Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.

Click on the drop-down menus below to reveal the latest regional stories.

DR Congo: UN ‘concerned’ at DR Congo foreign media decree

By Yahoo News: The United Nations is “concerned” by a new decree affecting foreign broadcasters in DR Congo, given the political crisis gripping the country, a senior UN representative said on Sunday.


DR Congo: DRC government takes radio stations off air and arrests journalists in effort to silence press

By International Business Times: Radio Okapi and RFI off air since Saturday and journalists arrested on Monday in media crackdown.


Ethiopia: Ethiopia’s state media will now be run by an Oromo journalism professor

By Quartz: Ethiopia’s prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn has reshuffled his cabinet, appointing 21 new ministers including a new head of communications, Negeri Lencho, an Oromo professor at the Addis Ababa University college of humanities and journalism


General: How should African media look like?

By The New Times


Kenya: Work with us to curb terrorism, State tells media

By The Star: Kenya will win the war against terrorism more efficiently if the media partners with the state, the National Counter Terrorism Centre has said.


Kenya: Media Council of Kenya accuses government of under funding

By MediaMax: The government is on the spot for under-funding the Media Council of Kenya (MCK).


Liberia: Mia Holds Decentralization Media Confab

By The New Dawn: A two-day conference on the role of the media in Liberia’s decentralization program is to take place from November 16-17, 2016 in the provincial city of Gbarnga, Bong County.


Nigeria: Army Chief Urges Media Restraint in Reporting Boko Haram

By All Africa: The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has again called on the Nigerian media, especially online publications, to be patriotic in their reportage of the Boko Haram activities.


Regional: Radio silence in Kinshasa as RFI cut drags on; How “Somali Faces” shares stories to counter negative perceptions of Somalis

By Radio France Internationale: In this week’s edition of African Media, we go to the DRC, where RFI broadcasts have been cut for over a week. Then, we talk to a young photographer who is challenging negative perceptions about Somalis.


Rwanda: Journalists Challenged on Upholding Media Principles

By All Africa: Media practitioners have called for more emphasis on principles of independence, fairness and accountability as prime kits to tell the African story through the African media.


South Africa: Two more SABC members resign

BY SABC: Two more SABC board members have resigned, leaving the chairperson, Mbulaheni Maguvhe the only non-executive member.


South Africa: SABC inquiry to begin soon, ‘may work on Christmas’

By Times Live: The inquiry into issues at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) will start on November 29 and could continue its work through the December parliamentary break.


South Africa: SABC 8 remain resolute despite death threats

By News24: Despite intimidation and death threats, the SABC 8 on Sunday reiterated their determination to go ahead with a Constitutional Court case probing possible censorship at the national broadcaster.


South Sudan: South Sudan station Eye Radio forced to cease broadcasting

By CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on South Sudanese authorities to allow the independent station Eye Radio to resume broadcasting.

Bangladesh: Today’s journalism needs rethinking

By Prothom Alo:  Challenged by digital platforms, declining revenue for newspapers and waning public trust in the mainstream media, journalism requires introspection to thrive again, local and foreign journalists said in Dhaka on Saturday.


Burma: Press law concerns after media chiefs detained

By Pacific Media Centre: Human rights monitors have raised concerns over Myanmar’s media laws as two chief reporters were accused of government defamation, and are now detained in Insein Prison.


China: Chinese Activists Welcome Press Freedom Award to Bloggers, Rights Website

By Radio Free Asia: Chinese rights activists and journalists have welcomed a Press Freedom award handed to two detained bloggers and the Sichuan-based Tianwang rights website, amid fears that two of the recipients may be being mistreated in detention.


China: President Xi Jinping Speaks on Journalism in China

China Topix: President Xi Jinping has once again highlighted the duty of journalists, urging them to work in accordance with the principles of the Communist Party.


Hong Kong: Hong Kong Free Press Annual Report 2016: A message from the editor

By Hong Kong Free Press


India: Prasar Bharati gets ready to launch new channel for north east India

By PMA: The Indian public broadcaster will launch a new Doordarshan channel in a bid to enhance its reach in the region


India: Government’s blackout of two TV news channels dangerous for democracy

By The Times of India: Across the board, journalists and editors have opposed the one-day ban on NDTV India and News Time Assam, declaring it authoritarian overreach by the government


India: The Dalit Voice is Simply Not Heard in the Mainstream Indian Media

By The Wire: It is the responsibility of non-Dalit journalists to be casteless and fight for equality in the country.


India: Indian journalism at war with cronyism

By Gulfnews: For a long time, media houses in India have aligned themselves to political parties and the product of such journalism cannot be but tainted


Indonesia: Govt renews TV permits, but problems persist

By The Jakarta Post


Malaysia: Do Malaysians trust the news they read? In Reuters study, over half say no

By The Malay Mail Online: A recent survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) showed over half of Malaysians do not trust the news that they read and are of the view that media organisations in the country are not free from “undue political influence”.


