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 watching...
Ita Buttrose AC OBE – The ABC, democracy and the importance of press freedom
The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation: ABC Chair, Australian media and publishing icon, and 2013 Australian of the Year, Ita Buttrose presents a Ramsay Lecture titled ‘The ABC, Democracy and Press Freedom’. In this lecture Ita argues that a free and independent media is crucial to the functioning of a strong democracy, and outlines barriers to press freedom both in Australia and overseas.
France, security and the media: Does the new law go too far?
France 24: France is caught in a row over the right to film police officers in the course of their duty. It’s a controversy that has brought protesters onto the streets. A new security law goes to a final vote on Tuesday. The bill, with a controversial amendment, was passed for a first time by the National Assembly 146-24. Article 24 concerns the right to film the police. It raises fears and concerns among many media here in France about the right to report and inform. Police officers do have a tough job, but freedom to report is a foundation of democracy.
What we're listening to...
How to engage with your audience: why public editors still matter
Reuters Institute: In this episode of our podcast we look at the role of public editors. We talk to the former public editor of the Toronto Star, Kathy English about what public editors do, their role in ensuring accountability to readers, and how reader engagement via public editors has changed over the years in response to changes to the news environment and politics.
Global Headlines
Click on the tab menu below to reveal the latest regional stories.
BURKINA FASO: Burkina Faso’s Invisible War
CJR: Amidst conflict, the country’s historically robust press is being muzzled.
CAMEROON: The Socio-Political Crisis and Its Impacts on Freedom of Expression in Cameroon (French)
AFEX: Since 2016, Cameroon has been mired in a socio-political crisis described by several security analysts as being a civil war or the war in Ambazonia.
ETHIOPIA: Initial press freedom gains eroding fast under Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed’s leadership
Via IFEX: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed breaks his promise to uphold freedom of expression and media rights as incidents of internet shutdowns and the persecution of journalists mount up.
GHANA: Board Chairman of GBC calls for expedited handling of election related cases
GBC News: Chairman of the Board of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Prof Emmanuel Adow Obeng, has called for the strengthening of Ghana’s Court Systems to fast track election related cases.
LIBERIA: Liberia is classic example of feared COVID-19 infodemic
Via IFEX: Contradictions by top officials coupled with misinformation and disinformation has characterised Liberia’s fight against COVID-19.
NAMIBIA: Journalists launch union
The Namibian: After four months of preparation, Namibian journalists launched a union aiming to protect them in their work environment.
NIGERIA: Nigeria to sanction CNN for report on shooting of protesters -minister
Reuters: Nigeria will sanction CNN for the U.S. news organisation’s report that the country’s military shot and killed protesters demonstrating against police brutality, a minister said on Thursday.
SOUTH AFRICA: Communications Minister expected to make an announcement on planned retrenchments at SABC
SABC News: Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams is expected to make an announcement on the planned retrenchments at the SABC on Tuesday.
SOUTH AFRICA: Mbhazima Shilowa | SABC retrenchments: Role of public broadcaster needs to be defined
News 24: The public broadcaster needs to become the primary source of news for the majority and not the mouthpiece of certain interest groups, writes Mbhazima Shilowa.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC makes U-turn on staff retrenchment
The East African: South Africa’s national broadcaster, SABC, has made a U-turn on its decision to retrench journalists en masse, withdrawing letters of dismissal on Tuesday following a meeting between management and staff members.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC TABLES 2019/20 ANNUAL REPORT
SABC: The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) 2019/20 Annual Report was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, 17 November 2020. As detailed in the Annual Report, the public broadcaster continues to deliver on its extensive public service mandate despite very challenging conditions.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC workers enter second week of protest against planned retrenchments
SABC News: The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) workers enter the second week of protest against management’s planned retrenchments of 400 permanent staff. Employees are calling for the process to be scrapped.
