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

As the global Covid-19 pandemic continues and many countries enter a state of lockdown, the need for community solidarity and mutual support has never been greater. But this support requires quality, fact-checked and evidence based news and information.

With this in mind, the Public Media Alliance has compiled an extensive and growing resources featuring recommended tools, advice and sources for journalists and the public alike. The resources can be found via the link below or in the ‘Tools’ section of our website.

The resource will be frequently updated to reflect the changing needs and evolving situation. If you have any recommendations, please let us know.


We also want to hear about your local public media coverage! Email us!

As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, public media are rapidly adapting to best cover the crisis on a local level while also providing for educational needs and vulnerable groups as isolation policies are introduced.

We want to hear from our members about what you are doing to best cover the crisis on a local level. Email us using the link below.


Coronavirus: Resources & best practices

Essential resources for sourcing and reporting news about the coronavirus pandemic

What we're listening to...


Ethics in the News: Sally-Ann Wilson


RNZ’s ‘toddler steps’ towards diversity

RNZ: The Black Lives Matter movement has prompted many institutions – including media – to re-examine their own record on race and diversity.  Four years ago RNZ made a long-term commitment to high-quality Māori content, te reo Māori and Māori journalism after criticism that it wasn’t offering enough. Mediawatch asks chief executive Paul Thompson what RNZ’s achieved and what’s still to do.

What we're watching...


Polarised and Partisan: Polish Media and Presidential Election 

Al Jazeera: In the re-election of Poland’s president, how much of a helping hand did media offer? 


Coronavirus, bushfires, political dramas: ABC News Channel marks 10 years on air covering the decade’s big stories

ABC News: Every working day, News Channel Mornings presenter Joe O’Brien walks into the studio ready for anything to happen, anywhere, at any moment. A prime minister is toppled, a natural disaster hits, a pandemic sweeps across the world and he is suddenly steering live coverage of a rapidly unfolding story.

Global Headlines


Click on the tab menu below to reveal the latest regional stories.

BURUNDI: CPJ calls on Burundi’s new president to free Iwacu journalists, respect press freedom (Letter)

CPJ


Central African Republic: Fighting Rumors about COVID-19 with Lessons from Conflict Reporting

Internews: In the Central African Republic, reporters turn political fact-checking strategies to address COVID-19


DJIBOUTI: Intense crackdown on journalists in Djibouti

Via IFEX: Djibouti authorities sent 20 men to search for and arrest journalist Charmarke Saïd Darar during the recent crackdown on media.


EGYPT: Return of journalists to Egyptian screens raise hope of easing restrictions on media

Al-Monitor: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has reshuffled the three media bodies in charge of monitoring the performance of media outlets in Egypt, coinciding with reports about the return of prominent media figures that had been shunned in past years.


GHANA: Revoke Illegal, Inimical Ministerial Directive to GBC – MFWA Urges President Akufo-Addo, NMC

MFWA: The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is extremely alarmed by the revelation that the Minister of Communications, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has instructed the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to cede three of its six channels on the Digital Terrestrial Television Platform. The minister’s instruction is to be complied with within 60 days.


KENYA: Do away with policies that threaten viability and survival of media (Opinion)

The Standard: Despite the fear of a bleak future facing the media in Kenya due to various teething challenges, including the Covid-19 outbreak, the media will survive for the longest time. It will surmount these disruptions through innovations but will need the government to create an enabling environment, including reducing commercial pressures.


MALAWI: Minister Kazako vows to ‘sanitise’ Malawi public broadcaster MBC: Sumbuleta says ‘we are professionals’

Nyasa Times: Newly-appointed Minister of Information Gospel Kazako has warned that there will be casualties [in the] Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) as government will restructure it in what he calls to “sanitise” the taxpayer-funded public broadcaster so that it runs professionally.


MALAWI: Reforming Malawi Broadcasting Corporation

Nyasa Times: If there is an institution that Malawians yearn to be transformed, it is Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). Even during the Anti-Jane Ansah demonstrations, reform of MBC was one of the themes that protesters raised.


MOROCCO: In Morocco, 110 journalists mobilize against “defamation media” (French)

Le Monde: In a manifesto, they notably call on the National Press Council to take “disciplinary sanctions” against those who violate the code of ethics.


NIGER: Two journalists arrested in disturbing setback for press freedom

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the arbitrary arrests of two journalists in the past two months in Niger. They constitute a disturbing reversal for press freedom in a country that had seen significant progress in recent years. One of the journalists is still being held.


NIGERIA: Copyright Society Of Nigeria Says New Broadcasting Code Is Unenforceable

Broadcast Media Africa: The new Nigerian Broadcasting Code (the set of regulations that governs broadcasting in Nigeria) might be unenforceable, according to the chair of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) Mr Tony Okoroji.


RWANDA: How does Rwanda’s genocide ideology law regulate speech online?

Global Voices: The law against genocide ideology and divisionism has had a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Rwanda.


