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

As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues, 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 list of 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.

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Our weekly explainers for key public media terms, phrases and values.

Week 22: What does PSM VIABILITY look like?

Globally, public service media (PSM) face significant threats, including censorship, funding instability, infringements on editorial independence, audience fragmentation, and many more. These threats have impacted on PSM’s viability [PDF] – the ability for media organisations to sustainably produce high quality journalism. Media viability does not only ensure that PSM are able to operate but it also plays an important role in democracy by ensuring that the public have access to crucial and reliable information. For some public media, viability may look like stable funding; the ability to create innovative and responsive content; increased use of media technology; greater citizen engagement and community support; collaboration with other media outlets and NGOs; and strong media regulations, both internally and externally. These examples of viability lend to media independence, increased credibility, and high-quality content – all essential values to PSM and which lend to their sustainability. The pandemic has brought further challenges to media viability, with declining advertising revenue, media crackdowns, and restrictions on content production.


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...


Hong Kong bids farewell to press freedom

France 24: For the second year running, Hong Kong authorities have banned the annual June 4 vigil in memory of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. While the official reason given is the need for social distancing amid the Covid-19 pandemic, critics of the government say it is trying to stifle criticism of Beijing. Hong Kong’s media have been feeling the chill too, as our correspondents report.


EJN Panel Video: Independent But Not Free

EJN: What are the ethical challenges to independent journalists who report on authoritarian regimes which suppress a free press? How do such regimes try to portray independent journalists as enemies of the state? Four leading journalists who’ve worked in Myanmar, Belarus, China and Iran reveal their experiences.

What we're listening to...


A state-sponsored ‘hijacking’ – the arrest of Belarus blogger Raman Pratasevich

Today in Focus, The Guardian: Belarusian journalist Hanna Liubakova examines why Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, apparently diverted a Ryanair flight in order to arrest 26-year-old blogger Raman Pratasevich. Guardian Moscow correspondent, Andrew Roth, discusses the fallout from the action.

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BENIN: Muzzling the press: how Talon’s regime is silencing the media and dissidents

MFWA: “The fear of going to jail is now a lethal weapon used by public officials to muzzle the press,” bemoaned Ignace Soussou, a 32-year-old Beninois investigative journalist, when asked about the situation of press freedom in the country.


NIGERIA: Nigeria: BON Appoints Dr Oluyemisi Bamgbose As New Executive Secretary

Broadcast Media Africa: Mr Oluyemisi Bamgbose, PhD, has been appointed as the new Executive Secretary of Broadcasting Organisations Of Nigeria (BON), BMA can reveal.


NIGERIA: Nigeria’s Twitter ban: Government orders prosecution of violators

BBC News: Nigeria will prosecute anyone found to have breached the country’s ban on the social media firm Twitter, a government spokesperson has told the BBC.


NIGERIA: Nigeria tells broadcasters to delete Twitter, as spat with Buhari intensifies

RFI: Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission has directed all TV and radio stations to “suspend the patronage of Twitter immediately,” describing its use as unpatriotic.


SEYCHELLES: Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation turns to SA tech to catapult it into digital era

Biz Community: There are few local tech inventions that have received international attention, despite an abundance of successful South African tech stories. However, one South African innovation is changing this narrative.


SOUTH AFRICA: Road to recovery: State-owned enterprises can take a lesson from the SABC board (Opinion)

Daily Maverick: With the recent announcement of the SABC’s first profitable month in five years, could this be the proof that profitability can return to SOEs after their political masters have been told to wait at the door?


SOUTH AFRICA: SABC News launches a brand-new public accountability programme, the watchdog (Press release)

SABC: SABC News & Current Affairs today launches a brand-new public service journalism programme, The Watchdog. The show is aptly named and centred on the public news service’s commitment to its primary stakeholder, the citizen.


SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa: Stop Pay-TV From ‘Airing Our Channels For Free’ – SABC Tells Regulator

Broadcast Media Africa: According to BMA’s media sources, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is taking on ICASA, seeking to stop subscription-driven broadcasting services from carrying the public broadcasters three free-to-air television channels, namely SABC 1, SABC 2  and SABC 3.