SOUTH SUDAN: Relentless assault on press freedom continues in South Sudan
Via IFEX: South Sudan’s continued persecution of journalists and assault on media freedoms shows that authorities are not committed to changing their tradition of repression…
TANZANIA: Repression Mars National Elections
HRW: Authorities in Tanzania killed at least four people and carried out other serious abuses that marred the national elections in late October and early November 2020, Human Rights Watch said today.
ZIMBABWE: ZBC to Get Govt Funding After 20 Years – Minister
Via All Africa: The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) will for the first time in 20 years get funding from the government from the proposed 2021 budget to be presented this coming week.
ZIMBABWE: In Zimbabwe, “Freedom of Expression and of the Media Remain Mirages”
Nieman Reports: As journalist Hopewell Chin’ono is granted bail after being arrested for the second time in five months, his lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa blasts the “open and undisguised corruption at levels we have never seen before”.
REGIONAL: MFWA to Hold Webinar on Press Freedom amidst COVID-19 and Political Upheavals in West Africa (Event)
MFWA: The ECOWAS bloc countries have been considered relatively more progressive in term of democratic standards. However, event on the political scene of some West African countries over the past two years indicate a gradual erosion of democratic gains made over the years.
AFGHANISTAN: Afghan media revolution (part 2): Reform journalism education or jeopardise media development!
EJO: Media in Afghanistan has been flourishing in the last two decades. The Media Landscapes report, a global media systems research project, shows that television is reaching almost half the country’s population, radio more than two thirds, and there are almost 200 active newspapers. Furthermore, more than nine million people have access to online multimedia content.
BANGLADESH: Info minister: Journalists are fearless warriors in pandemic
Dhaka Tribune: The way journalists have been working with courage since the coronavirus outbreak is very praiseworthy,” he said while inaugurating a three-day exhibition at the Broadcast Journalists Centre in Dhaka.
CAMBODIA: Cambodia’s curbs on media, freedom of expression reach alarming levels
ASEAN Today: Press freedom in Cambodia has steadily declined over the last few years, with local journalists and international media groups targeted or shut down over alleged attempts to criticize the ruling party’s policies and corruption in the government.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong media groups demand access to information from government departments
IFEX: In a letter sent to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, several media groups urge the government to open up searches of information. This was prompted by the filing of a case against RTHK producer Bao Choy who was charged after accessing a government vehicle database for an investigative report.
HONG KONG: RTHK exec. orders staffers’ computers unlocked in their absence amid probe into journalist – report
HKFP: A top official at Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK has sought to access the computers and email accounts of staffers in their absence, after they questioned his request for information about an inquiry into journalist Nabela Qoser, a report said Friday.
INDIA: Kerala criminal defamation ordinance delivers a blow to India’s press freedom
IPI: IPI urges immediate withdrawal of measure.
JAPAN: Japan’s communications ministry eyes surcharges for TV viewers evading NHK fees
The Mainchi: The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on Nov. 20 revealed plans to legislate a system imposing extra charges on people who are illicitly getting away without paying NHK reception fees despite owning a TV set.
KAZAKHSTAN: Kazakhstan’s independent media losing advertising battle with bloggers, influencers
Eurasianet: The government will help outlets that publish its propaganda.
MALAYSIA: Malaysian lawmaker calls for hate speech law after Reuters’ Rohingya report
Reuters: An opposition lawmaker called on Tuesday for Malaysia to outlaw online hate speech, accusing authorities of downplaying the gravity of an issue highlighted by a Reuters investigation into abuse on Facebook of Rohingya refugees and undocumented migrants.
MALAYSIA: New TV programme for students, besides online learning
The New Straits Times: Starting Nov 23, a new TV Pendidikan (Educational TV) programme will be aired on NTV7 to provide students with learning materials during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
PAKISTAN: Imran’s lawyer made PTV chairman
Pakistan Press Foundation: Prominent lawyer Naeem Bukhari, who led the legal team of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in the Panama Papers leak case, will head the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) as its chairman.
