Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.
The PMA team would like to wish all our members and readers the very best for 2020. This will be our last PSM Weekly of the year and indeed, the decade. The next edition will be available from the 7 January.
Click on the tab menu below to reveal the latest regional stories.
What we're listening to...
Interview with a trade union organization, representative of Radio France (French)
Radio France: The causes of the social movement at Radio France: how is it concretely implemented in newsrooms? Many listeners ask questions about it, to answer it, Lionel Thompson, journalist with France Inter, elected CGT on the Board of Directors of Radio France is at the microphone of the mediator Emmanuelle Daviet.
What we're watching...
Australia Calling: 80 Years of International Broadcasting
ABC iview: On Dec 20, 1939 PM Robert Menzies announced Australia’s first international broadcast service. From radio to TV, digital, mobile, social and streaming we have taken an Australian voice to the Asia Pacific and the world.
New: Sign up to our Global Call Out
Promote, support and advocate for public service media
Global Headlines
EGYPT: Disappearances and detentions continue in another dark year for Egyptian journalists
IPI: The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, today condemned the continued disappearances and arbitrary detention of journalists in Egypt and called on authorities to immediately release all those swept up in a recent crackdown.
GHANA: MFWA to Facilitate Nationwide Forums on Upcoming District-Level Elections
MFWA: Beginning Friday December 13, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) will organize public education forums on the upcoming district level elections in Ghana. The objective is to sensitize the public in eight municipal and district assemblies across the country in the processes around the elections.
GHANA: MFWA’s Perspective on the President’s Encounter with the Media
MFWA: Over the past three years, the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has hosted journalists at Jubilee House, the seat of government, to respond to questions on the state of affairs in the country and the performance of his government.
KENYA: Taskforce recommends restructuring and funding of KBC
KBC: The 15-member taskforce on improvement of government information and public communication is recommending restructuring and funding of the national broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) to enable efficient public broadcasting services.
KENYA: The content creation market in Kenya (Watch)
BBC News: Kenya’s media and entertainment industry was worth $1.8bn in 2015 and is expected to reach $3.3bn in 2019, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
LESOTHO: Lesotho Urged to Strengthen Media Bodies
Via All Africa: Lesotho has been urged to strengthen its media bodies to enable them to effectively fight for the rights of the country’s media.
NAMIBIA: EFN condemns intimidation of journalists
NBC: The Editors’ Forum of Namibia (EFN) is greatly concerned at the intimidation of journalists at two events [last weekend].
NIGERIA: Broadcasting Organisations Of Nigeria’s New Boss Set To Change Broadcast Media Landscape For Good! (Q&A)
Broadcast Media Africa: The recently elected national Chairman of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Mrs Sa’a Ibrahim has laid out a visionary programme of ideas that would see the Nigerian broadcast media industry positively revamped for the benefit of all the stakeholders!
NIGERIA: NBC To Issue 200 New Licences To Broadcast Stations
Via Broadcast Media Africa: The Director-General of Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Is’haq Modibbo Kawu recently disclosed that the commission has decided to issue 200 additional licenses for broadcasting stations across the country.
NIGERIA: Two bills before Nigerian senate threaten press freedom
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned about two bills intended to combat hate speech and online disinformation that Nigeria’s senate is currently discussing. As they stand, they provide for disproportionate penalties and could become dangerous weapons against the freedom to inform.
Radio Dalsan: The Federation of Somali Journalists (FESOJ) and Finnish Foundation for media and development (VIKES) have jointly concluded labour rights advocacy campaigns for ten radio stations in Mogadishu. The training was made possible with the support of EU mission to Somalia.
SOUTH AFRICA: Julius Malema: We are for media freedom, but not for those ‘whose agenda is to destroy the EFF’
News 24: EFF president Julius Malema says media freedom in the party is guaranteed, but only for the “genuine”. Malema was delivering the party’s political report during the plenary session of its second. National People’s Assembly (NPA) in Nasrec, Johannesburg on Saturday morning.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC wants court to declare appointment of 27 employees unlawful (Watch)
SABC News: The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is asking the Labour Court to review and set aside the appointment of 27 of its employees.
SUDAN: IFJ demands authorities reverse decision to ban journalists’ union
IFJ: The IFJ has strongly condemned moves by the Sudanese authorities to ban and forcibly shut down the country’s trade unions, including its affiliate the Sudanese Journalists’ Union.