UGANDA: Uganda: Two summoned after reporting on BBC investigation

BBC News: The editor of one of Uganda’s biggest newspapers has been summoned for questioning by police after reporting findings from a BBC investigation into last year’s police killings in Kampala.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK axes another current affairs show, says change is ‘normal’

HKFP: A replacement show will feature music and NGOs talking about social issues.


HONG KONG: ‘No political story allowed’: Hong Kong broadcaster falls silent on sensitive subjects

The Guardian: Employees at public broadcaster RTHK voice fears for future amid gradual erosion of media freedoms. 


INDIA: Clickbait Journalism is betrayal of Public Service Media Values

News on Air: Addressing the AIBD Leaders’ Web Summit on Thursday, June 3, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, CEO, Prasar Bharati, spoke at length on ‘Redefining the role of media in the new norm’. Prasar Bharati is India’s public service broadcaster, which saw an increase in viewership during the pandemic.


INDIA: India’s Supreme Court blocks use of sedition laws against journalists for government criticism

IPI: IPI urges government to drop cases against all journalists facing sedition charges.


JAPAN: EDITORIAL: NHK board is losing credibility by not releasing meeting minutes

Asahi Shimbun: The top decision-making body overseeing Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) has been dragging its feet for up to four months on releasing records of its discussions concerning a controversy related to the public broadcaster’s editorial independence.


LAOS: Laos urged to stop online surveillance and mandatory registration of social media platforms

Via IFEX: Several groups have issued a joint statement asking the Lao government to repeal a recent order for provinces to keep records of official social media channels and to enforce social media registration. The statement also called for an end of an online monitoring special task force aimed at controlling the spread of “fake news” concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.


MONGOLIA: Mongolia: RSF urges presidential candidates to voice support for press freedom

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the three candidates in the 9th June 2021 presidential election in Mongolia to voice their support for future press freedom reforms as the best way to improve public affairs transparency and combat corruption.


MYANMAR: Journalists who fled Myanmar find third-country refuge

Arab News: Three journalists from military-ruled Myanmar who were convicted of illegal entry after they fled to Thailand have been sent to a third country where they are safe, their employer said Monday.


MYANMAR: Myanmar Journalists Vow to Work On Despite Repression, Job Losses

Radio Free Asia: Some have had to sell their camera equipment to make ends meet, but they say they won’t abandon their profession entirely.


MYANMAR: Myanmar military court sentences journalists to jail

The Independent: A military court in Myanmar has sentenced two journalists to two years in prison for their reporting, a move that was decried by rights groups as the latest assault on press freedom since the country’s coup.


PAKISTAN: Explainer: What is the govt’s proposed media authority and why has it invited criticism?

Dawn: In a bid to converge multiple media regulatory bodies in Pakistan and expand the ambit of regulation for digital media, the government has proposed the formation of the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA).


PAKISTAN: Imran Khan promised us press freedom in Pakistan. Now journalists are under attack (Opinion)

The Guardian: I’ve been taken off air and others have been beaten up. Why is the prime minister not standing with us?


PAKISTAN: IPI urges PM Imran to withdraw proposed media ordinance

Dawn: The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom in over 100 countries, has expressed extreme concern over the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) Ordinance, 2021.


PAKISTAN: Journalists in Pakistan Face Threats to Press Freedom (Paywall)

Foreign Policy: Attacks on journalists and a proposed law increasing government media oversight do not bode well for democracy.


PAKISTAN: ‘Worse day by day’: journalists speak out after Pakistani vlogger tortured

The Guardian: As Imran Khan’s government moves to outlaw virtually any criticism, media figures fear ‘darkest era’ of press freedom.


PHILIPPINES: House OKs bill declaring August 30 as ‘National Press Freedom Day’

Inquirer.net: The House of Representatives approved Wednesday the bill declaring August 30 of every year as “National Press Freedom Day.”


PHILIPPINES: Philippines: RSF and the #HoldTheLine Coalition welcome reprieve for Maria Ressa, demand all other charges and cases be dropped

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF), as part of the #HoldTheLine (HTL) Coalition, welcomes a Manila court’s decision to dismiss the second criminal cyberlibel charge brought against celebrated American-Filipino journalist Maria Ressa but demands the immediate withdrawal of all other charges and cases filed against Ressa and her news website Rappler.