PAKISTAN: Pakistan should consult press freedom groups on Journalist Protection Bill
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on Pakistan’s federal government to consult media defence organizations about the content of a bill for protecting journalists that it claims to have finished drafting. Consultation is essential and, without it, the proposed law will probably fail to achieve its goals, RSF says. Even more so in Pakistan than in other countries, this issue is too important to be neglected.
PHILIPPINES: Disinformation on Social Media Is Threat to Democracy, Rappler CEO Says
VOA: Maria Ressa says what she’s living through is Kafkaesque. The crusading Filipina journalist received a John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award on Wednesday from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the latest international recognition of her years-long fight to defend independent media in the Philippines against the authoritarian President Rodrigo Duterte, who denounces her website Rappler as “fake news.”
TAIWAN: Taiwan Shuts Pro-China TV Channel in Battle Over Press Freedom
Bloomberg: Taiwan’s broadcast regulator has ordered the closure of one of the island’s most ardently pro-China cable news networks following a monthslong battle over journalistic standards and freedom of the press.
Thai PBS: The goal is to be a medium that creates change for society through the activities of “people roaming station” to allow people to present problems in the area as well as to serve as a voice for presenting problems. And find creative solutions that benefit society.
REGIONAL: In Southeast Asia, Press Freedom Takes a Turn for the Orwellian
The Diplomat: Increasingly, journalists are being prosecuted not for publishing falsehoods – but for the potential consequences of their reporting.
REGIONAL: Radiodays Asia Announces Virtual event for 2021: 24 – 26 March (Event)
Radiodays Asia: It was announced today that Radiodays Asia will take the second edition of this event online for 2021, due to the ongoing pandemic. This Virtual event will remain on the dates announced for 2021, 24 – 26 March.
AUSTRALIA: 2020 Walkley Awards: Mark Willacy and ABC Investigations team win Gold Walkley; ABC awarded for bushfires and coronavirus coverage (Press release)
ABC Australia: ABC investigative journalist Mark Willacy and the ABC Investigations team worked for more than a year to get to the truth about alleged unlawful acts by Australia’s elite soldiers in Afghanistan. Tonight the ground-breaking reporting was recognised with the Gold Walkley Award, Australian journalism’s top honour.
AUSTRALIA: Ita Buttrose says intensifying campaign against ABC contains ‘malicious garbage’
The Guardian: Head of public broadcaster dismisses detractors while saying federal police raids on its headquarters were ‘clearly designed to intimidate’
AUSTRALIA: Racism in opinion pieces will continue while media lacks diversity, report finds
The Guardian: All Together Now report says coronavirus pandemic led to racism against Asian and Asian-Australian people.
AUSTRALIA: SBS breaks ratings record as news chief vows to amplify diverse voices
The Sydney Morning Herald: Supplying up-to-date COVID-19 information to Australians is a daunting responsibility for any media executive. But for Mandi Wicks – who replaced retiring SBS news and current affairs director Jim Carroll in September – it was especially challenging.
AUSTRALIA: SBS reveals boundary-pushing 2021 program slate (Press release)
SBS: SBS has today announced its 2021 program slate of original, entertaining and insightful content, featuring the network’s biggest ever local commissioned content offering, with distinctive stories Australians won’t see anywhere else. As an organisation that understands the power of purpose, SBS will continue to be a champion for all Australians, and use powerful storytelling to explore diversity in all its forms.
AUSTRALIA: The ABC, democracy and the importance of press freedom (Speech)
ABC Australia:
AUSTRALIA: What’s in the ‘public interest’? Why the ABC is right to cover allegations of inappropriate ministerial conduct (Opinion)
The Conversation: Immediately after ABC’s Four Corners aired allegations about the conduct of government ministers Alan Tudge and Christian Porter, questions were raised about whether the report was in the “public interest”…
NEW ZEALAND: Dodgy digital election ads: Does the watchdog need teeth?
Radio New Zealand: The election was done and dusted weeks ago, but this week the advertising watchdog ruled another online election campaign ad was misleading.