UGANDA: Taxing dissent: Uganda’s social media dilemma
Global Voices: Uganda introduced the 2018 social media tax to curb ‘gossip’
ZAMBIA: Dora Siliya unveils New Board for the Independent Broadcasting Authority
Lusaka Times: Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Dora Siliya, has today unveiled a new seven-member Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) board.
ZIMBABWE: IDT calls on editors to collaborate corruption busting reportage
New Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe’s media has been called upon to collaborate efforts aimed towards combating rampant public sector corruption in attempts to generate more impact to their graft busting reportage.
Balancing Act: The £298 million commitment to the BBC’s World Service over five years has been one of the biggest new investments in broadcast in Africa. Russell Southwood apoke to Mary Lusiba, Head of Business Development, Africa, BBC World Service about what’s been achieved so far and where things go next.
REGIONAL: Freedom of Speech Indeed – Jailers of Journalists in the Sub-Saharan African
Via All Africa: Egypt, Eritrea, and Cameroon are among the worst nations in the world for jailing journalists, a list published on Wednesday by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said.
CAMBODIA: Access to Information Bill Falls Short
HRW: The Cambodian authorities should amend the Draft Law on Access to Information to reflect international standards relating to the right to information, ARTICLE 19 and Human Rights Watch said today.
CHINA, HONG KONG & TAIWAN: One Country, One Censor: How China undermines media freedom in Hong Kong and Taiwan (Report)
CPJ: Understanding how China tries to influence the media is a first step to preserve press freedom. Hong Kong and Taiwan are on the frontlines of this battle.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong journalists injured as police fire tear gas to disperse Mong Kok protesters
HKFP: Multiple journalists on Sunday were injured during protester-police clashes as officers fired tear gas to disperse crowds in Mong Kok.
HONG KONG: Paper says China’s censorship ‘hurts’ freedom of speech in Hong Kong
BBC Monitoring: On 13 December, a column published in Hsin Pao, an independent newspaper in Hong Kong, assesses China’s reaction to rumors that “false information” is spreading on the Internet.
INDIA: Editors Guild Seeks Withdrawal of I&B Ministry’s Advisory to TV Channels
The Wire: The Editors Guild of India on Saturday sought the withdrawal of a recent advisory issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting asking all private television channels to desist from showing content that could incite violence or promote “anti-national attitudes”.
INDIA: Internet blocked by government in Assam and Tripura
IFJ: The Indian Government has imposed internet shutdowns in Assam and Tripura states amid ongoing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019.
INDONESIA: CekFakta: A groundbreaking Indonesian project to counter false information
IFEX: How a collaborative project in Indonesia tackled the problem of misinformation and disinformation during the country’s 2019 elections.
INDONESIA: “Our forests, our future”: Inspiring climate action in Indonesia (Blog)
BBC Media Action: I’m certainly not the first person to say that media has enormous power – both to reach people far and wide, but also to help us understand, discuss and inspire action on the most important issues facing the world today.
JAPAN: NHK President-elect Maeda interviews “Organization, always in review” (Japanese)
The Nikkei Shimbun: Former Mizuho Financial Group (FG) President Nobunobu Maeda, who was made the next president of NHK, held a press conference in Tokyo on the 10th, and expressed his enthusiasm, “We will continue to create programs that are trusted as public broadcasting.”
JAPAN: Paralympics: IPC to make official 2020 Paralympic film with NHK
The Mainichi Shimbun: The International Paralympic Committee and Japan’s public broadcaster NHK will team up to produce an official documentary film of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, the organisers said Wednesday. (…) It will be the first time the IPC has directly engaged in the production of the official film of the games, with NHK producers, rather than well-known movie directors, steering the production.
JAPAN: What was behind leadership switch at Japan public broadcaster NHK? (Editorial)
The Mainishi: Former Mizuho Financial Group Inc. Chairman Terunobu Maeda has been chosen to be the next president of public broadcaster NHK, and is set to assume the post from Ryoichi Ueda in late January next year. Some observers had expected Ueda to stay on, so what was the reason for the switch?
MALAYSIA: Hundreds to lose jobs this week in latest media lay-off
FMT News: Feathers have been ruffled among personnel at a flagship newspaper as a deadline nears for its owners to reveal a list of hundreds of staff to be axed this week, in the latest series of journalist lay-offs.