UZBEKISTAN: Uzbekistan Refuses To Prolong Accreditation Of Polish Journalist Who Complained Of Sexual Harassment

RFE/RL: Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry has refused to prolong the accreditation of an independent Polish journalist who earlier this year accused one of the ministry’s officers of sexual harassment and of pressuring her to write positive articles about the Central Asian nation in exchange for remaining accredited.

AUSTRALIA: ABC board defends Ita Buttrose against ‘disrespectful’ spray by Liberal powerbroker

The Guardian: Joseph Gersh says Michael Kroger was ‘out of line’ on Sky News Australia when he called ABC chair a ‘hopeless failure’ who should resign over biased programs.


AUSTRALIA: ABC denies it ‘pulled’ Four Corners program on Scott Morrison and a supporter of QAnon

The Guardian: Public broadcaster suggests story referred to managing director was ‘not ready’ but it will air.


AUSTRALIA: ABC requests $90 million to create more children’s, drama content

The Sydney Morning Herald: The ABC has rejected a government proposal that would legally oblige it to produce a set amount of Australian shows and will instead ask for a $90 million funding boost to create more local dramas, children’s content and specialist programs.


AUSTRALIA: ABC welcomes focus of government’s Media Reform Green Paper (Press release)

ABC Media Centre: The ABC has welcomed the government’s focus on much-needed reforms to the Australian television and screen industry and called for greater consultation on finding effective measures to ensure the future sustainability of the sector.


AUSTRALIA: For we are one and … safe: how Australia surrenders its liberty by tiptoeing around press freedom (Opinion)

The Sydney Morning Herald


AUSTRALIA: Frosty relations between the ABC and the government show no signs of warming

The Sydney Morning Herald: In a wide-ranging Senate estimates hearing on Monday, ABC managing director David Anderson revealed the public broadcaster had agreed to pay $100,000 to Industry Minister Christian Porter’s lawyer Rebekah Giles to settle his defamation case.


AUSTRALIA: SBS calls for diverse and First Nations creatives to get curious about contemporary Australia through new documentary initiative (Press release)

SBS: SBS and NITV have announced the launch of Curious Australia, a new, nationwide initiative seeking submissions for standalone, half-hour documentaries reflecting the diversity of people and experiences of contemporary Australia.


NEW ZEALAND: Māori media in for a big shake-up

Newsroom: Can Willie Jackson, Minister for Māori Development and former broadcaster, revitalise a struggling Māori media sector? Jackson says he wants to see more content in English and a closer alignment with other public media organisations.


NEW ZEALAND: West Papua and other critical issues – why is NZ media glossing over them? (Comment)

Asia Pacific Report: International reporting has hardly been a strong feature of New Zealand journalism. No New Zealand print news organisation has serious international news departments or foreign correspondents with the calibre of such overseas media as The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

AUSTRIA: ORS agrees deal with Simply.TV for advanced metadata and EPG services

Digital TV Europe: Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) subsidiary Austrian Broadcasting Services (ORS) has announced a deal with Copenhagen-based metadata firm Simply.TV.


BELARUS: Abducted Belarusian journalist’s plight tops list of most urgent cases of injustice against journalists

The Shift: The kidnap and detention of Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich by the regime of President Aleksander Lukashenko has been highlighted as the most urgent case of injustice against journalists in June 2021 by the One Free Press Coalition.


BELARUS: Belarusian Media Under Attack (Resources)

Human Rights House: Human Rights House Foundation and several organisations working with freedom of expression and free media have prepared an overview of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Belarus for independent media.


CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech Television and Czech Radio will lose 420 million crowns a year. Deputies today rejected a provision of the law that allowed both public service broadcasters to deduct VAT (Czech – Press Release)

České televize: As part of the discussion of the VAT Act, the Chamber of Deputies rejected an amendment that addressed the extension of the partial VAT deduction for Czech Television and Czech Radio. Public media will lose a total of about 420 million crowns in 2022, of which Czech Radio will lose 120 and television more than 300 million.


CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech TV set to close channel

Broadband TV News: The Czech public broadcaster Ceska Televize (CT) has indicated it may have to close its third channel CT3.`


GERMANY: Himmler, Hassel and the political “friend circles” (German)

Deutschlandfunk: After ten years, ZDF director Thomas Bellut will resign in March 2022. He will no longer apply for a third term of office, it is “time for a new phase of life,” says Bellut in a ZDF press release. Now the search for a new intendant is underway.