SOUTH AFRICA: Journalism ethics and coverage of minority groups in South Africa during Covid-19

EJN: Journalism and media, like all other sectors, have been shaken by the Covid-19 pandemic. But this uncertainty in our industry presents an opportunity to reflect on journalism ethics. Marginalised groups in South Africa have been left behind by the State’s responses to the pandemic. Likewise, media coverage has been limited mainly to urban areas, leaving those on the geographical and economic periphery with less visibility and voice in the news…


SOUTH AFRICA: SABC’s appearance before parliament to draw spotlight

SABC News: This week, Parliament’s Communications Portfolio Committee will be seized with matters playing out at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). The committee is set to meet for two days during which SABC affairs will be discussed.


SOUTH AFRICA: SABC celebrates 70 years of broadcasting

SABC News: Today marks exactly 70 years of the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) first in-house news broadcast. The public broadcaster was established in 1936, but it didn’t operate a news service of its own until 15 years later, just after World War Two.


SOUTH AFRICA: SABC troubles just add to a growing list of funding challenges for the state

News 24: The operational and financial challenges at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) will once again come to the fore on Tuesday as the broadcaster briefs Parliament on its flailing fortunes. Its troubles may seem current, but the missteps at the public service broadcaster date back over a decade ago.


SUDAN: Sudan’s army launches legal action against ‘insulting’ activists and journalists

Middle East Monitor: Sudan’s army has started legal action against activists and journalists who have “insulted” the military, it said in a statement on Saturday, according to a report by Reuters.


ZAMBIA: COVID-19: ZNBC Impresses IBA

ZNBC News: The Independent Broadcasting Authority -IBA- has praised ZNBC for its role in sensitising the public about the Coronavirus. IBA Board chairperson Mable Mung’omba says sensitising the public in the 7 major languages has helped Government reach out to everyone across the country.


ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe Police Detain Prominent Journalist, Protest Leader

VOA: Zimbabwe police on Monday swooped in and detained a prominent journalist and an opposition leader ahead of anti-government protests planned for the end of this month, their lawyers said. 


UGANDA: UBC asks government for Shs50b

Daily Monitor: The Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) has asked government for Shs50b to facilitate activities they will be running on their various media platforms for the proposed 2021 scientific elections.


GENERAL: BBC Global News Makes Yewande Adewusi Regional Director For Africa

Broadcast Media Africa: Yetunde Adewusi has been appointed as the regional director for Africa at BBC Global News – its international arm for all commercial activities, including news, features and sports.

AFGHANISTAN: Afghan government drops controversial media law amendment

Via IFEX: The proposed amendments were recalled by Afghan president Ashraf Ghani after an outcry from media outlets. Some of the amendments would have required journalists to disclose their sources and allow government censorship of news reports.


CAMBODIA: Foreign governments urged to press Cambodia for concrete action on human rights situation

IFEX: 32 civil society organizations urge the Governments of Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States to echo the European Union (EU) in its call for the respect of human rights in Cambodia.


CAMBODIA: Supreme Court decides on key cases against media workers

IFJ: In separate cases on July 15, the Supreme Court of Cambodia rejected the appeal from two former Radio Free Asia (RFA) reporters, Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin and ordered the retrial of RT fixer Rath Rott Mony. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urges authorities to drop the charges against the journalists.


CHINA & US: Prospects bleak for recovery of US media presence in China

CPJ: The slugfest between China and the U.S. over the treatment of media workers in each country appears to have paused. Rather than expel each other’s journalists, as they did a few months ago, each side in early July imposed registration and reporting requirements on those remaining—still many more Chinese in the U.S. than Americans in China.


HONG KONG: Exclusive: Media law expert Doreen Weisenhaus on why Hong Kong may no longer be Asia’s oasis of free speech (Watch)

HKFP: Doreen Weisenhaus is working on a new edition of the Hong Kong Media Law textbook – a title that is likely on every local newsroom’s bookshelf. But Weisenhaus has told HKFP that she has had to make some serious edits following the new security law: “When I wrote my first and second edition of Hong Kong Media Law,… I concluded that… no major new law had been enacted in Hong Kong that would threaten press freedom in a strong way.”


HONG KONG: New York Times to move Hong Kong staff to Seoul over press freedom fears 

BBC: The New York Times says it will move some of its Hong Kong staff to Seoul as concerns mount over the implications of a severe new security law for the city.


HONG KONG: Security law: Speech is no longer free for Hongkongers, wherever they are (Opinion)

HKFP: All of us were at a loss for words. Like most Hongkongers, we were not surprised by the law, and yet we did not know how we could speak of our grief and rage when those very emotions might now be cause for imprisonment.


INDIA: IIS officers’ as AIR, DD DGs irks programme staff

The Hindu: The programme staff of Prasar Bharati are agitated over the recent appointment of officials from the Indian Information Service (IIS) as Director Generals of All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD) instead of from the Indian Broadcast Programming Service (IBPS).


INDIA: India’s oppressed groups had high hopes from Internet. But upper castes got in there too

The Print: The Oxfam-Newslaundry report shows how upper castes dominate Indian newsrooms. But journalists like Rajat Sharma, Sudhir Chaudhary and Rahul Kanwal have also emerged as influencers on digital space.