MALAYSIA: Media Council must guarantee inclusive stakeholders participation (Opinion)
Malaysiakini: The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) welcomes the announcement by the Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Eddin Syazlee Shith, on the government’s move to facilitate the establishment of the Malaysian Media Council.
PAKISTAN: Protests against a media house in Pakistan mount
Global Voices: A large crowd held protests outside the Dawn Newspaper office in Islamabad and Karachi Press Club last week after the newspaper reported that Usman Khan, the London Bridge attacker, was associated with Pakistan.
PHILIPPINES: Sotto law allows Rappler to protect source in cyber libel case
Rappler: Republic Act No. 11458 or the Sotto law allows Rappler to keep its source confidential in the cyber libel trial at the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC).
SRI LANKA: Journalists beaten by unidentified groups, interrogated by police in Sri Lanka
CPJ: Sri Lankan authorities must thoroughly investigate several recent attacks against journalists, hold those responsible to account, and ensure that journalists can report freely in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today [16 Dec].
TAIWAN: Can fact-checkers save Taiwan from a flood of Chinese fake news?
LA Times: The messages start out as innocuous advice, often health-related, like: “Don’t eat mushrooms and eggplant together, or you may die.”
TAIWAN: RSF urges presidential candidates to commit to the strengthening of journalism
RSF: Amid concerns in Taiwan about possible disinformation attacks aimed at influencing the presidential elections of January 11, 2020, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in an open letter asks candidates and political parties to pledge to support journalism by strengthening editorial independence, creating a due process against disinformation, significantly increasing public media’s resources, supporting ethical journalism, and strengthening media literacy.
UZBEKISTAN: Uzbekistan Said To Be Toughening Punishments For Internet Users Who Call For Protests
RFE/RL: Uzbekistan plans to toughen punishments for people using the Internet to organize or call for unsanctioned rallies, according to a source close to the Uzbek government.
AUSTRALIA: ABC finalises Q&A investigation over ‘radical views’ complaints
Sydney Morning Herald: The ABC has finalised its investigation into Q&A and indicated last month’s controversial feminist episode won’t be returning to digital platforms.
AUSTRALIA: ABC reveals 2020-2022 content plan
IF: The ABC today released its 72-page 2020-2022 content plan, essentially a restatement of its core values and goals which also stresses the need to engage with new and younger audiences.
AUSTRALIA: Australia Calling: A look at 80 years of Radio Australia and ABC international broadcasting (Watch)
ABC News: The history of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is a story of Australia’s relationship with Asia and the Pacific. For eight decades now, ABC broadcasts have reached lonely atolls in the Pacific as well as some of the planet’s largest population centres in Asia.
NEW ZEALAND: Māori TV changes migrants’ views on Māori (Opinion)
Newsroom: Should public broadcasters counter negative ideas migrants have about Māori? Susan Nemec of the University of Auckland thinks so.
NEW ZEALAND: National criticises public broadcasting decision delays
RNZ: Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi will not meet his commitment to announce a final plan by Christmas, with ministers now wanting more details about how the proposal would work and delaying the decision to early next year. Cabinet yesterday considered a plan to disestablish RNZ and TVNZ and create one new public media entity.
NEW ZEALAND: On the brink? The state of our media in 2019 (Listen)
RNZ: Our Fourth Estate is “collapsing” according to Winston Peters. This week he set out what he wants as the coalition government ponders a new policy for the media – due to be unveiled any day now. But what does the most comprehensive annual survey of the state of it all reveal?
NEW ZEALAND: Public media decision hangs in balance after Cabinet call for more detail
Stuff: The Government is understood to have pushed back a decision on whether to merge RNZ and TVNZ as a result of a number of Cabinet ministers requesting more detail on the proposal.
NEW ZEALAND: Vital support for investigative journalism and documentaries that challenge
NZ On Air: Hard-hitting investigative journalism, climate change, the story behind a high-profile commune, and indigenous art are in the line-up of NZ On Air-funded factual content to inform and engage audiences in 2020.
ALBANIA: COE urges Albanian parliament to review ‘anti-defamation package’
Albania Daily News: Council of Europe (COE) Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic expressed deep concern about “Anti-Defamation Package” laws saying the are in need of urgent improvement.
AUSTRIA: Austria’s media freedom is under threat
IPI: Over the last two years, the policies of the previous government showed that the current media system can be influenced politically. In its first year under the government of Sebastian Kurz, Austria fell five places on the international press freedom ranking of Reporters Without Borders, to 16th place.