Malaysia: Journalism is not an act against parliamentary democracy

By Malaysiakini: Regarded as the Fourth Estate, the media in a democratic society is often seen as the arm that wields the sword, standing guard over public interest against malpractices and abuses by the rich and the powerful.


Pakistan: Improving ethical standards of journalism stressed

By Pakistan Today: Stressing the need for capacity building of journalists, speakers at a training workshop urged media houses, as well as the government, to develop a mechanism to train and equip media persons in accordance with the modern needs.


Thailand: In wake of Thai king’s death, journalists fear speech crackdown

By CJR: Secrecy about the Thai king’s health has long fueled rumors of his death, which his subjects discussed only euphemistically and in hushed tones—at least in public. When his end finally arrived last month, speaking freely about the topic got even harder.

Australia: ABC boss Michelle Guthrie muddles her answers – then wields the axe

By The Guardian: Broadcaster’s managing director has a horror week marred by mixed messages.


New Zealand: New Zealand radio reporter calmly continues broadcast during 7.5-magnitude earthquake

By Independent: Radio New Zealand journalist Vicky McKay calmly finished her midnight news bulletin when tremors rocked the seaside Cheviot town on the South Island.


New Zealand: Commerce Commission says no to Fairfax-NZME media merger

By Radio New Zealand: The Commerce Commission is planning to decline to authorise the merger between media giants Fairfax and NZME, it has revealed this morning.


Philippines: Senate panel Oks protection of online, broadcast journalists

By Rappler: The proposed measure seeks to expand the coverage of the Shield Law to include radio, TV, and legitimate online news organizations

Bulgaria: Public council for BNR to be chaired by Raina Konstantinova

By EBU: A new Public Council for Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) will help realise the public service remit of the broadcaster.


General: Legal certainty for digital terrestrial television is crucial for broadcasters, audiences and European cultural industries

By EBU: Following today’s vote in the European Parliament’s Industry Committee on the draft EU UHF Spectrum Decision, the EBU welcomes proposals which aim at strengthening legal certainty for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) until 2030 in the sub-700 MHz Band.


General: Media scholar: Let’s be modest about creating a European public sphere

By Euractiv: Attempts at creating Europe-wide media have so far fallen flat. But that doesn’t mean all are doomed to fail, according to Belgian Professor François Henderyckx, who says media bosses haven’t really learned the lessons of past mistakes.


General: Conference urges political will for proper functioning of PSM

By EBU: Over 100 delegates from 19 countries in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) and beyond came together in Prague last week to discuss the need to ensure independence and sustainability of public service media (PSM) in the face of numerous challenges.


Ireland:  Focus on survival of investigative journalism at media conference

By The Irish News: The future of investigative journalism in Ireland and beyond is the focus of an upcoming conference in Dublin.


Ireland: Irish defamation law to be reviewed

By BBC: Irish Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald has announced a long-awaited review into defamation law in the country.


Romania: “We are not audience hunters”: Romanian House of Journalists

By Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso: “We are not audience hunters” explains Vlad Ursulean, founder of the “House of Journalist”. A project meant to revitalize journalism in Romania.


Spain: EU Court Rules Spanish State Broadcaster Finances Lawful, Dismisses Appeal

By Latin American Herald Tribune: The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Thursday ruled that the financing systems of Spanish state-owned broadcasting organization RTVE were legal and dismissed the appeals brought by companies Telefonica and Digital+.


Ukraine: Resignation of head of state TV company raises fear of government meddling in media

By Oikotimes: Journalists have raised fears that the government may be trying to sabotage reform of public broadcasting in Ukraine after the head of the country’s national television company resigned on Nov. 1.


UK: Re-shaping Britain must include the BBC

By Open Democracy: In the next few years, the UK’s constitution will be re-shaped. This includes the BBC. A new book, from openDemocracy and Commonwealth Publishing, rethinks what Britain in the 21st century needs from its public media.


Ukraine: Court rules to search Shuster’s house, channel studio

By KyivPost: Kyiv’s Pechersky district court in a closed court session has decided to search a house and a studio of Shuster Live Show presenter, journalist Savik Shuster, a CEO of 3S.tv TV channel Pavlo Yelizarov said on his Facebook page.

Brazil: Public broadcaster in Brazil will go back to buying content from private TV

By PMA: The series of measures that have lately affected the structure of the Brazilian public broadcaster will now have an impact on the content it produces.


Brazil: Brazilian journalist convicted of criminal defamation for environmental reporting

By CPJ: A Salvador court sentenced Brazilian journalist Aguirre Talento to six months and six days in jail for criminal defamation on October 31, 2016, reduced to community service and a fine, according to the journalist and his lawyer.