INDIA: Why Journalists Are Worried About the New Media Policy in Jammu and Kashmir

The Wire: The policy has made it even easier for the government to go after reporters and publications who do not toe the state’s line, they believe.


MALAYSIA: Malaysia’s media crackdowns driven by a shaky, sensitive government (Analysis – Watch)

Asia Pacific Report: The recent police interrogations of six Al Jazeera journalists in Malaysia – five of whom are Australian – was not about shaping international reportage or a diplomatic rift. Rather, it was part of a troubling pattern of crackdowns on the media and freedom of speech in the country, driven by the domestic concerns of an insecure government highly sensitive to criticism.


MALAYSIA: Media group claims ministry’s licensing review of Al Jazeera infringement of press freedom

Malay Mail: The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) condemned today the Communications and Multimedia Ministry’s plan to review Al Jazeera’s accreditation and production licence over its controversial documentary Locked Up In Malaysia’s Lockdown. CIJ called the move “alarming” and a form of state retaliation against the Qatar-based broadcaster for allegedly damaging Malaysia’s reputation.


MALDIVES: Maldivian president’s comms chief accused of sexually harassing journalist

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on Maldives’ President Ibu Solih to adopt appropriate sanctions in the case of a newspaper editor who says she was sexually harassed by his head of communications and who filed complaints months ago without any action being taken.


NEPAL: New public service broadcasting bill draws criticism

The Kathmandu Post: Journalists, lawmakers say it envisages broadcaster that continues to remain accountable towards the government and not the legislature.


PAKISTAN: Pakistan PM criticised for two-fold hike in state TV licence fee

Gulf News: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government’s decision of a more than two-fold increase in the state-run TV’s monthly licence fee has not gone well with the public and they have strongly objected to it, saying it is an unjust and unfair act by the government.


PAKISTAN: Protest against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s illegal arrest continues

The News International: A protest demonstration against the illegal arrest of Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman continued Sunday on Davis Road and even rain did not stop people from protesting.


PHILIPPINES: #HoldTheLine Coalition calls for criminal tax charge to be dropped as Maria Ressa returns to court

RSF: The #HoldTheLine Coalition demands the Philippines authorities drop a barrage of bogus tax and foreign ownership cases against internationally celebrated journalist Maria Ressa and Rappler – the news organisation she founded.


PHILIPPINES: Villafuerte wants ABS-CBN’s frequencies used for distance learning

Rappler: Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte, one of the 70 lawmakers who killed ABS-CBN’s franchise bid, says its frequencies should be used for education during the coronavirus pandemic


SOUTH KOREA: KCC Chief Agrees on Need to Raise KBS TV License Fee

KBS World: The chief of the Korea Communications Commission agreed on the need to raise the television license fee for KBS, saying that finance concerns for public broadcasters is a serious issue.


TAIWAN: Public Television Service to create English program platform

Focus Taiwan: Taiwan’s Public Television Service (PTS) will establish an online platform offering video programming in English next year with an eye to introducing Taiwan to the world, the culture minister said Tuesday.


TAJIKISTAN: How Tajikistan Blocked Term Extensions For Key OSCE Officials

RFE/RL: The terms of Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir as the head of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and for Harlem Desir as the OSCE representative on freedom of the media expired on July 19. Both had been nominated for a second three-year term, but in both cases, the OSCE delegation from Tajikistan helped to block their reappointments. Both had also been known to have annoyed the Tajik government.


TIMOR LESTE: IFJ submits legal advice on Criminal Defamation Law

IFJ: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has submitted a legal advice highlighting the dangers of the proposed re-introduction of criminal defamation law into Timor-Leste to Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak on July 14.

AUSTRALIA: ABC News channel flags ‘on demand’ future after a decade on-air

The Sydney Morning Herald: Whether it’s covering international conflicts or transforming the national broadcaster, ABC News director Gaven Morris isn’t one to shy away from a challenge.


AUSTRALIA: ABC Your Planet takes on the climate challenge

ABC: The ABC has launched a new series of programs and resources to explore the urgent environmental challenges facing the planet and the ways in which all Australians can be part of the solution.


AUSTRALIA: Coronavirus, bushfires, political dramas: ABC News Channel marks 10 years on air covering the decade’s big stories (Watch)

ABC News: Every working day, News Channel Mornings presenter Joe O’Brien walks into the studio ready for anything to happen, anywhere, at any moment. A prime minister is toppled, a natural disaster hits, a pandemic sweeps across the world and he is suddenly steering live coverage of a rapidly unfolding story.


AUSTRALIA: Government chases spectrum efficiency for TV signals

Sydney Morning Herald: Communications Minister Paul Fletcher is in discussions with ABC and SBS’ broadcast tower operator about the national broadcasters’ transmission costs as the government looks to reduce the amount of television spectrum networks use for their services.


AUSTRALIA: Paul Fletcher says ABC funding is rising each year. Is he correct?

ABC News: After the ABC announced the loss of 250 jobs in its five year plan, the state of its funding was once again thrust into the national debate.