BELGIUM: VRT and Proximus extend distribution deal
Broadband TV News: Proximus says it will create a local media ecosystem after it renewed its distribution agreement with the Belgian public broadcaster VRT. The operator plans to put local content and channels, including those of VRT, in the spotlight and ensure that users can discover them at a glance in an intuitive interface.
ESTONIA: Interior minister: Media created controversy that led to no-confidence vote
ERR News: In his remarks before parliament ahead of the vote on the failed no-confidence motion in the Riigikogu on Tuesday, interior minister Mart Helme (EKRE) blamed the events that prompted the opposition’s censure motion on the media, including public broadcaster ERR.
FINLAND: YLE HD to end terrestrial distribution in March
Digital TV Europe: Finnish broadcaster YLE will cease broadcasting on DNA’s VHF terrestrial network at the end of March, the company has confirmed.
FRANCE: At Radio France, the PDG maintains the workforce reductions, despite the strike (French)
Le Monde: The savings plan and staff cuts at Radio France will not be abandoned despite the strike that has lasted for three weeks, said Sunday, December 15, the CEO of the public group, Sibyle Veil. “Stillness (…) is not on the agenda” and withdrawing this plan “would be irresponsible,” she said in the Journal du dimanche ( JDD ).
FRANCE: RSF alarmed by violence against journalists covering protests in France
RSF: As France braces for another day today of mass protests against a proposed pension reform, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the interior minister to give the police clear instructions to respect the media’s right to cover these protests, which have been marked by an exceptional level of police violence against reporters.
GERMANY: ARD Chairman Wilhelm: New initiative for EU internet platform (German)
BR: The ARD chair changes every two years among the nine state broadcasters. The outgoing chairman, BR Director-General Ulrich Wilhelm, announced in an interview with dpa a new initiative for a European digital infrastructure.
GERMANY: Broadcasting contribution: ARD boss fears “redistribution” to ZDF and Deutschlandradio (German)
Focus: From the ARD’s point of view, the planned increase in radio broadcasting threatens to result in “a not insignificant redistribution from ARD to ZDF and Deutschlandradio”.
GERMANY: ZDF rolls out premium catch-up TV service ZDF select on Amazon
Broadband TV News: Marking the first rollout of its premium catch-up TV brand on a third-party platform, German public broadcaster ZDF has launched ZDF select on Amazon Prime Video Channels.
IRELAND: New Commission must recognise that RTÉ is not the only provider of Public Service Broadcasting
IBI Ireland: The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI), the organisation representing Ireland’s 34 independent radio stations, has cautiously welcomed the planned establishment of a Commission on the Future Funding of Irish Public Service Broadcasting, but says that RTÉ is not the only broadcaster producing public service content.
LATVIA: Discussion: Can Latvia afford strong public service media? (Watch)
LSM: A conference on December 13 is discussing a subject close to our own hearts: can Latvia afford strong public service media?
NORWAY: Nomino NRK joins NRK (Norweigan)
NRK: Nomino NRK’s Facebook page has now been closed down and moved over to NRK, as the Marienlyst division in NRK sees that the engagement is the same on these two sides.
NORWAY: The Norwegian media economy in 2018 (Report)
Nordicom: For the first time, TV advertising is declining in Norway. But as TV viewers pay more for premium content and distribution, the total TV economy is still growing.
POLAND: Exclusive: Polish pubcaster TVP launches international co-production push
TBI Vision: Polish public broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) has launched an international co-production division and is looking for formats to remake as well as partners for domestic shows that can work globally.
POLAND: Polish newspaper, sued repeatedly by ruling party, wins case
The Mainichi: A leading Polish newspaper on Monday welcomed a ruling in favor of one its journalists, who was taken to court by the populist ruling party over an ironic tweet that referred to “mafia” elements within the party.
SERBIA: Serbian Opposition Activists Block State TV-Radio Building Over Media Freedom Concerns
Voice of America: Serbian opposition activists have blockaded the entrance of the building hosting the state Radio and Television service (RTS) in Belgrade to protest what they say are deteriorating media freedoms in the Balkan country under populist President Aleksandar Vucic.
SPAIN: FAPE supports Committee of Experts for renewal in RTVE (Spanish)
La Vanguardia: The Federation of Journalist Associations of Spain (FAPE) has supported the call of the RTVE Committee of Experts to urgently resolve the tender to elect the Board of Directors and the president of the public entity.