NEW ZEALAND: Reports of death of NZ media greatly exaggerated
Newsroom: TV Three prepares to enter the arms of Discovery, Stuff bounces back under local ownership and NZME is riding the subscriptions and real estate wave. The private media that once seemed doomed is reborn, writes Tim Murphy.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: Solomon Islands government moves to suspend Facebook (Listen)
RNZ: The Solomon Islands government is moving to suspend Facebook in the country saying people are abusing it.
REGIONAL: Media freedom defenders criticise China, other Pacific info ‘threats’
Asia Pacific Report: Media freedom defenders from Commonwealth countries have criticised many governments across the world that threaten and censor the work of journalists.
AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijan Jails Journalist for 16 Years
VOA News: The wife of an Azeri journalist jailed for 16 years says she believes the conviction is politically motivated and in retaliation for her husband’s reporting.
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: If it wants to join the EU, BiH must ensure media freedom at full capacity
BH Journalists Association: The growing number of attacks and threats to journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina is extremely worrying, and representatives of the authorities and institutions must be much more actively involved in the problems of protection of journalists and ensuring media freedom if BiH wants to obtain candidate status for the European Union…
BULGARIA: Bulgarian national radio chief hits out at media interference from state
Euronews: When Andon Baltakov announced he was tendering his resignation as director-general of Bulgaria National Radio (BNR), he hoped it would serve as a catalyst for change concerning press independence in the country.
CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech government must reverse exclusion of critical media from press conferences (Letter)
IPI: The International Press Institute (IPI) today joined with its Czech National Committee to call on the government in Prague to redesign its system for online press conferences during Covid-19 to ensure critical media outlets are given fair access for questioning government representatives.
CZECH REPUBLIC: Let’s be close and far away: Czech Television will help seniors and single-parent families before Christmas (Czech – Press release)
Czech TV: Before Christmas, Czech Television is launching another project to support the most vulnerable groups due to the second wave of the pandemic.
DENMARK: An additional DKK 734 will be cut from the media license in 2021 (Danish – Press release)
DR: It has been politically decided that the media license must be abolished over a period of three years, and that public service in Denmark from 2022 must be financed via the tax. In 2021, the license is NOK 619 for one year.
DENMARK: DR launches new children’s offers (Danish – Press release)
DR: DR is preparing for a new reality, where competition for children’s attention is increasing, and there is pressure on the Danish content from international tech giants. This is happening, among other things, with new fiction and a new offer for young children.
FINLAND: Swedish Yle receives an accessibility award from the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired in Finland (Finnish – Press release)
Yle: The third accessibility prize awarded by the Association of the Finnish Swedish Visually Impaired Association (FSS) goes to Svenska Yle.
FRANCE: French bill banning images of police sparks concern over media freedom, civil rights
France 24: France’s parliament voted to approve a controversial law Friday that will ban the publication of images of on-duty police officers as well as expand the use of surveillance drones and police powers. Journalists’ groups, human rights activists and unions – including Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International’s French branch – organised protests in Paris and other French cities on Saturday.
FRANCE: French journalists accuse government of curtailing press freedoms in France (Paywall)
Washington Post: French President Emmanuel Macron has championed his country as a leading defender of free expression, but French journalists and advocates condemn what they see as a government crackdown on press freedoms here.
FRANCE: Success of the public audiovisual educational offer which has become a benchmark (French – Press release)
France Télévisions: Launched just a year ago, Lumni.fr, this unprecedented global educational offer, piloted by France Télévisions and INA with public audiovisual players, the expertise and support of CLEMI and Réseau Canopé, operators of national education, with the aim of pooling their educational and pedagogical content to put them at the service of the school environment, has become the first online support and school resources offer, appraised, free and without advertising.
GERMANY: Cooperation against all skepticism (German)
Deutschlandfunk: Sandra Maischberger has been on Spotify since September. What started there as an exclusive podcast can now also be found in the ARD audio library. A collaboration that benefits both sides. And it shows again how public broadcasters are now relying on private platforms – sometimes grudgingly.
