AFGHANISTAN: Behind the scenes of a newsroom in exile: 8AM Media, a beacon of light in the darkness of Kabul

Reporters Without Borders: Born out of the daily Afghan newspaper Hasht-e Subh (“Eight o’clock in the morning”), 8AM Media, an online media outlet operating in exile, is one of Afghanistan’s last remaining bastions of independent journalism.

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CAMBODIA: Cambodia’s changing — and turbulent — media landscape

UCA News: Unlike its neighbors, which also have tough media controls, Cambodia has actually been dismantling news organizations

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CHINA: A 65-language megaphone: how Chinese state-media CGTN is shaping global narratives

RSF: The Chinese regime is seeking to export its model of media control by expanding the global reach of the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN) to push its narratives, spread biased reporting, shape international opinion and conceal its human rights abuses.

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INDONESIA: Indonesia government considers taking steps to protect mainstream media

The Straits Times: Indonesia’s Human Rights Ministry is considering efforts to protect the sustainability of mainstream media amid the domination of digital platforms, including social media, in fulfilling people’s demand for information.

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INDONESIA: Indonesia to ban social media for kids under 16 (9 March)

NHK World Japan: The Indonesian government has announced a ban on social media for children under 16. The country joins others around the world moving to limit children’s access.

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JAPAN: NHK Files Civil Lawsuits Against Two Hotel Operators Over Unpaid TV Reception Fees

Traicy: The Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) has announced that it has filed civil lawsuits against two hotel operating companies in Hokkaido and Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan, seeking payment of unpaid TV reception fees.

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KAZAKHSTAN: Kazakhstan Plans to Introduce Social Media Monitoring

The Times of Central Asia: Kazakhstan plans to introduce a system for monitoring the information space in order to identify illegal online content. This was reported by the country’s Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA).

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PAKISTAN: ‘Exercise caution’ when discussing country’s foreign policy on TV, Pakistan govt tells its media

The Print: Pakistan’s law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar in a press conference this week asked reporters ‘to exercise caution’ while reporting on the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

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THE PHILIPPINES: After examining China’s influence in the Philippines, investigative outlet PCIJ comes under attack from the Chinese Embassy

Reporters Without Borders: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns the smear campaign carried out by the Chinese embassy in the Philippines against the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).

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SINGAPORE: Govt to continue working with public service media to counter misinformation, maintain reach

The Straits Times: The Republic’s public service media entities have become indispensable in countering misinformation, given that they reach more than 90 per cent of Singaporeans and are highly trusted by the public, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on March 2.

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SRI LANKA: Draft of the ‘National Media Policy’ handed over to the Media Minister

Sri Lanka Mirror: The draft of the “National Media Policy of Sri Lanka,” prepared following a long-term and extensive consultative process, was officially handed over today (14) to the Minister of Health and Mass Media, Nalinda Jayatissa, and the Deputy Minister of Mass Media, Kaushalya Ariyarathne.

AUSTRALIA: ABC News reinforces commitment to public-interest journalism in new campaign

ABU: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s ABC News has launched a new national brand campaign titled “Keep Asking,” developed in partnership with Leo Australia, aimed at reinforcing the broadcaster’s role as a trusted everyday news source in the country.

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AUSTRALIA: Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O network slapped with new licence conditions 

ABC: The media watchdog has imposed new broadcasting rules on KIIS FM owner ARN Media, in response to repeated breaches by controversial radio program The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

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AUSTRALIA: The deals don’t lie: a media industry ready-reckoner on AI and copyright (Opinion)

MediaWeek: If you work in Australian media and you haven’t been paying close attention to the copyright and AI debate beyond the News Bargaining Incentive, it’s time to start: the outcome of this fight will determine whether the content your organisation creates retains its commercial value or gets strip-mined by trillion-dollar systems for free.

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NEW ZEALAND: TVNZ has lost its way and the public deserves better – Bruce Cotterill (Paywall – Opinion)

The NZ Herald: There’s a lot going on. The Middle East. The oil price. The Royal Commission. The polls. The Senate hearings. Epstein. If you’re interested in current affairs, it’s a long list. It’s difficult to stay on top of things. 

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SOLOMON ISLANDS: China’s Growing Grip on the Solomon Islands’ Fragile Media Sector

RSF: Since the Solomon Islands established diplomatic relations with China in 2019, the Pacific archipelago has become a strategic arena for Beijing’s influence.

