Michał Adamczyk questioning the correctness of the so-called liquidation resolutions of TVP of December 27, 2023, which concerned the dissolution of the Company and the appointment of a liquidator.

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SERBIA: Euronews Serbia must immediately stop dismissing its media workers for defending the profession

EFJ: The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliates, the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS), the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), and the “Nezavisnost” Branch Trade Union in expressing deep concern over the ongoing and increasingly intense pressures, professional degradation, and systematic erosion of labor rights of journalists and media workers at Euronews Serbia.

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SLOVAKIA: Fico’s authoritarian government targets independent media (Analysis) 

European Interest: Since his return to power in 2023, Prime Minister Robert Fico has implemented measures to exert control over the media in Slovakia.

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SPAIN: The PP and Vox are seeking to halt the reform of Congress’s regulations that would allow for the sanctioning of “pseudo-journalists” today. (Spanish) 

Infobae: The PP and Vox will attempt this Tuesday to overturn the reform of the Congressional Rules that the PSOE and its allies pushed through a few weeks ago to allow sanctions against accredited journalists who obstruct parliamentary and press work in the Chamber, whom they define as “pseudo-journalists.”

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SPAIN: Toxic networks: How online attacks targeted Spain’s public broadcaster amid flooding tragedy 

IPI: Spanish public broadcaster’s (RTVE) coverage of flooding tragedy became a stark illustration of the mounting challenges faced by public journalism in times of polarization, disinformation, and collective grief.

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SWEDEN: Extended distribution investigation, but no news on handling increased costs for the terrestrial network (Press release – Swedish) 

SVT: The distribution investigation will be given an expanded mandate to investigate the future of the terrestrial network in 2026. But the increased costs of broadcasting on the terrestrial network are already here and require a quick response, writes SVT’s strategy director Kristian Lindquist.

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SWITZERLAND: Federal study details threats to SSR from 200 franc fee (French) 

RTS: A study by the Swiss Confederation estimates that more than 6,000 jobs could disappear if the initiative to reduce the fee to 200 francs were accepted.

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SWITZERLAND: Major job cuts at SRG broadcasters (German) 

Persoenlich: SRF has announced cost-cutting measures totaling CHF 12 million and the elimination of 66 full-time positions. RTS is eliminating around 70 positions by 2026, aiming to save CHF 16.5 million.

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SWITZERLAND: The SRG is repositioning itself and moving closer together (Press release – German) 

SRG SSR: The SRG (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation) is facing greater challenges than ever before. By 2029, it must save around CHF 270 million, or 17 percent of its budget. This is also because the media fee will be reduced to CHF 300 in the future.

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UK: BBC statement on Bob Vylan’s live appearance at Glastonbury on the BBC (Press release) 

BBC

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UK: Bob Vylan at Glastonbury: free speech or hate speech? (Watch) 

Channel 4: Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance has dominated headlines and sparked a huge debate. The punk duo chanted “death to the IDF” to a live crowd of thousands, and millions more watched at home, as their set aired live on the BBC.

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UK: Lisa Nandy questions lack of BBC sackings over Gaza war documentary

The Guardian: Culture secretary says BBC must ‘get a grip’ after Bob Vylan Glastonbury row and film featuring son of Hamas official.

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REGIONAL: Big Tech cannot dismantle the Digital Markets Act 

EFJ: The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has expressed concern over reports that the European Commission intends to grant U.S. tech giants a say in the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

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REGIONAL: ChatEurope: First chatbot dedicated to European news (Press release) 

DW: Launched today by 15 partners including a dozen leading European media organizations, this unique news platform integrates a chatbot able to answer your questions about European news in all EU languages.

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REGIONAL: Money for nothing: Commission pours millions into struggling EU media (Opinion) 

Euractiv: The EU’s generous subsidies come with little oversight and risk skewing the media market for independent players

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REGIONAL: MPM2025: What the latest data says about being a journalist in Europe

EFJ: Conducted by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), the Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) offers one of the most comprehensive assessments of media conditions in Europe.

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REGIONAL: Tapping the EU’s media slush fund; Kallas’ view from nowhere (Opinion)

Euractiv: Media can’t claim independence if a government or public donor is an outlet’s primary or even a major source of funding.

IRAN: He Designed Iran’s State TV Headquarters – Decades Later Israel Bombed It (Paywall) 

Haaretz: From Tehran’s iconic Glass Building to the monumental Azadi Stadium, architect Abdol-Aziz Farmanfarmaian helped shape Iran’s modern identity – but died in exile, far from the city he helped build

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IRAN & ISRAEL: ‘There is real fear’: How Israel’s attack on Iran enabled an assault on press freedoms

Middle East Eye: Palestinian journalists face worsening violence, harassment and censorship after last month’s conflict. 

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ISRAEL: Karhi rejects High Court order to extend term of public broadcaster council member

The Times of Israel: Communications minister says ‘unlawful’ order ‘will not be honored,’ says he will fill Kan broadcaster’s vacant council seats; council cannot operate until empty spots filled

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ISRAEL: The Public Doesn’t Need to Know: The Dangerous Bill Designed to Destroy Israel’s Public Broadcaster (Opinion – Paywall)

Haaretz: Earlier this week, the Israeli Knesset’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a bill proposed by MK Galit Distel Atbaryan (Likud) that seeks to dismantle key elements of Israel’s public broadcasting system.

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ISRAEL & GERMANY: Journalist union condemns Israeli settler attack on DW

DW: Two DW journalists were attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Sinjil. The incident has been condemned by the German ambassador to Israel and by the DJV journalists’ union.