NEW ZEALAND: Award-winning RNZ investigative show Insight set to be scrapped

Stuff: Award-winning Radio New Zealand investigative show Insight has been taken off air.


NEW ZEALAND: $16 million invested in three local drama series, firing up the local production sector

NZ On Air: NZ On Air will support two new drama series and one successful returning drama series, bringing powerful local stories to screens and creating up to 350 jobs on sets.


NEW ZEALAND: More accessible screen content for hearing and sight impaired New Zealanders

NZ On Air: Hearing impaired and sight impaired audiences will be able to enjoy significantly more of their favourite TV programmes following a major funding boost to the organisation that provides captions and audio description. 


NEW ZEALAND: RNZ’s ‘toddler steps’ towards diversity (Listen)

RNZ: The Black Lives Matter movement has prompted many institutions – including media – to re-examine their own record on race and diversity.  Four years ago RNZ made a long-term commitment to high-quality Māori content, te reo Māori and Māori journalism after criticism that it wasn’t offering enough. Mediawatch asks chief executive Paul Thompson what RNZ’s achieved and what’s still to do.


NEW ZEALAND: Where are the Asian-Kiwi faces and voices? (Listen)

RNZ: Another year, another Diversity Report on gender ethnicity balance – this time from New Zealand On Air. The most glaring imbalance, once again, is among Asian creatives – on the small screen and also on the big one. The good news is that the figures have gone up 300 percent on previous years. The bad news is that the figure is 9 percent – up from 2 percent of scripts in development a few years ago.


SAMOA: Samoans asked to stop sharing fake Covid-19 news

RNZ: Samoa’s Director General of Health has called for people to stop sharing fake news on social media about a purported suspected Covid-19 case in the country. TV1Samoa reported that Leausa Dr Take Naseri had singled out a news item from the Samoa Observer newspaper in March about a suspected case of the coronavirus.


SAMOA: Samoa govt looking to ban Facebook

Via Pacific Media Network: The Samoan government is looking seriously at banning Facebook in the country. TV1Samoa reports Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi saying this week that many people had complained about the popular social media platform and how it is being used to hurt people.

BELARUS: Sixteen reporters arrested while covering protests in latest crackdown in Belarus

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the latest wave of arrests of Belarusian journalists covering demonstrations in support of President Lukashenko’s opponents and calls on the authorities to stop trying to gag independent media.


BELGIUM: VRT cancels episode “FC De Kampioenen” because of racism: “Does not fit the spirit of today anymore” (Dutch)

VRT News: An 18-year-old episode of “FC De Kampioenen” is no longer being rebroadcast nor offered online. The condescending jokes about a black character are inappropriate, VRT says.


ESTONIA: The most moments of Estonian television history come to life in ETV’s birthday show (Estonian)

ERR: July 19, 1955 marks the birth of television and the first day of broadcasting in Estonia. ETV dedicates a special broadcast day to its 65th birthday, the crown of which is the birthday show “ETV Most Everything” at 9.35 pm.


FRANCE: Eight candidates have been selected for the presidency of France Télévisions, announces the CSA (French)

France Info: The CSA received 12 candidatures for the presidency of France Télévisions and retained eight applicants, including the current leader of the group Delphine Ernotte and the former head of RTL Christopher Baldelli, who will be heard on Monday and Tuesday, he announced. Wednesday July 15 in a press release .


FRANCE: France Télévisions: all the projects of the presidential candidates (French)

Huffpost: The various candidates for the succession of Delphine Ernotte are auditioned by the CSA. The new president will be known this Friday July 24 at the latest.


GEORGIA: Georgia Passes Bill amid Press Freedom Concerns

Civil: The Parliament of Georgia endorsed controversial amendments to the Law on Electronic Communications, that among others, allow the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) to appoint “special managers” to telecommunication companies, which include a number of broadcasters. 


GEORGIA: Mounting pressure on Georgia’s media in run-up to elections 

RSF: With less than four months to go to high-stakes parliamentary elections, Georgia’s parliament has passed an amendment restricting the freedom of the broadcast media, while the ruling party is declaring a war on “fake news.” These moves jeopardize media independence and pluralism, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF).


GERMANY: Amazon launches ‘free’ live TV package in Germany

Broadband TV News: Amazon has launched a live TV package for the customers of its subscription service Amazon Prime in Germany which, unlike other linear TV channels, is offered without extra charge. The line-up comprises 38 TV channels from public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, including 28 HD channels, reports German media magazine InfoDigital.


GERMANY: New record values ​​for Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandfunk Nova (German)

Deutschland Radio: Never before have more people heard Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandfunk Nova.


GREECE: Greece urged to ensure fair and transparent media support scheme

IPI: The International Press Institute (IPI) has joined a letter from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) to the Greek government calling for greater transparency and objectivity in the distribution of public advertisement funds to media.