GERMANY: Press Council: More protection for journalists during demonstrations (German)
Süddeutsche Zeitung: The German Press Council is demanding more protection from the police for reporters during demonstrations. “It is high time that journalists at demonstrations and major events are better protected and can work unhindered,” said the committee’s spokesman, Sascha Borowski, on Tuesday.
GERMANY: TeraVolt to upgrade ZDFmediathek
Broadband TV News: In a pan-European tender German public broadcaster ZDF has awarded the budget for the further development of its catch-up TV service to TeraVolt.
LATVIA: Latvian Saeima approves Public Electronic Mass Media and Their Management Law
Baltic News Network: On Thursday, 19 November, Latvia’s Saeima approved the Public Electronic Mass Media and Their Management Law in the final reading. Its goal is ensuring efficient and transparent management of public media, their independence and responsibility before society, as well as their high-quality management.
MALTA: COVID-19 funds threaten media independence in Malta
IPI: COVID-19 has had a significant impact on press freedom and independent journalism in Malta, the EU’s smallest member state.
POLAND: TVP launches docu channel
Broadband TV News: The Polish public broadcaster TVP will launch its latest thematic channel TVP Dokument later today (November 19).
ROMANIA: TVR requests the Government to give priority vaccination to some employees (Romanian – Press release)
TVR: TVR requests the Romanian Government to include employees who ensure the continuity of the production and dissemination of programs on the list for priority vaccination against COVID.
SPAIN: The process to elect the new RTVE Council is unlocked (Spanish)
El Diario: The process to elect the members of the RTVE Board of Directors by public tender has been unblocked once the mixed commission that regulates this body has already resolved the resources for the appointment of 20 candidates who they had been proposed by the Committee of Experts.
SWEDEN: Impartial media necessary to avoid parallel realities (Swedish – Blog)
Sveriges Radio: In a debate article in Expressen today, CEO Cilla Benkö and program director Björn Löfdahl write about the importance of impartial media in light of the polarized debate we have seen in the US in recent terms and in connection with the recent US election.
UK: BBC to create temporary local radio services
Radio Today: The BBC is to create new temporary local radio output for new locations currently underserved by local radio stations including Bradford, Wolverhampton and Sunderland.
UK: Channel 4 plans new production investment fund – report (Paywall)
Telecompaper: UK public service broadcaster Channel 4 is set to launch a new investment fund for production companies to develop and market programme formats overseas, reports The Telegraph. According to unnamed industry sources, the new venture will be announced in the week of 22 November.
UK: Is UK public broadcasting still ‘fit for purpose’ in the digital age? (Opinion)
The Conversation: The future of UK public broadcasting is in play. On November 10 the culture minister Oliver Dowden announced that he was establishing a panel to advise his department as part of the government’s strategic review of public service broadcasting.
UK: Public service channels must remain easy to find on new viewing platforms (Commentary)
BBC: The UK’s creative industries are truly world leading. They generate more than £110 billion a year for the economy — more than the automotive, aerospace, life sciences and oil and gas industries combined…
REGIONAL: COVID-19 makes case for importance of public service media to society (Report – Login required)
EBU: The 2020 News Report commissioned by the EBU – Fast Forward: Public Service Journalism in the Viral Age – suggests that the response of public service newsrooms to the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the value of public service media (PSM) to society overall. But the report also warns that this will not be enough in itself to guarantee the growth of PSM – or even their survival.
REGIONAL: Jourova: More homework remains to be done on diversity in media
EURACTIV: The under-representation of people with a minority racial or ethnic background in the media, including in media newsrooms themselves, remains a problem that needs to be addressed, and the European Commission is ready to help with funding, the EU executive’s vice-president Věra Jourová told EURACTIV in a written interview.
REGIONAL: New co-operation strengthens Nordic content for children (Swedish)
Nordvision: A stronger and better range of content for children. This is the goal when DR, NRK, SVT and Yle now deepen their collaboration on children’s programs, where the result will be 14 new series per year.