SPAIN: RTVE rejects an arbitrator to avoid strike on the day of the National Lottery draw and the Bells
El Cierre Digital: The RTVE Corporation has rejected the arbitrator proposed by the unions to avoid the strike that is expected to be carried out by its workers coinciding with the Christmas Lottery Draw, the Campanadas and the possible endowment of Pedro Sánchez.
SPAIN: Urgent task of the Cortes and the new Government: ending the ‘provisionality’ of RTVE (Spanish)
El País: The new Executive must choose a stable directive for the entity.
SWEDEN: Swedish Radio’s unique role in emergency preparedness Sweden needs to be strengthened (Swedish – Blog)
Sveriges Radio: Today, December 17, 2019, CEO Cilla Benkö has signed a new agreement with the Swedish Agency for Social Protection and Contingency (MSB) on important communication to the public (VMA). Mårten Randberg, head of traffic editorial and broadcasting management responsible for mediating VMA, writes about the content of the new agreement and why more resources are needed for the company’s digital robustness and local readiness.
SWITZERLAND: RTS will get a new building in 2025 (German)
SRG SSR: The SRG Board of Directors today approved the realization loan for the construction of a new building for RTS on the EPFL site. The new polyvalent and modular building will house radio, television and digital. It enables RTS to save over CHF 3 million annually in the long term.
UK: BBC: TV licence fee decriminalisation being considered
BBC: The government is to consider whether failure to pay the TV licence fee should cease to be a criminal offence, a Treasury minister has said. Rishi Sunak confirmed Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a review of the sanction for non-payment of the £154.50 charge, which funds the BBC. Prosecution for non-payment of the fee can currently end in a court appearance and potential fine of up to £1,000. But the BBC warned decriminalisation could cost it £200m a year.
UK: Boris Johnson threatens BBC with two-pronged attack
The Guardian: No 10 boycotts Today programme and considers decriminalising non-payment of licence fee.
UK: GE19 – from the presenter’s chair (Opinion – Blog)
LinkedIn: Huw Edwards: This is my 35th year in the BBC. I have covered every general election since 1987 and have presented countless election results programmes since then.
UK: What the election fall-out means for the BBC
BBC News: Veterans of the BBC know that battles with the government of the day come with the territory. They are like a background noise which, at regular intervals, becomes a deafening cacophony.
GENERAL: 2019 review: The business of creativity (Paywall)
IBC365: Reflecting on the past twelve months, one clear TV industry trend stands out: the content business has been red hot.
ARGENTINA: 100 Por Cierto launches its transparency survey in Argentine digital media (Spanish)
FOPEA: Of the 60 digital media in Argentina, only 26% comply with the transparency indicators, it is the main conclusion of the survey of 100 Por Cierto, a project of the Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA) and Thomson Media, co-financed by the European Union.
ARGENTINA: Who will lead the public media (Spanish)
Pagina12: The new Government has already defined the names for key communication positions: Francisco Meritello, Rosario Lufrano, Claudio Martínez, Bernarda Llorente, Eliseo Alvarez and Javier Porta.
BRAZIL: Bolsonaro calls educator Paulo Freire “energuminous” and closes the educational TV (Spanish)
El Ciudadano: The Brazilian Ministry of Education did not renew the contract for the execution of audiovisual productions in the public “TV Escola”, created in 1995.
BRAZIL: “Bolsonaro is Opposed to Freedom of Speech and Press” – Journalist Federation
Rio Times: Maria José Braga, president of the National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ) of Brazil, said that in a little over 11 months in office, Bolsonaro has systematically attacked freedom of expression and the press by promoting measures such as direct criticism of reporters and the media, the abolition of registration requirements to exercise the profession of journalist.
BRAZIL: Third edition of Atlas da Notícia shows expansion of news deserts in Brazil
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: A total of 37.4 million Brazilians (equivalent to 17.9 percent of the population) live in the so-called news deserts, meaning, municipalities where there is not even one journalistic outlet. To these are added 27.5 million (13.2 percent of Brazilians) who live in “quasi deserts,” with up to two journalistic outlets.
COLOMBIA: FENAJ accompanies installation of Joint Commission to analyze MP 905 (Spanish)
FENAJ: The National Federation of Journalists The National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ) accompanied the installation of the Joint Commission of the National Congress, which will analyze the Provisional Measure (MP) 905/2019, to establish the green work card.
