AFGHANISTAN: The Silent Digital Prison: The Taliban’s Gift to the People of Afghanistan

Hasht e Subh: Digital blackouts have now become part of the Taliban regime’s agenda.

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MALAYSIA: Malaysia’s RTM to withdraw channels from Astro platform, ending nearly 30-year partnership

Marktech APAC: Malaysia’s public broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) will stop broadcasting its television channels on the platform operated by Astro Malaysia Holdings beginning July 1, marking the end of a collaboration that has lasted almost three decades.

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MALAYSIA: RTM CARVES THE MEANING OF CARING THROUGH CSR TOUCH FOR THOSE IN NEED (Press release – Malay)

RTM: Taking the lesson that not everyone in our society is lucky in every matter and situation, Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) continues to provide commitment in building a caring, caring and environmentally aware society which is realized through the organization of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programs.

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SOUTH KOREA: KBS Highlights AI Anchor Avatar and Public Service Technologies at KOBA 2026 (Press release)

KBS: KBS is showcasing a range of AI-powered broadcasting technologies at KOBA 2026, including its AI Anchor Avatar Production System, offering a glimpse into the future of public media in the AI era.

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TAIWAN: Rti hosts Taiwan session ahead of Ukraine LMF 

Rti: Lai emphasized that Taiwan is one of the countries most severely affected by disinformation and cognitive attacks globally, which is why Rti established the Rti Academy last year to strengthen exchanges with international media and think tanks.

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THAILAND: Thai PBS is moving forward with ethical oversight of AI use alongside its public digital services. (Press release – Thai)

Thai PBS: The Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) is moving forward to upgrade the standards for regulating the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.

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REGIONAL & US: The Vanishing Foreign Desk: What U.S. Media Cuts Mean for South Asia

Al Jazeera: Recent restructuring at Voice of America and The Washington Post marks a significant withdrawal from global journalism, particularly affecting coverage in South Asia.

AUSTRALIA: ABC Welcomes Appointment of Two New Directors (Press release) 

ABC: The ABC Chair, Kim Williams AM, today warmly welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Communications, the Honourable Anika Wells, of the appointment of a new Deputy Chair, Dr  Lisa Caffery (Qld), who replaces former Deputy Chair Peter Tonagh, and another Director, Mr Damien Miller (Vic), who takes up a vacancy following the expiry of Mr Mario D’Orazio’s  five-year term on the Board.

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AUSTRALIA: ABC welcomes renewed Indo-Pacific broadcasting funding (Press release) 

ABC: The additional $14 million investment over two years will help maintain the ABC’s expanded services across the region, supporting the creation of trusted content, regional media partnerships and stronger connections with audiences throughout the Indo-Pacific.

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AUSTRALIA: Transforming bold ideas into market-ready productions: Digital Originals returns (Press release) 

SBS: SBS, NITV and Screen Australia have announced the return of Digital Originals, a leading initiative for emerging creatives in Australia, with applications now open for its seventh edition.

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NEW ZEALAND: David Seymour’s attacks on RNZ, TVNZ unhelpful, out of order, Goldsmith and Peters say 

RNZ: Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says David Seymour’s attack on the public broadcasters was unhelpful, while New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has called it “out of order”.

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NEW ZEALAND: Distasteful, unnecessary, offensive: RNZ board member on David Seymour attacks 

The Spinoff: Recent commentary by David Seymour taking aim at RNZ hosts, management and governors crossed a line, says Jane Wrightson, a member of the RNZ board since 2021. His statements, she told the Spinoff, were “distasteful and unnecessary”, and she had taken personal offence.

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NEW ZEALAND: The Detail: Media under fire from all angles 

RNZ: New Zealand media is in the firing line, with political attacks, public distrust and a controversial high-profile resignation – so can newsrooms get back on track to regain public trust?

AUSTRIA & HUNGARY: Two ways to break a media market (Opinion – Paywall) 

Funds4Media: Austria subsidised its media market into stagnation, Hungary repressed its own into innovation. Both are now trying to redefine the role of the state in their information ecosystem.