REGIONAL: Nordic public service collaborates on drama initiatives
SVT: Several Nordic drama series have had an international impact in the last decade. All Nordic countries have produced great successes and the countries have cooperated successfully. Now the collaboration is further deepened with fiction for children. SVT has a developed drama collaboration – Nordic 12 – with the Nordic public service companies [the cooperating companies are SVT, DR, YLE and NRK].
REGIONAL: Radioplayer Expands in Europe
Radio World: Hybrid platform is now available in France, Sweden and Netherlands
ARGENTINA: The conception of the Argentine ambassador to the OAS on freedom of the press and professional journalism is worrying (Spanish)
Diario Actualidad: Recent expressions of the Argentine ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) generate concern, since they constitute a rejection of the values contained in the Democratic Charter of that multilateral organization. It mentions freedom of expression and of the press as fundamental components of the exercise of democracy.
BRAZIL: Brazilian journalist assaulted and threatened over political coverage
IFEX: At about 2:30 p.m. on October 21, 2020, two men entered the home of journalist José Airton Alves Júnior in the town of Itarema, in Brazil’s northeast Ceará state, punched and kicked him several times, and threatened him, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview.
BRAZIL: In Brazil, 10 news outlets are teaming up to try to make journalism cool for young people
Nieman Lab: Ten digital news startups are collaborating to bring the news to the urban youth in Brazil, and learning about their consumption patterns along the way.
COLOMBIA: Flip rejected stigmatization against journalists covering protests (Spanish)
Radio Nacional: The Foundation for Press Freedom (Flip) rejected the messages that link reporters who cover social protests with members of urban militias, as they put them at risk and deteriorate the conditions for the development of their work.
ECUADOR: Approved report of bill that eliminates the concept of communication as a public service (Spanish)
El Universo: With eight votes in favor, the Committee on Collective Rights of the National Assembly approved on November 23 the report for the second debate of the bill that reforms the Communication Law that eliminates the concept of communication as a public service.
ECUADOR: Ecuadorian journalist Juán Sarmiento sentenced to prison for ‘discrediting’ local official
CPJ: Ecuadorian authorities should not contest journalist Juan Sarmiento’s appeal of a recent criminal conviction for critical comments about a local politician, and the country should remove speech laws from its penal code, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
GUYANA: PM says there is still role for state media (Paywall)
Stabroek News: Prime Minister Mark Phillips believes there is still a role for state media in the effective communication of the PPP/C government’s developmental plans.
HAITI: Freedom to inform does not exist, journalists in danger (French)
L’oeil: In 2019, Haitian Senator Jean-Marie Ralph Fethière fired several shots at a photojournalist. Far from being shots fired in the air, it hit the photojournalist in the jaw. This is a fact that summarizes the current situation in Haiti.
HAITI & US: Freedom of the press, corruption and the Lasaline massacre at the center of a resolution passed in the US Congress on Wednesday (French)
Rezo Nodwes: Introduced on January 13 by representative Hakeem Jeffries, this draft resolution on the Institutional Development, Accountability and Transparency Initiative in Haiti, voted on November 18, 2020 by the American Congress, instructs the State Department to undertake specific initiatives to prioritize and assess (1) the protection and preservation of human rights in Haiti, (2) the promotion of press and assembly freedom and the protection of journalists in Haiti, (3) the to combat corruption in Haiti, and (4) a post-disaster recovery strategy and development efforts in Haiti.
MEXICO: Public media have the challenge of offering fresh and innovative content: Gabriel Torres (Spanish)
UDGTV: The public media have the challenge of offering fresh and innovative content to conquer audiences, since they have great topics, but they are not as attractive as those of the private media.
MEXICO: They urge to strengthen public media (Spanish)
Reforma: Public media have faced financial asphyxia for decades, relegated by a state policy that has privileged the commercial scheme and which should be modified, warned Alma Rosa Alva de la Selva, UNAM academic, during her participation in the forum “The medium, is the message? The public media in times of pandemic “, which started with the theme Autonomy and freedom of expression.