CUBA: Cuban journalist Luz Escobar repeatedly barred from leaving her home
CPJ: Beginning on November 16, authorities have repeatedly barred Escobar, a reporter for the independent Cuban news website 14yMedio, from leaving her home in Havana, according to news reports and tweets by Escobar.
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: Guatemalan journalist Martín Rodríguez Pellecer, founder and director of the site Nómada, is being accused of sexually harassing at least five women, according to an investigation by journalist Catalina Ruiz-Navarro. He denies the accusations and has stepped down as director of Nómada while an investigation into the case is under way.
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: According to some of the findings from organization Article 19 in its Global Expression Report 2018/19, amid the global decline in freedom of expression, Nicaragua is one of the countries that has sustained the greatest damage to freedom of expression, while Cuba “leads in regional race to the bottom” in the Americas.
NICARAGUA: Journalists demand that Nicaraguan government return seized equipment and uphold freedom of expression (Spanish)
La Journada: One year after the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega confiscated media equipment from El Confidencial, journalists Carlos Fernando Chamorro and Miguel Mora continue to exhaust legal measures to have their tools returned.
VENEZUELA: IAPA denounces about press freedom violations in Venezuela (Spanish)
Voice of America: For several years, Venezuela has been the focus of organizations such as the Inter-American Press Society, which closely monitors what it has described as a systematic increase in pressure against journalists and media owners, for part of the government in dispute of Nicolás Maduro.
REGIONAL: Latin America is the most dangerous region for journalists in peacetime (Spanish)
RFI: Mexico is by far the most dangerous place for the exercise of journalism. The annual report of Reporters Without Borders has accounted for 10 murders in 2019 of journalists, as many as those of a Syria at war. The probability that the perpetrators of these crimes are judged is almost nil, because Mexico has an impunity rate of over 90%.
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: Three journalists in Cuba, Honduras and Venezuela are among the 250 journalists jailed worldwide for their work, according to an annual special report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
IRAN: ‘It acts like a mafia’: Iran’s state TV takes control of online streaming content
Middle East Eye: Even as Iran’s state broadcaster tries to restrict streaming websites, people are finding alternative ways to watch uncensored western productions online
TURKEY: Four stories of Turkish journalism surviving under extraordinary circumstances
IPI: Independent media share how they manage to carry on amid government repression
TURKEY: Online censorship in Turkey- Sibel Hurtaş (Watch)
Article 19: Sibel Hurtaş works as journalist in Turkey since 1998 and is currently Artı TV representative in Ankara. In a video interview, journalist Sibel Hurtaş analyses the main obstacles faced by journalists and users in Turkey to freedom of expression online.
REGIONAL: #Disinformation: the online threat to protest in the Middle East
The Guardian: Social media users face attacks from influencers and fake accounts at home and abroad.
Canadian Club Toronto: CBC/Radio-Canada has always played an essential role in Canada’s news and content ecosystem. What’s different today in a borderless digital world brimming with content choices? Join Catherine Tait, President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, in conversation with Arlene Dickinson, General Partner of District Ventures Capital and star of Dragons’ Den, as she shares her vision for Canada’s 21st century public broadcaster – an engine for democracy, social cohesion and cultural expression.
CANADA: CBC launches its 1st Cree language podcast, Wiih’teh
CBC News: CBC North launched the first podcast in the Eastern James Bay Southern and Northern Cree dialect. It is called Wiih’teh. The Cree language podcast is part of the recognition of the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
CANADA: Connecting with our listeners – CBC Listen delivers an engaging experience
CBC/Radio-Canada: Journalist Alison Vicrobeck discusses the new CBC Listen app, one of the many initiatives to customize their digital services, with Rina Espiritu, product manager of the Digital Products team. Vicrobeck seeks to understand how we create personal, relevant, and engaging experiences that Canadians expect.
CANADA: Who bears the responsibility for fake news? (Paywall)
Media in Canada: Media Technology Monitor finds Canadians still trust traditional news sources but lay responsibility for fake news at the hands of others.
US: At BizLab Summit, stations share lessons from experiments with new income streams (Paywall)
Current: Less than a year into its work with six public radio stations, WBUR’s BizLab was able to boast of projects generating nearly $83,000.
US: Growing local news deserts endanger democracy, study finds
PBS: Over the last 15 years, local newspapers across the U.S. have lost more than $35 billion in advertising revenue and half of their staffs, while at least 2,000 news outlets have shuttered during that time, according to a new study by the non-profit PEN America. Viktorya Vilk, who co-authored the report, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss how the decline of local news is impacting civic engagement.