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PALESTINE: Protect journalists under attack in Gaza and West Bank

ARTICLE 19: Following the 30 June attack on the Al-Baqa cafe in Gaza City resulting in the death of Palestinian journalist Ismail Abu Hatab, ARTICLE 19 calls on the international community to take immediate action to address Israeli forces’ ongoing violations, and to ensure the protection of journalists and uphold the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom. 

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SYRIA: Investigating Inside Syria, Six Months After Assad’s Fall

GIJN: When 54 years of Assad dynasty rule in Syria came to a somewhat abrupt end, after a series of armed rebel offensives culminated in the capture of Damascus on December 8, 2024, many Syrians were able to return to the country for the first time in decades.

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SYRIA & FRANCE: Syria and France discuss launching Radio Monte Carlo broadcast from Damascus

SANA: Information Minister Dr. Hamza al-Mustafa discussed with the Chargé d’Affaires of the French Embassy in Damascus, Jean-Baptiste Favre, the possibility of launching Radio Monte Carlo International’s broadcast from the capital, Damascus.

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TURKEY: 19 press freedom organizations call for release of Turkish journalists jailed on ‘terrorism’ charges

Stockholm Center for Freedom: Nineteen press freedom organizations have called for Turkey to release five journalists jailed in recent weeks on charges of “membership in an illegal organization,” condemning their arrests as politically motivated attempts to suppress independent journalism, the Bianet news website reported.

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TURKEY: Türkiye’s broadcasting watchdog head defends sanctions on opposition TV channels

Türkiye Today: The head of Türkiye’s broadcasting watchdog has defended a string of recent sanctions against several opposition-aligned TV channels, insisting the penalties were based on legal violations and not political pressure.

CANADA: Canadian community foundations rally to support local news, calling it essential to democracy  

The Conversation: Local news outlets are closing — 566 across Canada, to be precise, between 2008 and April 2025. That’s compared to the 283 that opened and remain in operation in that same period, according to the Local News Research Project.

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CANADA: Indigenous Screen Office, CBC and APTN Announce Fourth Year of the Early Stage Scripted Development Program for Indigenous Creators (Press release – 27 June)  

CBC: This program offers a unique opportunity for two emerging creators to work closely with CBC and APTN executives to help move their projects into development and ultimately, into the production phase. The application period will open on June 25, 2025 and close on July 24, 2025.

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CANADA: The Liberals have a mandate to improve CBC funding—here’s the case for it

CCPA: The Conservatives lost the election to the Liberals—and Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to increase CBC funding, not gut it. There’s a strong case for this approach.

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US: CPB Announces 2025 Grant for Four New Public Radio Hubs for StoryCorps’ One Small Step (Press release) 

CPB: Through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), StoryCorps has announced four new public radio stations as part of its One Small Step initiative, which helps bridge partisan divides through civil conversations.

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US: CPB Awards $200,000 Grant to PMJA Editor Corps (Press release) 

CPB: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced a $200,000 grant to the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) to support its Editor Corps program, which provides critical short-term editing help to local public media newsrooms across the country.

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US: Kari Lake called the US Agency for Global Media ‘rotten to the core’ in a congressional hearing (26 June) 

Poynter: The USAGM senior adviser backed Trump’s plan to eliminate the agency, drawing pushback from Democrats who say she’s echoing authoritarian regimes

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US: New Jersey reduces funding for NJ PBS

Current: The station’s appropriation will decline from $1 million to $250,000.

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US: Public media has a bright future. We have to start acting like it. (Speech) 

Poynter: To become essential local news providers, public media leaders must identify what their communities need and own it.

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US: What Paramount’s multi-million dollar settlement with Trump means for press freedom (Watch) 

PBS: Paramount agreed to pay Donald Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris.

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US: WKAR lays off nine employees 

Current: Most of the staffers who lost their jobs worked in TV production, though others held digital roles or worked in fundraising.

Are journalists projecting their own opinions onto the public?

Nieman Lab: Journalists often think about news judgment or newsworthiness as a gut feeling, an internal gauge that a journalist just has after years of experience.

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Awkward opinions test broadcasters’ backbone

RNZ MediaWatch: “Last year, the BBC won a Bafta for its Glastonbury coverage,” the BBC’s own culture and media editor Katie Razzall noted this week.

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Boiling Frogs

CJR: How the press is faring halfway through a turbulent year.

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Can AI Tools Meet Journalistic Standards?

CJR: Tech companies promise that AI tools can do more with less—so perhaps they can help news outlets survive declining subscription sales and evaporating advertising revenue.

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Letter from Niterói: BRICS journalists propose integration between media outlets in the Global South (Portuguese) 

Brasil 247: “That the BRICS develop a policy of support for independent media”, defends the text, signed by Brasil 247 and other national and international media outlets

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Media talk: How good is AI in journalism? (German) 

SRF: The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on journalism can currently be seen particularly clearly in local journalism.

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Novaya Gazeta Baltia is building an AI-powered monitoring tool for newsrooms that need it most

IPI: Meet Novaya Gazeta Baltia, a Russian-language media outlet serving the Russian-speaking communities of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Their mission is to highlight underreported stories and provide a significant, yet chronically underserved Russian-speaking audience in the Baltic states with verified information in their own language.

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On the independence of journalism: Can media remain impartial when they are singled out as enemies? (Listen – Swedish) 

SR: In an increasingly polarized climate, media is being portrayed as biased. What is needed to maintain credibility and reach a growing group of news avoiders?

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Sebastian Junger Worries War Journalism Is Less Safe and Viable Than Ever (Q&A) 

CJR

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Trust Issues

CJR: News consumers are skeptical of the press. That’s driving them to partisan personalities.

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We need to get better at explaining our working methods. (Press release – Swedish) 

SR: A democracy that is in decline in more and more countries, authoritarian leaders who use lies as a weapon, a world order in turmoil… And in the middle of all this stands journalism.