VENEZUELA: Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network Launches Series on Venezuela
PRN Newswire: Look at Venezuela through the eyes of the people who live there and have endured years of corruption and economic hardship. The Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network (CIJN) launched a series on Venezuela that seeks to unravel the chaos and humanitarian crisis against the backdrop of a politically charged environment.
VENEZUELA: They demand the freedom of Venezuelan journalist Roland Carreño (Spanish)
VOA: This week marks one month since the arrest of the journalist and operational coordinator of the opposition Popular Will party, Roland Carreño . The union, the National Assembly and human rights defenders made a new call for his release.
REGIONAL: IFIMPU: International Forum of Public Media (Spanish)
Radionica: What is the importance of public media? This was one of the concerns that went around the minds of those attending the first edition of the International Public Media Forum -FIMPU- , an event organized by RTVC that had the participation in 2019 of experts from countries such as Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the United States, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina.
BAHRAIN: Media law to be unveiled in Bahrain Parliament
Zawya: The law will ensure freedom of speech and expression in accordance with the rule of law, national principles and vocational responsibility.
IRAN: Iran Sees Darkest Days for Press Freedom
Iran Focus: Iran is currently experiencing some of the darkest days for press freedom that it has ever seen or indeed that any country has ever seen, with the government using the persecution of journalists to stifle calls for freedom.
IRAQ: Iraq : Coronavirus reporting triggers spate of defamation cases
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is alarmed by a resurgence of criminal defamation prosecutions of reporters and bloggers who have criticized the Iraqi authorities’ handling of the coronavirus crisis. At least six are facing the possibility of imprisonment in cases brought in the past few weeks. RSF urges the authorities to let reporters use the freedom to inform.
LEBANON: Lebanon abstains from signing global “Media Freedom Coalition” statement
IFEX: Lebanon was the only country out of 37 member states to not sign the statement, which calls on coalition members to work together to advocate for and support media freedom, online as well as offline, ensure the safety of journalists and media workers, and end impunity.
LEBANON: Why Won’t Lebanon Stand Up for Free Expression?
HRW: Coalition Criticizes Lebanon Abstention from Media Freedom Statement
SAUDI ARABIA: G20 leaders should hold Saudi Arabia accountable for lack of press freedom
IPI: In a statement issued ahead of the G20 Summit in Riyadh scheduled to be held on November 21 and 22, IPI urged the G20 leaders to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the repressive press freedom environment in the Kingdom and to demand the release of all imprisoned journalists.
TURKEY: Journalist Mehmet Baransu sentenced to 17 years for publishing leaked gov’t documents
SCF: An İstanbul court on Monday sentenced jailed investigative journalist Mehmet Baransu, a former correspondent for the now-defunct Taraf newspaper, to 17 years, one month in prison for publishing leaked government documents, Turkish media reported.
TURKEY: The promise of collaborative journalism in Turkey
Free Turkey Journalists, IPI: As pressure against journalism rises, can working together help reveal the truth?
TURKEY: Turkey Khashoggi trial: Journalist felt threatened by MBS’s allies, court hears
Middle East Eye: A hearing of the Istanbul-based trial into the Saudi journalist’s murder hears testimony of Khashoggi talking about high-level threats years before his death.
CANADA: Around the world, journalists are under siege (Opinion)
iPolitics: ‘In order to be a credible exporter of international norms, our federal government must come to terms with the troubling reality that Canadian journalists regularly face challenges holding governments to account here at home.’
CANADA: How we built it: CBC’s new montreal facility
IBC: CBC/Radio-Canada outlines how automation put the finishing touches to its new IP-based production centre in Montréal.
CANADA: “Yes, the world needs more Canada”: Catherine Tait (Opinion)
CBC/Radio-Canada: In this commentary article, Catherine Tait, our President and CEO, writes about how, in a noisy, chaotic world brimming with content, your national public broadcaster is an important platform for Canadian values and creative voices to the world.