HUNGARY: Bognar on Trust in the Media

CMDS: “Trust in media, in the news is terribly low globally,” CMDS’ Senior Program Officer and Researcher, Eva Bognar said in an interview with the radio program Media1 on Spirit FM, where she talked about the Digital News Report 2020. “Only 38% of the respondents said that they more or less trust news in general. In Hungary, this number is even lower, only 27%. This means the 35th place out of the 40 countries in the survey,” Bognar said.


MONTENEGRO: MPs soon on the Law on RTCG: Public service gets an Ombudsman

Safe Journalists: Montenegrin MPs, before the imminent dissolution of the Parliament, should discuss the proposal of the Law on the National Public Broadcaster of Radio and Television of Montenegro.


NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam gets new local broadcaster 

Telecompaper: The Dutch Media Commission (CvdM) has designated the Amsterdam public broadcaster as the local broadcaster for Amsterdam. This means the application of the Toon Beeld Local Broadcaster Amsterdam (C-Amsterdam) foundation was rejected. The new designation will run until 26 January 2024.


POLAND: Poland to propose limits on foreign media soon, Kaczynski says

Reuters: Poland will seek to craft rules limiting the concentration of foreign-owned media outlets well before the ruling nationalists finish their term in power, Poland’s de facto leader said on Sunday, with parliamentary elections expected in 2023.


POLAND: Poland’s Main Opposition Party Seeks Annulment Of Election

Balkan Insight: Civic Coalition submits appeal to court over presidential election result, singling out the alleged bias of the public broadcaster.


POLAND: Polarised and Partisan: Polish Media and Presidential Election (Watch)

Al Jazeera: In the re-election of Poland’s president, how much of a helping hand did media offer? 


RUSSIA: Russia’s New Constitution to Further Silence Debate

VOA: Outside the Moscow headquarters of the Federal Security Service last week, some of Russia’s most prominent journalists protested the arrest of Ivan Safronov, a former journalist charged with treason. Some were briefly detained. If this were taking place in the U.S. — or any other Western democracy — the outrage would be deafening, but in Russia, the news media’s struggle for rights has become routine. 


SERBIA: MEPs Request European Commission to Monitor Media and State Capture in Serbia

Exit: Three members of the European Parliament have requested the European Commission to set up an expert group to report on media and state capture in Serbia.


SLOVENIA: Dragomir on the ‘Orbanization’ of Slovenian Media

CMDS: The new media legislation proposed by the government in Slovenia is similar to the legislative steps taken by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to gain control over the media and get rid of independent and critical reporting, CMDS’ Director Marius Dragomir said in an interview with Slovenian POP TV’s news program, 24ur.


SLOVENIA: EBU and its partners worried about RTVSLO’s future

ESCToday: The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and its counterparts the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)  are worried about the latest developments and upcoming reforms in Slovenia concerning the funding of the public media service in the country.


SLOVENIA: Journalists Protest Against Media Reforms in Ljubljana

Total Slovenia News: Several hundred journalists and media workers gathered on Wednesday to protest against a media reform planned by the government in front of the National Assembly, where the parliamentary Culture Committee is discussing the proposed changes to three media laws.


SLOVENIA: RTV Slovenija in deadlock as changed 2020 plans rejected (Paywall)

STA: RTV Slovenija’s programming council has failed to back the public broadcaster’s changed financial and production plans for 2020, which the leadership prepared in response to the coronavirus. This could put it in a dire financial situation amid concerns that the government is trying to undermine it with a controversial media reform.


SPAIN: RTVE’s internal crisis extends to the political arena

Explica: The internal crisis that has shaken RTVE began to be sealed last week with the appointment of Josep Vilar as news director of TVE, an appointment that was added yesterday by Mamen del Cerro as head of RNE news, vacant position after the sudden dismissal of Raúl Heitzmann. But RTVE’s big problem is the delay in renewing its governing bodies. For two years, Rosa María Mateo has been in command as the only provisional administrator.


SPAIN: Court attorneys defend their rigor in the report on RTVE reform (Spanish)

La Vanguardia: Lawyers have defended their rigor in preparing the report on the renewal of the Board of Directors of RTVE through public competition, which they claim to have done “motivated by” and “in accordance with strictly legal criteria.”


SPAIN: The Committee of experts asks the Parliament for protection and demands that its criteria regarding the public tender of RTVE be respected (Spanish)

Teletodos: In a forceful statement, 13 of the 17 members of the Committee of Experts have expressed their complaint and firm protest at the legal report entitled “Note on the renewal of the members of the Board of Directors of the RTVE Corporation”, released by the press as an opinion without the authorship of official lawyers of the Senate, and not denied in its contents by this institution ”.


SWEDEN: Significant stability in confidence in news media (Swedish – blog)

SVT: As previously stated in the SVT blog, the Swedish people generally have great confidence in the media, and the general media confidence over time is characterized by a marked stability.


SWITZERLAND: Switzerland Inches Closer to FM Switch-Off

Radio World: Refines strategy and addresses remaining challenges as it prepares for total digital switchover in 2024


UK: More funding for community radio now available

Radio Today: Ofcom is giving community radio stations a second chance to apply for emergency funding to help them through the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. 