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SOLOMON ISLANDS: SIBC shares Strategic Plan 2026-2030 with Prime Minister

SIBC: The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) Board Chairman Mr Solomon Kalu and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Johnson Honimae paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Hon. Jeremiah Manele yesterday at the Prime Minister’s Office to present the SIBC Strategic Plan 2026–2030 and update the Prime Minister on the broadcaster’s operations.

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TONGA: “Major step forward”: Tonga’s TBC enters new digital era with website launch (26 February)

ABC ID: With a population of just over 100,000 people, the Kingdom of Tonga is a relatively small country… 

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REGIONAL: Pacific broadcasters rethink news delivery in digital age

RNZ: Pacific broadcasters say the future of storytelling will depend on how well traditional media adapts to the fast moving world of social media.

ALBANIA: RTSH officially launches institutional reform under the leadership of the European Broadcasting Union 

RTSH: Albanian Public Broadcaster RTSH has officially launched its institutional reform, led by the European Broadcasting Union.

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AUSTRIA: Why the new ORF director faces a Herculean task (German) 

Süddeutsche Zeitung: Crisis of public broadcasting, political interference, the Weißmann case: The new ORF Director General Ingrid Thurnher faces major challenges.

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AUSTRIA, GERMANY & SWITZERLAND: What Swiss public broadcasting does better than ORF and ARD (Paywall – German) 

Die Furche: There’s unrest in public broadcasting: The ORF director general has to resign, and in Switzerland, the population has voted against the SRG’s initiative to halve its funding. What public broadcasters can do and why Switzerland could be a role model.

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BELARUS: Repression accelerates as five more journalists sentenced to prison

IPI: The IPI global network today condemns the acceleration of repression against independent media in Belarus after five more journalists were sentenced to prison on politically motivated charges in just over one week.

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BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Paralyze broadcasting, divide the country (German) 

Tagesschau: Public broadcasting in Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing an existential financial crisis. This is also linked to the intention of Bosnian Serbs to undermine the existence of the state as a whole.

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BULGARIA: Bulgarian National Radio and the National Academy of Arts with a Memorandum of Cooperation (Press release – Bulgarian) 

BRT: The Director General of the Bulgarian National Radio, Milen Mitev, and the Rector of the National Academy of Arts, Prof. Georgi Yankov, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation aimed at creating conditions for supporting and promoting Bulgarian education, culture and art.

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BULGARIA: Sign language translation for the first time in the post-election studios of the Bulgarian National Radio (Press release – Bulgarian) 

BRT: The initiative is part of the BNR’s efforts to make important public information accessible, including to deaf people. Through the online broadcast with sign language interpretation, all deaf people will be able to follow the news, results, analyses and comments in real time.

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CATALONIA: Catalunya Ràdio launches a new visual radio studio (Catalan) 

3Cat: Studio 5, which is being launched today, will allow exploring new content and new formats that will be incorporated into the grid.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: ‘So that we don’t give people an excuse to attack CT.’ Moravec doesn’t want to take money from the television for another six months (Czech) 

iRozhlas: Former moderator of the discussion program Otázky Václav Moravec is looking for a way to resolve the issue of Czech Television not paying him a non-compete clause of six salaries. After terminating his employment with Czech Television, he does not want to pose another financial burden for the public television, he said.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: There is chaos in the government. There is a risk that concession fees will be replaced by a pamphlet, criticizes MP Talíř (Czech) 

iRozhlas: Talíř invites both the general director of public media and the minister of culture to the parliamentary committee, who came last but apparently avoided questions.

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DENMARK: Emergency: Radioavisen moves away from DR Byen (Press release – Danish) 

DR: As part of DR’s emergency plans, Radioavisen will be broadcast from other locations in the country than DR Byen at selected times.

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FRANCE: View from abroad. Public broadcasting in France, a behemoth targeted from all sides (Paywall – French) 

Courrier International: Public broadcasting is under fire, particularly from the right and far right. With the presidential election approaching, the debate is heated, against a backdrop of the growing power of Vincent Bolloré’s media empire, notes the foreign press.

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GEORGIA:  “The more space we give up, the more authoritarian forces take over.”  (German) 

RSF: In recent years, press freedom in Georgia has deteriorated drastically – attacks on the media culminated in a two-year prison sentence for independent journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli in January 2025 based on unfounded accusations. In March 2026, the Georgian government passed a law criminalizing any form of foreign support not registered with the authorities, further burdening independent media.