CJR: When the United States entered the Great Recession, newsroom employment started to plummet. During the first half of 2009, more than a hundred papers closed; ten thousand news workers lost their jobs. According to the Pew Research Center, since the recession hit, American newspaper jobs have fallen 51 percent.
US: Court Injunction Bars USAGM From Editorial Interference
VOA: A federal district court in Washington on Friday granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting officials from the U.S. Agency for Global Media, including its head, Michael Pack, from interfering with the editorial independence and First Amendment rights of the journalists at Voice of America and the other networks it oversees.
US: For Pueblo (Special report)
CJR: What happened when John Rodriguez, a local publisher, sought public funding.
US: Here’s how Biden can restore US press freedom leadership (Opinion)
CPJ: In his four years in office, President Trump has made attacking the media a hallmark of his administration. He has called journalists fake news and enemies of the people — but also scum, liars, and bad people. He continues to blame the media for his electoral defeat, accusing journalists of covering his administration unfairly and also of calling the election in favor of Biden.
US: News Distrust Among Black Americans is a Fixable Problem
Centre for Media Engagement: American society today feels more divided than ever, particularly along racial lines. In this project, the Center for Media Engagement asked Black Americans how news organizations could better cover their communities to help bridge the divide between them and the media. We found that:
US: NPR Foundation Welcomes Newly Elected Trustees
NPR: NPR welcomes the election of the seven new Trustees, who were elected as members of the NPR Foundation Board this fall with three-year terms beginning in September 2020.
US: PBS AMERICAN PORTRAIT AND THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCE NEW PROJECT PARTNERSHIP
PBS: PBS, as part of its 50th anniversary crowdsourced storytelling project PBS AMERICAN PORTRAIT, today announced its new partnership with the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (the Academy), an organization dedicated to honoring excellence and advancing the common good.
US: Race discrimination suit against NPR gets go-ahead in court (Paywall)
Current: The network had moved to dismiss a complaint filed in June by a former technician.
US: US election results: What’s next for freedom of expression?
IFEX: The results offer a new approach to human rights after a challenging four years, where a free press was under repeated attack by the political leadership. A new administration gives us hope that America can once again champion protesters, journalists and those seeking to express themselves freely despite attacks around the world.
Amid COVID Censorship, News Websites Find Ways to Stay Online
VOA News: Internet freedom has taken a hit during the coronavirus pandemic, with authorities in several countries seeking to censor or limit access to information. But a rights group is helping news websites find ways to circumvent those blocks to get back online.
How Journalists Beyond the U.S. Fight Back Against Government Intimidation
Nieman Reports: A look at four countries — Belarus, Jordan, Thailand, and Nicaragua — where the mantle of “fake news” is used to intimidate and threaten, and how journalists are responding.
Journalism can help communities with these five pillars of ethical disaster reporting
Poynter: News stories about disasters should frame the impacts of environmental phenomena in meaningful ways
Lessons for journalists in a pandemic: seek the truth and reflect on your own power
Reuters Institute: “Journalists need to look into the mirror and see themselves as others see them,” argues Alan Rusbridger in a exclusive extract of his new book.
The news media won’t reach gender equality for another 70 years
Nordicom: Women are underrepresented in the news media in almost every country in the world. If progress does not accelerate, it will be several decades before the news media reaches gender equality. These are results from a study published by Nordicom, in which a group of researchers have developed a new index, measuring gender equality in the news media.
UNESCO: UNESCO will draw attention to how the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified pressures on independent journalism and announce steps to countering the exponential growth of news deserts when it convenes the “The future of media development” event tomorrow, 24 November, marking the 40th anniversary of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). The IPDC is UNESCO’s specialised body to strengthen media in developing countries. Founded in 1980, it has awarded $120 million (USD) to over 2000 media projects in more than 140 countries.
What are the latest threats to journalist’s cybersecurity?
Journalism.co.uk: As phishing campaigns and government spyware are becoming increasingly sophisticated, newsrooms must realise they are only as strong as their weakest link.
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Header Image: Cameraman shooting crowd. Credit: iStock/denizbayram
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