UK: The Andrew Neil Show ends as BBC News unveils cuts

BBC News: The Andrew Neil Show will disappear from BBC schedules as part of cuts to the corporation’s news operation.


UK: ‘This show is just the start’: inside the BBC’s all-person-of-colour A Suitable Boy

The Guardian: It has 110 actors, is based on one of the longest books in English – and it’s the BBC’s first historical drama with no white characters. But some think the series doesn’t go far enough. We take a look behind the scenes.


UK: Tory MPs round on ‘out of touch’ BBC over plans to end free TV licences for most over-75s

The Telegraph: In a letter to  Lord Hall of Birkenhead, 66 Tories, described the move as a “kick in the teeth” for millions of pensioners


REGIONAL: 5G expected to replace traditional broadcast distribution 

Digital TV Europe: The vast majority of broadcasters believe that 5G will replace traditional broadcast distribution as the preferred way to access TV content.

ARGENTINA: Journalists and specialists spoke about the state of freedom of expression in Argentina (Spanish)

Parlamentario: In a virtual meeting of the Senate Committee on Systems, Media and Freedom of Expression that challenges were raised at the legislative level. Journalists and specialists presented on the state of freedom of expression in Argentina and the challenges regarding new regulations, during a briefing by the Senate Committee on Systems, Media and Freedom of Expression, chaired by Alfredo Luenzo.


BRAZIL: Brazilian Minister of Justice calls for criminal investigations of 2 journalists, cartoonist

CPJ: Brazilian authorities should refrain from investigating or prosecuting cartoonist Renato Aroeira and journalists Ricardo Noblat and Helio Schwartsman, and should not threaten journalists with criminal investigations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.


BRAZIL: MP 936: More than 4,000 journalists in the country had salary impacts during the pandemic (Portuguese)

FENAJ: According to a survey by the National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ), 3,930 professional journalists working in newsrooms with a formal contract, at the bases of 16 Unions in the country, had their wages and working hours reduced during the pandemic. Another 81 journalists had their employment contracts suspended and 205 were dismissed.


COLOMBIA: What should journalists take into account when mobilizing during the quarantine? (Spanish) 

FLIP: Journalists and media personnel are part of the population exempt from mobility restriction measures during quarantine (according to National Decree 990 of 2020) and must follow a series of protocols, rules and recommendations.


EL SALVADOR: FOCOS TV journalist receives digital harassment via Twitter (Spanish) 

APES: Journalist for FOCOS TV magazine, Karen Fernández, was subjected to digital harassment after Walter Araujo, a pre-candidate for deputy for New Ideas, published a tweet discrediting his professionalism on July 11. APES condemns this digital harassment and asks the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) and the Salvadoran Institute for Women (ISDEMU) to investigate the attacks that mostly affect women journalists as a result of their journalistic practice.


HONDURAS: Honduran journalist David Romero dies after contracting COVID-19 in jail

CPJ: Honduran journalist David Romero Ellner died yesterday around 7 a.m. of respiratory failure after contracting COVID-19 while imprisoned at the Támara National Penitentiary, according to newspaper La Prensa. Authorities had transferred Romero to the National Cardiopulmonary Institute on July 5, according to newspaper El Heraldo.


MEXICO: Defend the free press; ask for critical review (Spanish)

Excelsior: One of the constituent and essential elements of any democracy and open society is the free press and, of course, the full exercise of freedom of expression, as well as the free expression of thought and ideas. Furthermore, in times of crisis like the one we are experiencing. From this perspective, it is important to call for the unrestricted defense of the media that are guarantors of this precious jewel of democratic regimes.


MEXICO: Freedom of expression in Mexico deteriorates in the last year 

La Silla Rota: “The conditions for exercising freedom of expression in Mexico have deteriorated in the last year.” With this phrase, begins the report prepared by the Collective of Analysis of Security and Democracy (AC), in addition to other schools and other organisations that evaluated the working conditions of the press in Mexico. 


PANAMA: Gain for freedom of the press. Court reverses sentence condemning Corporación La Prensa (Spanish)

Mi Diario: The First Superior Court of Justice reversed the judgment of the Thirteenth Civil Judge of Panama Melina Robinson. In the judgment, the magistrates point out that the fact cannot be configured, since the plaintiff did not demonstrate that the published news referring to public contracts and awarded acts were false and inaccurate and that they were made with the intention of damaging or damaging them.


PANAMA: Press freedom and access to information (Spanish – Opinion) 

La Prensa: The newspaper La Prensa has been a fundamental piece in the fight against the dictatorship, despite the fact that it has already had the misfortune of being forcibly closed. Even so, it has always maintained its independent editorial line, despite the fact that some people who have been affected by his publications say otherwise. 

LEBANON: New Coalition to Defend Free Speech

HRW: Fourteen Lebanese and international organizations announced on July 13, 2020 the formation of a “Coalition to Defend Freedom of Expression in Lebanon” to oppose the Lebanese authorities’ attempts to stifle free speech and opinion in the country, the organizations said today.