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GERMANY: Public broadcasters must create spaces for discourse (German) 

ZDF: Television Council member Erik Tuchtfeld considers the increased amount of live content in ZDF’s online offerings to be a generally positive development, “because it makes even more attractive content easily accessible to viewers.” 

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GERMANY: Public broadcasting’s audio universe in one app: ARD Sounds successfully launched. (German – Press release) 

ARD: The new ARD Sounds audio app has been available since March 9th and has already reached 5.6 million devices worldwide.

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GERMANY: The Broadcasting Council initiates approval procedures for proposed changes to the telemedia services of ZDF, 3sat and phoenix. (Press release – German) 

ZDF: The Broadcasting Council initiates the approval procedure (“three-stage test”) stipulated in the Interstate Media Treaty for each of the proposed changes to the telemedia services of ZDF, 3sat and phoenix.

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GERMANY: The ZDF Television Council confirms Norbert Himmler as director general of ZDF. (Press release – German) 

ZDF: The ZDF Television Council confirmed Director General Dr. Norbert Himmler in his office at its meeting on Friday, March 13, 2026, in Mainz.

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HUNGARY: RSF mission to Hungary one month before an election that “will determine the future of media freedom in Europe and beyond” 

RSF: Without imprisoning or killing a single journalist, press freedom predator Viktor Orban has nearly wiped out Hungarian independent journalism.

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IRELAND: NUJ members in RTÉ balloted on future strategy 

RTÉ: Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in RTÉ are being asked to vote on whether they have confidence in RTÉ’s New Direction Strategy.

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ITALY: Mission to Italy: MFRR flags ongoing media freedom erosion 

EFJ: Media freedom in Italy has continued its overall downward trajectory in the past two years, amidst the car bomb attack on one of the country’s most famous journalists, new spyware attacks on reporters, politicisation of the public broadcaster, legal harassment of journalists by governing politicians, and continued concerns over media pluralism, partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) said today.

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KOSOVO: AGK: We condemn Lumir Abdijikou’s speech directed against journalists and media outlets (Greek) 

KoSSev: The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK) condemned the speech of the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Ljumir Abdijiku, which is directed against journalists and the media.

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LITHUANIA: LMA criticizes some of the LRT amendments: limited to a cosmetic review of the procedure for forming the Council (Lithuanian) 

LRT: After the Seimas approved the new amendments to the Law on the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) last week, the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (LAS) is criticizing the procedure for forming the public broadcaster’s council as defined in the draft. 

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LITHUANIA: Parliament pushes ahead with controversial LRT reforms despite Venice Commission concerns 

EFJ: On 12 March 2026, the new version of the law on the governance of Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT will be put to a vote in Parliament, while the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has just expressed its concern about the recent amendments.

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SLOVAKIA: Slovak signatories of Charter 77 are protesting against the dismissal of long-time editors of STVR. (Slovak) 

Dennik N: They claim that although there is talk of consolidation, in reality it is only a purge of people who tried with all their work and activities to defend public law and independence.

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SLOVAKIA & CZECH REPUBLIC: STVR and Czech Television are similar in their subtle political pressures, says former Czech Television presenter Václav Moravec. (Paywall – Slovak) 

Dennik N: “However, in Slovakia, politicians have no problem passing a law in ten seconds and getting rid of management and journalists. I wonder if we will go the Slovak way here.”

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SWEDEN: Ahead of the election, impartiality becomes even more important (Press release – Swedish) 

SR: Are some opinions more acceptable than others on Sveriges Radio? The question has been asked in recent days, and the answer is of course no.

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SWITZERLAND: Roger Elsener named director of Swiss public broadcaster SRF

Swissinfo.ch: Roger Elsener has been appointed as the new director of the Swiss public broadcaster SRF. The 47‑year‑old media executive will take over from Nathalie Wappler, who announced her resignation last September.

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SWITZERLAND: The need to confront attacks against public broadcasting and the desire to control the media (French) 

RTS: The RTS spokesperson defended the independence and neutrality of the public service broadcaster on TV Monaco and TV5 Monde. He welcomed the clear vote by the Swiss people in favor of the SSR, for the second time.

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SWITZERLAND: The SRG continues its transformation: Roger Elsener will become Director of SRF, Nicolas Pernet will become Director of Offerings, and Moritz Stadler will become Director of Operations. (Press release – German) 

SRG SSR: The SRG is continuing its transformation. It is resolutely driving its change forward with the “Enavant SRG SSR” transformation project, launched at the end of 2024, towards becoming a more digital, leaner, and more agile media company. 