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CROATIA: HRT celebrates 100 years of radio and 70 years of television 

Croatia Week: Plenković highlighted HRT’s role during the Homeland War, saying the broadcaster played a key role in informing citizens during wartime and standing alongside the Croatian people during difficult periods.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Babiš: The draft law on public service media will be discussed by the coalition on May 25th (Czech) 

Media Guru: According to the draft, Czech Radio and Czech Television should receive a fixed amount from the state budget instead of fees from households and companies.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: ČT24 up close: Czech Television opens a dialogue about media in the digital age (Press release – Czech) 

CT: Czech Television is reaching out to the public with a new project, ČT24 Up Close, which strengthens the relationship with viewers and opens up topics related to the functioning of the media in the digital era.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: tak.moment! Czech Television’s new project for Gen Z has surpassed 1.5 million views (Press release – Czech) 

CT: Czech Television has expanded its presence in the digital space and launched a new media project, tak.moment, aimed primarily at a young audience aged 15 to 25. The project is being created primarily for Instagram, and additionally for YouTube Shorts, and responds to the changing way the young generation searches for and follows information.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Thousands demonstrate in the Czech Republic for media freedom (German) 

Der Standard: Prague – Thousands of people took to the streets in several Czech cities to demonstrate for the independence of public radio and television. They were protesting against plans by the right-wing populist government of Prime Minister and billionaire Andrej Babiš.

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FRANCE: Our response to the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Public Broadcasting (Press release – French) 

France Télévisions: France Télévisions responds to all the elements of the report of the commission of inquiry on the neutrality, operation and financing of public broadcasting. 

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FRANCE: Public broadcasting: Charles Alloncle submits the first bill stemming from the inquiry committee (French) 

LCP Assemblée Nationale: On Tuesday, May 12, Charles Alloncle introduced a bill “to prevent conflicts of interest in national broadcasting companies,” a legislative translation of the conclusions of his report on public broadcasting.

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GERMANY: The Federal Constitutional Court will now hear arguments on the broadcasting fee in June. (German) 

LTO: The Federal Constitutional Court plans to hear arguments on the broadcasting fee in June. This is surprising: after all, according to the latest recommendation, the broadcasting fee doesn’t need to be increased until 2027.

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GERMANY & FRANCE: Deutsche Welle and France Médias Monde expand cooperation (Press release) 

DW: The Director General of DW, together with the Chair and CEO of France’s international broadcaster, presented a new joint project at the biannual meeting of the Franco-German Cultural Council in Berlin.

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HUNGARY: According to Péter Magyar, it could take several months for the situation in public media to settle down. (Hungarian) 

Media1: Péter Magyar previously said that the public service media’s news service would be suspended after the government is formed, so an RTL News employee asked him in Ópusztaszer how this matter stands and what the exact timetable is.

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HUNGARY: The Media Council fined the public service media provider (Hungarian) 

Dgtl: The Media Council of the National Media and Communications Authority has condemned the public service media provider for illegally published social media advertisements. The body has also initiated proceedings against a radio media provider for broadcasting a covert commercial message.

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LITHUANIA: ‘There are no perfect laws’: Parliament committee approves changes to LRT (Lithuanian) 

LRT: Lithuania’s parliamentary Committee on Culture on Wednesday approved proposed amendments to the LRT law. This comes amid objections from the opposition and international organisations, as well as widespread protests.

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THE NETHERLANDS: Investigation into NPO: quality of ON! under pressure and too many ‘captains’ at broadcasters (Dutch) 

NOS: The reliability of the news coverage provided by broadcaster Ongehoord Nederland (ON!) is under pressure. This conclusion is drawn by an evaluation committee in a report on the Dutch broadcasting system and the NPO.

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THE NETHERLANDS: Retrospective: Public Pioneer communities (Press release – Dutch) 

NPO: How do you make public media more relevant, interactive, and connected with their audience?

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RUSSIA: Russia hits Taiwan too—and three democracies are comparing notes on public media 

Euromaidan: Ukraine builds. Georgia dismantles. Taiwan defends. Notes from a packed hall at Lviv Media Forum, 15 May 2026.