GERMANY: Saxony-Anhalt and the lessons for media (German)

Deutschlandfunk: It is one of the most frequently asked questions in German journalism in recent years: How to deal with the AfD? With a party that criticizes the media for not reporting in a balanced way and that finds too little to speak, especially in public law. 


GERMANY: ZDF: Two applications for Bellut succession – one from the ARD (German)

Digital Fernsehen: Applications have been received from two candidates, there are no further candidates for Thomas Bellut’s succession, as the ZDF Television Council announced on Friday in Mainz.


FINLAND: The Ministry wants transparency from the Commission: Sanoma Yle’s complaint should be published (Finnish)

Yle: The complaint is secret under EU law, but the Ministry of Transport and Communications invokes the public interest to make it public. Transparency is wanted because of the public debate.


ITALY & CANADA: Rai, Radio Canada call on Game Catchers

C21 Media: Italian children’s pubcaster Rai Yoyo and Société Radio Canada have commissioned an animated preschool series created by Milan-based Studio Bozzetto.


MALTA: PBS failing in its duty to be impartial – PN

Times of Malta: Party files complaint with Broadcasting Authority


NETHERLANDS: Netherlands: 8 out of 10 journalists have experienced violence or threats

EFJ: In the Netherlands, more than eight in ten journalists have experienced some form of aggression of threat, according to a new study carried out by I&O research for PersVeilig and published on 5 June 2021.


POLAND: Polish Government is Using Court Cases to Silence Media. Taxpayers Foot the Bill [INTERVIEW] (Polish)

Wyborcza: Luckily, for now, most of the lawsuits targeting independent media leave journalists largely unscathed, but we can’t take this for granted in the future- says Joanna Szymańska from ARTICLE 19, a human rights NGO promoting and defending the freedom of speech.


POLAND: TVP outlines World channel plans

Broadband TV News: The Polish public broadcaster TVP plans to launch its latest international channel TVP World later this year.


SLOVENIA: Commissioner for Human Rights,: “Slovenian authorities should halt the deterioration of freedom of expression and media freedom” (Memorandum)

Council of Europe: In a Memorandum published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, calls on the Slovenian authorities to put a stop to the marked deterioration of freedom of expression and of the media in the country.


SLOVENIA: Slovenia’s STA — a symbol of resistance within the country

Deutsche Welle: On Thursday, the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) celebrates its 30th anniversary. On the same day, it will be 154 days since the government of the EU country stopped funding this public service.


SPAIN: Pérez Tornero, president of RTVE: “A public service that has no audience makes no sense” (Spanish)

El País: The new head of the corporation analyzes his situation and the short-term changes. “Nobody pressures me,” he says.


SWEDEN: SVT inaugurates the editorial office in Fagersta – strengthens the coverage of Bergslagen (Blog – Swedish)

SVT: Now it’s time for SVT’s local news to start an editorial office in Fagersta. With a reporter in the borderland between Dalarna and Västmanland, we come, in addition to Fagersta, also closer to Norberg, Skinnskatteberg, Smedjebacken, Avesta and Hedemora.


SWITZERLAND: Gender-neutral language: an issue for the ballot box?

SWI swissinfo.ch: As more public and private media try to communicate gender neutrally, some say it’s a distraction from real issues. How can you legislate on language?


UK: The BBC Is Under Pressure as Boris Johnson Tightens the Screws

Der Spiegel: The BBC is the mother of all public broadcasters, but it is facing the greatest challenge of its existence. The government has taken aim at the BBC on the eve of its 100th birthday, and it is unclear what the future holds.


UK: Whistleblower in Martin Bashir scandal backs BBC after apology from boss

The Guardian: Matt Wiessler says he is a ‘through-and-through BBC person’ and saga should not be used against it.


REGIONAL: Balkan media conference: ‘The EU barks rather timidly to enemies of press freedom’

Euractiv: Media freedom throughout Europe needs all the support it can get, but the situation in the Balkans is particularly worrying, participants told an online conference “Media Freedom in the Balkans” organised by EURACTIV.


REGIONAL: Noel Curran: Europe’s digital future lies in cooperation models

Deutsche Welle: EBU Director General Noel Curran welcomes projects beyond borders designed to stregthen public broadcasting across Europe. Curran believes that public broadcasters will still play a vital role in the future.