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UK: BBC World Service funding freeze risks ‘opening door to hostile states’, MPs say

The Guardian: Cross-party committee says service is ‘jewel in crown of UK’s soft power’ but is diminished by poor governance. 

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UK: EBU says to UK government: “Changes in the BBC Charter could shape the future of public service media in the digital age”  (Policy position) 

EBU: At a time when trusted media faces growing pressure from global platforms, disinformation and shifting consumption habits, the Charter Review is more than an administrative exercise. It is a strategic choice about whether the BBC remains a universal, independent and sustainable public service, or enters a period of gradual weakening.

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UK: Google’s former Europe boss close to becoming next head of BBC, sources say

The Guardian: Appointment of Matt Brittin as director general would be latest sign of big tech’s power in media world. 

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UK: High Court Rules in Favour of Owen Jones in BBC Gaza Libel Case

Novara Media: A High Court judge has ruled in favour of Guardian columnist Owen Jones in a libel case brought against him by a BBC editor.

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UK: Reach attacks BBC’s ‘aggressive expansion’ into local news 

Press Gazette: Reach has called for BBC reporting to link to external journalists’ work wherever possible.

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REGIONAL: The far-right hate agenda against education and public media (Spanish) 

Ctxt: With a well-funded network of friendly media outlets, the far right has spent several years targeting two classic institutions of the democratic ecosystem: education and public media.

IRAN & IRAQ: Echoes of Iraq: Mainstream media ‘deja vu’ over framing of the war on Iran

Middle East Eye: Media analysis indicates parallels between headlines from Iraq war to current response to US and Israeli bombardment of Iran

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ISRAEL: Coalition advancing controversial legislation amid war with Iran

The Times of Israel: Bills that would weaken the role of attorney general, overhaul the media sector, draw ire from the opposition

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ISRAEL: High Court hears petitions over Comms. Minister Karhi’s handling of KAN council

The Jerusalem Post: At the center of the hearing are petitions challenging steps Karhi took, and, in some cases, failed to take, that critics say helped leave KAN’s council without a quorum and unable to function fully.

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ISRAEL: Knesset advances bill to allow government to control budget for Kan public broadcaster

The Times of Israel: The Knesset House Committee votes to transfer a bill to allow the government to determine the budget of the Kan public broadcaster from the Knesset Economics Committee, whose leadership opposes the measure, to the Finance Committee.

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LEBANON: IFJ condemns Israeli strikes on media facilities

International Federation of Journalists: On 2 March, Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon targeted the offices of Al-Manar TV and Al-Nour Radio in Beirut, and Sawt Al-Farah Radio in Tyre in southern Lebanon.

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PALESTINE: Palestinian Economic Empowerment Agency, Radio & TV Authority sign media cooperation MoU

Yaffa News Network: The Palestinian National Economic Empowerment Agency and the Palestinian Public Broadcasting Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding and joint cooperation aimed at expanding media collaboration and highlighting the agency’s various programs in the fields of social protection, welfare, and economic empowerment.

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PALESTINE: Supporting journalists in times of crisis

UNESCO: In the State of Palestine, journalism is more than a profession, it is an act of courage. Every headline, photo, and story reflects the daily risks journalists take to keep the public informed, often amid conflict, uncertainty, and immense personal strain.

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SYRIA: What are the prospects for independent journalism in Syria?

DW: Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Syrian media are in transition. As part of the reconstruction process, the media are to be professionalized and should also take critical voices into account.

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TURKEY: Systemic siege of independent journalism

Article19: Judicial harassment, physical attacks, economic pressure, and growing digital restrictions: independent journalists and media outlets in Türkiye are facing mounting threats. Our new mission report outlines the key challenges and the path forward. 

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Why were 19 Indians arrested in UAE? Suspects to face fast-tracked trial amid social media crackdown

Financial Express: As countries in the Gulf region continue to suffer from Iran’s retaliatory military offensive, the UAE is doubling down on its slew of arrests linked to social media crackdown.

CANADA: AI systems use Canadian journalism but seldom cite media sources: report

Toronto Star: A new study released on Monday says AI systems depend on Canadian journalism for the information they provide users but don’t offer compensation or proper attribution in return

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CANADA: New collective launches to support Indigenous representation, storytelling and languages (Press release) 

CBC/Radio-Canada: Seven Indigenous leaders for public service media and media organisations have united to form the new and historic collective, Indigenous Public Media (IPM). 