PALESTINE: Hamas criticized for ‘flagrant violation of media pluralism’

Arab News: Hamas’ decision to ban all journalists in the Gaza Strip from appearing on Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath news networks has been strongly criticized by media watchdogs and journalists.


PALESTINE: “MADA”: 237 Violations against Media Freedoms during the First Half of This Year, Most of Which Were Committed By the Israeli Occupation

MADA Center: The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms “MADA” issued its report for the first half of the current year 2020 about the conditions of media freedoms in Palestine, within the project “A Step Forward towards Promoting Freedom of Expression in Palestine”, funded by the European Union. 


PALESTINE: “MADA” Demands the Immediate Release of the Detained Journalists in the Gaza Strip

MADA Center: The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms “MADA” expresses its great concern about the continuous attacks against journalists and media institutions in the Gaza Strip, and condemns the continued detention of two journalists in connection with the publication of a video that spread on social media of a girl accused of forging her high school diploma.


SAUDI ARABIA: Death of Saudi journalist sparks calls by rights groups for investigation

Middle East Eye: Human rights defenders have called for an investigation into the reported death of Saudi journalist Saleh al-Shehi, who was released in May after spending two years in prison.


SYRIA: Violations of media freedom continue in Syria

Middle East Monitor: At least 34 violations against media freedom in Syria were documented during the first half of this year, the Syrian Centre for Journalistic Freedoms has reported. The centre is part of the Syrian Journalists’ Association.


TURKEY: Turkey court halts five-day broadcast ban on opposition channel TELE1

Middle East Eye: A court in Ankara has ruled that a five-day broadcast ban on opposition channel TELE1 breached press freedoms and issued a stay order to halt the move. 


TURKEY: Turkey’s ruling party moving to tighten grip on social media 

AP: The Turkish president’s ruling party is submitting draft legislation to parliament that would enable the government to tighten its grip on social media, an official said Tuesday. The opposition fears the legislation will lead to greater censorship in the country.


TURKEY & GERMANY: Turkey sentences Germany-based journalist to prison in absentia

Al-Monitor: An Istanbul court has sentenced a prominent Turkish-German journalist to nearly three years in prison in absentia in a trial that has further heightened tensions between two NATO partners. 


REGIONAL: Female journalists resist targeted online abuse

Deutsche Welle: Two Al Jazeera journalists have refused to stay silent following a sexual harassment campaign driven by thousands of social media accounts linked to Gulf states. For journalists in the region, it’s a common phenomenon.


REGIONAL: ‘Rumours are viruses too’: Middle East mythbusters battle coronavirus ‘infodemic’

The New Arab: Activists across the region are tackling fake news about Covid-19, from unproven remedies and conspiracy theories to falsified figures and invented deaths.

CANADA: Black with a capital ‘B’: Why it took news outlets so long to make a change that matters to so many

CBC/Radio-Canada: One after the other, a number of news organizations across Canada and the United States announced in June the same change in their language guidelines: to capitalize the word “Black” when referring to Black people and culture. The Globe and Mail made its announcement on June 3, followed by the CBC on June 8 and The Canadian Press the next day.


CANADA: Most Canadians (88%) Say Social Media Companies Should Do More to Block or Remove Messages that Spread Hate or Racism, Inform Police (83%) of these Messages

IPSOS: Canadians want action from social media companies to help stop the spread of hate and racism, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News. Most (88%) Canadians agree (53% strongly/35% somewhat) that social media companies should do more to block or remove messages that spread hate or racism. 


CANADA: We can’t let community radio become a casualty of COVID-19 (Opinion)

Globe and Mail: Connecting people is what community radio does best, and it’s something we need more than ever during this time of unprecedented separation. It’s why we need to ensure public money continues to flow toward these stations – and why we need them to survive.


CANADA: Radio Edit: Press attacks aggravated by systemic racism

KTW: In Canada, police have arrested journalists at First Nations protest camps and at similar protests for justice for George Floyd, white, black and indigenous reporters included. The Canadian Association of Black Journalists (CABJ) and the Canadian Journalists of Colour (CJOC) have raised concerns about systemic racism, especially in Canadian media, citing too few black journalists in Canadian newsrooms, and too few black voices reporting on the endemic racism in Canada.


US: 500 Cases and Counting: Unprecedented Press Freedom Violations at US Protests

VOA: Andrew Buncombe expected his assignment on July 1 to be relatively straightforward: covering the clearing of a Seattle protest site for the British daily The Independent. Instead, the reporter found himself in a situation he had never experienced before. Irons were strapped to his ankles and a chain wrapped around his stomach. He was in a van heading toward Seattle’s West Precinct, in close quarters with others who, like Buncombe, had just been arrested.


US: COVID-19 has ravaged U.S. newsrooms; here’s why it matters

The Conversation: COVID-19 has ripped through the industry. In the United States alone, over 36,000 journalists have lost their jobs, been furloughed or had their pay cut. 