US: How public radio’s can build on its hidden strengths to solve podcasting’s biggest challenges (Paywall)
Current: Podcasting, as an industry, is starting to recognize and address some new emerging systemic problems that will become growing concerns over the next few years — problems that public radio has been working on with a decades-long head start. And public radio has a unique opportunity to lead, innovate and win — if it wants to.
US: PBS Member Stations Now Live on YouTube TV (Press release)
PBS: PBS announced that more than 100 of its member stations are now streaming live on YouTube TV starting today, making local public television and PBS’s award-winning content available to more than 75% of U.S.
CPJ: The nonprofit organizations Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Committee to Protect Journalists today announced that ABC, Bloomberg, The Boston Globe, FOX News, The New Republic, NowThis and TIME have joined the “Protect Press Freedom” campaign as media partners.
US: Trusting the News Media in the Trump Era
Pew Research Centre: Partisan dynamics overshadow other factors in Americans’ evaluations of the news media. An exploration of more than 50 Pew Research Center surveys confirms the overwhelming impact party identification has on Americans’ trust in the news media. And divides emerge within party – particularly the Republican Party – based on how strongly people approve of Trump.
US: Update to fee model ties NPR’s income to station donor revenue (Paywall)
Current: NPR’s move to a fee model based on station donor revenue will result in changes to annual payments for many members. Some will pay less, while others could eventually pay much more. The changes will take effect in fiscal year 2021 but will be phased in over at least three years.
Nieman Lab: From nasal New York accents to vocal fry, NPR’s anchors and reporters have long inflamed debates about whose voices should represent the nation — or just be heard by it.
As print and digital newsrooms struggle, local broadcast stations are making money ‘hand over fist’
Poynter: As legacy print outlets and many digital startups struggle financially, another segment of the news industry is doing just fine, thanks. Local broadcast, building on an already solid advertising and audience base, remains the most popular medium for political advertising. 2018 outpaced the last presidential cycle in 2016, and 2019-20 figures to be much better still.
China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt are world’s worst jailers of journalists
CPJ: A CPJ special report by Elana Beise shows that for the fourth consecutive year, at least 250 journalists are imprisoned globally as authoritarians like Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mohammed bin Salman, and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi show no signs of letting up on the critical media.
Facebook Will Call Some Media “State Controlled.” Al Jazeera Said That’s “Dangerous.”
Buzzfeed: A “step to delegitimize credible journalism,” said an Al Jazeera executive.
Global Expression Report 2018/19
Article 19: Article 19 has released its Global Expression Report looking a the state of freedom of expression around the world. The report investigates not just the rights of journalists and civil society, but how free is each and every citizen to post online, to march, to teach, to access information we need.
Here’s what ProPublica learned about managing a collaboration across hundreds of news organizations
Nieman Lab: ProPublica’s Documenting Hate collaboration comes to a close next month after nearly three years. It brought together hundreds of newsrooms around the country to cover hate crimes and bias incidents. Since the project began in 2017, they received more than 6,000 submissions, gathered hundreds of public records on hate crimes, and published more than 230 stories.
TIME: One year ago, TIME named besieged journalists the 2018 Person of the Year, gathered under the rubric the Guardians and the war on truth. Neither that war nor its consequences for democracy have abated in the intervening 12 months.
Offline and silenced: Internet blackouts are going global (Watch)
Al Jazeera: From Kashmir to Iran, governments are turning off the internet to stop dissent. Plus, the murky world of deepfakes.
RSF yearly round-up: “historically low” number of journalists killed in 2019
RSF: A total of 49 journalists were killed this year, 389 are currently in prison and 57 are being held hostage, according to the annual worldwide round-up of deadly violence and abusive treatment against journalists, released today by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Journalism remains a dangerous profession but the number of journalists killed this year is at its lowest in 16 years.
The journalistic newsfeed: editorial values and algorithms
CJR: Facebook, Google, Apple News: these are the technology companies vital to news distribution. Their algorithms, written with the values and priorities of Silicon Valley, drive the majority of online traffic to news, determining which publishers and stories gain exposure—sometimes with less-than-desirable results.
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.
Header Image: A young man using a professional camcorder outdoor. Credit: porpeller/iStock
Sign up to PSM Weekly
Receive our weekly round-up of public service media headlines and PMA news straight to your inbox.
Related Posts