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SLOVENIA: Public broadcasting is extremely important for the border area (Slovenian) 

RTV Slovenija: When asked what financial uncertainty means and how important regional and minority content is, the Ombudsman replied that “public media is extremely important because it is the only one that brings content that commercial media do not, including about Slovenians in Italy, Croatia, Hungary,” and that a regional approach is also important from the perspective of journalistic credibility and better response to current topics, as good knowledge of the terrain is essential for this.

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UK: External Editorial Advisors to BBC Editorial Standards Committee announced (Press release) 

BBC: The ESC is chaired by Caroline Thomson and includes the BBC Director-General, and BBC Non-Executive Directors Sir Robbie Gibb, Chris Jones and Marinella Soldi.

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UK: New BBC boss warns that ‘tough choices are unavoidable’

BBC: New BBC director general Matt Brittin has told staff the BBC “has never been more needed” but that “tough choices are unavoidable as we make savings”.

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UK, CANADA & AUSTRALIA: Beloved audio series Short Cuts revived by BBC in partnership with CBC and ABC (Press release) 

BBC: National broadcasters have joined together to bring back the short-form documentary series. 

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UKRAINE: Ukraine wants the playbook of the German newsroom Russia banned 

Euromaidan: USAID is gone. The alternative was built by readers giving 20 euros each.

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REGIONAL: AgoraEU: European Parliament recognises journalism as democratic infrastructure, but proposed budget falls short of its own ambition 

EFJ: The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) warns that the proposed budget allocation for journalism does not go far enough to match the scale of ambition outlined in the regulation and is a worrying sign of a lack of political ambition to meaningfully fund European journalism.

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REGIONAL: EBU calls on EU lawmakers preserve radio in cars and net neutrality in the Digital Networks Act 

EBU: On 18 May, the EBU published its policy position on the Digital Networks Act (DNA). The DNA will shape how people across Europe access digital services and media for years to come. Media content and services are major drivers of demand for reliable, high-quality networks. The EBU’s position aims to ensure that the media’s major role is recognised and that the interests of audiences are protected in the DNA.

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REGIONAL: Three European countries refuse to broadcast Eurovision’s Saturday final show (Paywall) 

The Brussels Times: The three countries had previously announced they would boycott the 70th edition of Eurovision, being held this year in Vienna, in protest against the decision by the European Broadcasting Union to maintain Israel’s participation amid the war in Gaza Strip.

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REGIONAL: ‘We’re not the United Nations’: Top official defends Eurovision ahead of tense final 

Politico: Song contest’s managers are “prepared” for more disruptions during Saturday night’s event, said Jean Philip De Tender, deputy director general at Eurovision organizer EBU.

ISRAEL: High Court annuls Karhi’s decision to fire key public broadcaster official 

The Times of Israel: Communication minister dismissed Kan search panel chief for adopting AG legal guidance; Judge: ‘Regrettable that getting legal advice these days is seen as grounds for dismissal’. 

CANADA: ‘Door is open’ for Canada to join Eurovision

BBC: Canada could join the Eurovision Song Contest if it wishes, director Martin Green told the BBC, but the country has not yet made a formal request.

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CANADA: MTM Junior 2026 data is now available! (Press release)

CBC/Radio-Canada: Now in its eighth year, MTM Junior continues to spotlight the evolving landscape of Canadian youth. We take a look into the trends defining this generation, from the rise of AI and gaming to the growth of podcasting, FAST channel viewership, and more. 

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US: Kari Lake, Who Led Effort to Shutter Voice of America, Is Named Ambassador to Jamaica

The New York Times: Ms. Lake tried and failed to fire hundreds of Voice of America journalists and to cut funding for other federally funded news groups like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Journalism has never been a more dangerous pursuit (Opinion) 

The Guardian: Facts can be expensive in a dangerous world. I have covered some brutal wars during my three decades at the Guardian, but journalists are now actively targeted in a way I have never seen.