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CANADA: Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage hears about toxic CBC culture, precarious state of local news

Broadcast Dialogue: The sustainability of local news, the role of the CBC, and the impact of big tech and AI on the media ecosystem were among the topics tackled at Tuesday’s meeting of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

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US: Arkansas public television commission pauses state plan to break off from PBS

Editor & Publisher: Arkansas’ public television commission voted Thursday to pause efforts to become the first state to cut ties with PBS after hearing almost two hours of frustrated public comments from opponents, including the head of the national network.

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US: Republican rebukes FCC chair’s threats to revoke broadcast licenses over Iran war 

The Guardian: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair, Brendan Carr, is facing pushback from a Republican lawmaker after warning on Saturday that broadcasters could lose their licenses if they run what the federal agency deems “fake news” over the Iran conflict.

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US: Trump backs FCC chief’s threat to broadcasters, criticizing Iran war coverage (Paywall) 

The Washington Post: The president endorsed FCC chair Brendan Carr’s warning to broadcasters to correct course or lose their licenses, amid sparring over Iran war coverage.

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US: Trump Nominates Sarah B. Rogers As CEO Of Voice Of America Overseer After Judge Invalidated Layoffs And Cuts 

Deadline: Donald Trump nominated a senior State Department official to lead the agency that oversees the Voice of America and other U.S. government broadcasters, after a federal judge invalidated layoffs and other actions taken by the president’s appointee Kari Lake.

AI platform for media: A YouTube alternative for and from Europe (Paywall – German) 

Tagesspiel: The EU is planning its own AI-powered platform for reliable news – a kind of European YouTube for journalistic content. Tech companies are already poised to launch. The media remain skeptical.

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Counter-power: local media under pressure (Watch – French) 

RSF: What if local news had lessons to teach the media as a whole? What if, ultimately, it was local news that could save journalism from distrust? An unparalleled counterweight in the French media landscape, local news remains a pillar of credibility in a now widespread context of distrust: 63% of those surveyed trust it.

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Funding the future of local news (Report) 

Greater Community Media: A global wave of journalism funds is rising to support a revival of local news. This new in-depth report documents how they work, they impact they’re having and the lessons for others to follow.

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Democratic Backsliding Reaches Western Democracies, with U.S. Decline “Unprecedented” (Report) 

V-Dem: Democratic backsliding is now happening in well-established democracies. Democracy in the USA is deteriorating at unprecedented speed, and media and journalists are increasingly targeted across the world.

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How Australia forced Big Tech to pay for journalism — and what publishers everywhere can learn

Editor & Publisher: For more than two decades, news publishers have watched as technology platforms have reshaped the economics of their industry… 

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Is verification the new trust currency?

UTS: Media’s ability to verify information struggles to keep pace with the scale and speed of the digital information environment. We constantly hear about declining trust in information, sources, institutions, and media organisations. Trust erosion is the most widely discussed consequence of information insecurity.

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Journalismfund Europe’s Ides Debruyne: ‘We need to teach journalists to say no to a media that won’t pay’ (Q&A) 

VoxEurope: The media industry is in crisis, and from a number of perspectives. Ultimately, it is often freelance journalists who suffer (and pay) as a result of this crisis, receiving poor pay or no pay at all, says the managing director of Journalismfund Europe in this conversation.

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New challenges for media, the role of social media and artificial intelligence (Press release) 

Suspilne: Social media increasingly determine which news people see, effectively becoming gatekeepers of information. At the same time, responsibility for the distribution of content on these platforms remains insufficiently regulated.

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The 4 burning policy questions for AI and the media sector (Blog) 

EBU: AI is moving fast, and it’s no secret that it’s impacting Europe’s media landscape. Public service media embrace the opportunities AI brings to drive responsible innovation. They work every day to provide reliable media spaces through curated, trusted news offers and innovative formats.

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Turning Words into Action: Media Support Within the European Democracy Shield (Event – 24 March) 

European Partnership for Democracy: Media systems function as critical democratic infrastructure. Independent, pluralistic and sustainable media underpin electoral integrity, public trust, institutional accountability and informed participation. In this regard, ensuring media viability is essential for fostering informed and resilient societies.

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YouTube – Friend or Enemy? The dilemma for broadcasters (Blog) 

EBU: For much of the past decade, YouTube occupied a relatively straightforward place in the digital strategies of public service media (PSM): a marketing channel. A shop window. Somewhere to place clips that might drive audiences back to our own platforms. That era is over.