Ecuador: Ecuadoran authority and Special Rapporteurs clash over the country’s controversial Communications Law

By The Knight Centre for Journalism in the Americas: Ecuador’s Communication Law (LOC for its acronym in Spanish) was the subject of a recent conflict between the country’s government and special rapporteurs for freedom of expression of the United Nations (UN), David Kaye, and the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), Edison Lanza


Mexico: Proposed changes to Mexico’s right to reply would increase burden on media

By CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today over proposed changes to Mexico’s media regulations that could force the press to publish or broadcast more replies to news stories

Iran: Silencing of journalist draws huge blacklash from Iranian public

By The Guardian: Yashar Soltani was arrested after exposing corruption in Tehran mayor’s office and his solitary confinement is provoking outrage


Iran: Iranian judiciary chief calls out Rouhani over press freedom

By Al-Monitor: Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani’s latest remarks on freedom of the press in Iran featured on almost every front page in the country Nov. 8, and heated the debate that emerged with the opening of the Press Exhibition in Tehran on Nov. 4.


Iraq: Iraqi journalists join hands under National Media Alliance

By Al-Monitor: With the beginning of the battle to liberate Mosul, several media outlets, including governmental and private media, decided to wage a media battle against the Islamic State (IS) by establishing the National Media Alliance on Oct. 17 to support the operations to liberate Mosul.


Israel: The future of Israel’s public and free media

By The Jerusalem Post


Syria: Syrian Awarded global journalism prize

By Middle East Monitor: Syrian citizen journalist Hadi Abdullah will be the 25th recipient of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) award, the organisation revealed.


Turkey: EU threatens Turkey with sanctions over crackdown on opposition, media

By Kurdistan24: The European Union (EU) would consider taking “punitive” economic measures if Turkey continued its crackdown on Kurdish opposition politicians and independent media outlets, according to the President of European Parliament (EP) Martin Schulz.


Turkey: Turkey seeks life sentences in pro-Kurdish newspaper trial: state media

By Reuters: Turkish prosecutors are seeking long jail terms or life sentences for nine staff of a pro-Kurdish newspaper, including prize-winning novelist Asli Erdogan, on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization and harming national unity, state-run media said on Thursday.


Turkey: Turkey’s crackdown on journalists and MPs provokes protests Europe-wide

By Euronews: Protesters have gathered in Istanbul to support the Cumhuriyet journalists arrested in what critics say is another attempt to silence opponents of the Turkish government.

Canada: Unions Call on Government Support to Strengthen CBC for Future Generations

By Broadcaster Magazine


Canada: Journalism under surveillance in Canada

By Al-Jazeera: Canada might have a strong tradition of free press, but that has not stopped Canadian police spying on journalists.


US: 4 threats to the media under President Trump

By The Washington Post: President-elect Donald Trump said during the campaign that he was “running against the crooked media.” He referred to journalists as “dishonest,” “disgusting” and “scum.” But beyond the insults and the accusations of a conspiracy against him, Trump also raised the specter of concrete threats to the press.


US: CEO Paula Kerger on PBS’s Election Coverage, Funding, and Connecting with Kids

By KSMU: There’s been much to absorb for media outlets across the country following the conclusion of this latest presidential election cycle. The change in political leadership also brings new issues and stories to share with audiences.


US: PRX Puts Podcasting in Its Catapult

By Radio World: In a bid to harness the audience-building potential of podcasts for U.S. public media radio and TV stations, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is spending $1 million to fund Project Catapult.


US: To Combat the ‘Rigging’ Charge, National Public Radio Should Be More . . . National

By National Review: Here’s how NPR could reach a more complete profile of Americans.


US: Remembering Gwen

By PBS: Gwen Ifill, a journalist to her core, who served as the PBS NewsHour’s co-anchor and managing editor and, in her own words, sought to always “tell the stories that shed light and spur action,” has died from complications of cancer. She was 61.

General: Why the media must make climate change a vital issue for President Trump

By The Guardian: The absence of climate change as a leading topic in the election was a failure of the media – and it’s now their responsibility to get Americans talking about it


General:  COP22: Experts Highlight Media Role in Promoting Action Against Climate Change

By Morocco World News: Several professionals and experts highlighted the principle role the media can play in the protection of the environment, the preservation of nature and the fight against climate change.


General: Internet Freedom Wanes As Governments Target Messaging, Social Apps

By Wyoming Public Radio:  For decades Freedom House has been ranking the world on free speech, political and civil rights.


General: Google, Facebook move to restrict ads on fake news sites

By Reuters: Alphabet Inc’s Google (GOOGL.O) and Facebook Inc (FB.O) on Monday announced measures aimed at halting the spread of “fake news” on the internet by targeting how some purveyors of phony content make money: advertising.


General: Are the signals of journalistic quality different in our digital age?

By Quartz: Last week, we explored the absurdity of digital news economics, plagued by its absolute disregard for any notion of quality. An obvious question follows: For a piece of information, how do we define quality? How do we convert a subjective concept into numbers or metrics?


General: Profiles in mobile journalism: Where citizens fit

By Ijnet: Across the world, mobile journalists are telling riveting stories with little more than a smartphone in hand.


Regional: Why the media got it so wrong on Trump and Brexit

By The Conversation: In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election, the US media has embarked on a flurry of self recrimination. Much of what they discuss applies equally to the UK media and the problems with news coverage of the EU referendum.

PSM Weekly is available via email. You can subscribe by signing up to our mailing list at the bottom of the page or email editor@publicmediaalliance.org

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.