US: New DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD Special, Created in Response to COVID-19, Premieres August 17 on PBS KIDS (Press Release)

PBS: PBS KIDS has announced a new special and episodes of DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, beginning Monday, August 17. Preschoolers and their families from neighborhoods across the country can hop on Trolley and “ride along” with Daniel Tiger, his family, and friends for a brand-new season of exploring big feelings, learning, and having fun. 


US: NPR may be ‘public’ radio, but it’s feeling the economic pain of the pandemic. More trouble lies ahead (Paywall)

The Washington Post:


US: NPR Radio Ratings Collapse As Pandemic Ends Listeners’ Commutes

Iowa Public Radio: Broadcast ratings for nearly all of NPR’s radio shows took a steep dive in major markets this spring, as the coronavirus pandemic kept many Americans from commuting to work and school. The network’s shows lost roughly a quarter of their audience between the second quarter of 2019 and the same months in 2020.


US: PBS at 50: ‘In Deep Service’ Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Variety: PBS’ 50th anniversary wasn’t supposed to be quite so interesting. What the public broadcaster had expected was a forward-looking celebration of a half-century of service. But as with any other organization, PBS was forced to change plans in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 


US: Support of Black Lives Matter prompts reviews of stations’ social media policies (Paywall)

Current: Several public media stations are redefining their social media policies after staffers said they felt restricted from posting in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. 


US: Two leaders speak ‘uncomfortable truths’ about race in public radio (Paywall)

Current: Following the police killing of George Floyd, Matt Martinez shared in an all-staff Zoom meeting the “uncomfortable truths” about the public radio station where he works. The director of content at KNKX in Tacoma, Wash., pointed out that the white-led organization has a mostly white newsroom, all-white announcers and a “very white audience.”


US: US-Backed ‘Backbone of Internet Freedom’ Entity Faces Possible Disruption

VOA: A little-known nonprofit organization backed by the U.S. government has become the center of a maelstrom as the Trump administration changes its leadership. The Open Technology Fund, an independent, private nonprofit corporation, receives funding from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the agency that oversees Voice of America. Since its founding in 2012, OTF has helped fund some of the most important digital tools available to dissidents, activists and others as repressive governments worldwide beef up their ability to surveil and block their own citizens.


US: WAMU licensee investigates editor blamed for departures of women of color (Paywall)

Current: The licensee of WAMU in Washington, D.C., is investigating a managing editor at the station who has been the subject of multiple complaints from staffers over 11 months, according to three employees who requested anonymity. Monna Kashfi, WAMU’s interim chief content officer, announced during a meeting July 7 with station journalists that the Human Resources division of American University, WAMU’s licensee, is investigating Senior Managing Editor Zuri Berry. 

DemocracyWatch: Journalists gagged in the name of COVID

Open Democracy: COVID-19 has been a tough time for journalists, with laws restricting free speech being rolled out around the world. On Monday, the Council of Europe released a report into the importance of journalism during the pandemic and the extra hurdles that governments and police have put in its way.


How collaborations can help climate change reporting move beyond the both-sides era

Nieman Lab: 


Increase in Radio Receiver Sales

Radiodays Europe: Radio receiver sales have increased amidst the pandemic, as people have relied on radio for reliable, trustworthy and accurate information about the world.


It is time for black journalists to talk about payment (Opinion)

Media Diversity Institute: Over the past few months, I have been receiving more and more messages from other Black journalists about pay. Some are just starting out in their careers, others are more experienced. They’re all asking the same thing: what pay is good pay for a Black journalist?


Journalism is not a crime – protecting a free press is vital for us all (Editorial)

The Independent: The Independent today launches a campaign to protect journalism, under attack as perhaps never before: Journalism Is Not a Crime. We are moved to do so most urgently by the recent experience of our correspondent, Andrew Buncombe. Reporting on the Black Lives Matter protests in Seattle and posing no threat to anyone, nor breaking any law, he was summarily detained with some brutality by the police. His latest account of these events can be read here. He’s now been released.


Journalists unions demand transparency and a fair share for journalists in Google’s deals with publishers

EFJ: After years of resisting demands to pay for news, Google said in a surprise announcement on 25 June it had reached deals with a number of news publishers around the world. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ) and their affiliates demand transparency on the deals and assurances that journalists will receive their share.


Race and leadership in the news media 2020: evidence from five markets (Report)

RISJ: In this Reuters Institute’s factsheet we analyse the percentage of non-white top editors in a strategic sample of 100 major online and offline news outlets in five different markets across four continents, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.


Reporting and Resilience: How Journalists Are Managing Their Mental Health

Nieman Reports: Amidst a global pandemic, racial tumult, and decimated newsrooms, journalists are learning how to cope so they can keep reporting


To save itself, journalism will need to stop preaching to the choir

CJR: Margaret Sullivan’s new book about the decline of local news was not written for journalists, she says. It’s written for people whose daily lives and interests are tied up in the implications of journalism’s loss, in ways they might not yet understand. With this perspective, Sullivan inspires two necessary questions: How might the journalism industry look backward with a more critical eye, and how might it communicate its own importance with people outside the profession?


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Header image: Microphone in radio studio stock photo. Credit: avdyachenko/iStock