GENERAL: EU to defend journalists from malicious lawsuits

EU Observer: Investigative journalism in Europe needed “legal” protection from the growing problem of malicious lawsuits, the European Commission and MEPs have said.


GENERAL: Tackling AI’s impact on freedom of expression and new challenges to media freedom: European ministers to discuss priority actions

Council of Europe: European ministers responsible for media and information society will meet online on 10 and 11 June to discuss the ways to address the challenges to freedom of expression brought by massive digitalisation in the media and information environment – including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) – and by the serious backsliding in the safety of journalists.

ARGENTINA: An investigation warns about the “information deserts” in the country (Spanish)

Infobae: According to the study “Desertification of the Media” promoted by Fopea, with the support of the Google News Initiative, in half of the departments of the Argentine territory there is a lack of media to report on the local reality. The map that reflects the situation of journalism and its weaknesses in the provinces and the Federal Capital.


ARGENTINA: Argentine journalists meet with deputies to request the sanction of the “Law of Gender Equality in the media” (Spanish)

Minutouno: The regulation has already been approved in Senators. It obliges the public media to have equal opportunities and treatment of minorities. Only 15 percent of women hold hierarchical positions in journalistic fields.


ARGENTINA: Inequities, stereotypes and inequality in access to employment in the media (Spanish – Opinion)

El Día: Every June 7, the Day of the Journalist is celebrated and the keywords are usually “Democracy, plurality, objectivity and diversity of voices”. Worse in reality what happens? Women are left, many times relegated to a lesser role and even “invisible”. A law seeks to raise the need for equity.


ARGENTINA: The Unmdp launches its own public media system (Spanish)

0223: The radio, the television channel, the magazine, the digital portal and the social networks will come together in the same space.


BRAZIL: FENAJ and Unions promote National Day of Fight for the Vaccination of journalists against Covid-19 (Portuguese)

FENAJ: Entities call on the category to go to work in blue, occupy social networks and expand the collection of signatures for the manifesto that will be delivered to the Ministry of Health.


BRAZIL: Repudiation of Bolsonaro’s attack on journalist Daniela Lima (Portuguese)

FENAJ: The Union of Professional Journalists in the State of São Paulo (SJSP) and the National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ) express their repudiation of Jair Bolsonaro’s new attack on a press professional: journalist Daniela Lima, from CNN Brasil.


BRAZIL & CHINA: How the lack of Brazilian correspondents in China affects perceptions of both countries

Global Voices: Journalists alert for a growing disinformation and synophobia.


COLOMBIA: Ombudsman’s Office rejected attacks against journalists and the media during the coverage of the demonstrations (Spanish)

Infobae: La Flip has denounced illegal detentions, torture, mistreatment and other abuses against journalists by the public forces and citizens during the coverage of the strike.


CUBA: Cuba participates in meeting of presidents of public media of ALBA-TCP (Spanish)

Cuba Periodistas: Establishing a permanent interconnection between the public media of the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), was one of the proposals made by Waldo Ramírez de la Ribera, representative of the Cuban delegation in the Meeting of Presidents of Television and Public Media of the international organization.


CUBA: The Don Quijote award, a recognition of independent journalism in Cuba (Spanish)

SWI: The Don Quixote Prize for Journalism, awarded to Cuban Carlos Manuel Álvarez Rodríguez for the article “Three Cuban girls” published in the magazine “El Estornudo”, is “a recognition of independent journalism” in the Island, which suffers from “constant attack, criminalization and harassment by state security.”


MEXICO: Channel 22 and Radio Educación join the electoral coverage that will be carried out by the public media (Spanish)

Linea de Contraste: On June 6, both will report on the largest elections in the country’s history, with five broadcasts coordinated by the SPR. The radio station will also have specials of its own production.


MEXICO: The Risky Job of Covering Local Elections in Mexico

VOA: Mexican voters will go to the polls Sunday to elect candidates for thousands of local offices, and in a country where elections have a tradition of violence, journalists will be in the crosshairs.


NICARAGUA: Nicaraguan prosecutors question at least 16 journalists, threaten criminal investigation into Univision correspondent

CPJ: Nicaraguan authorities must refrain from opening criminal investigations into the work of journalist María Lilly Delgado and any other members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.


NICARAGUA: The IAPA urged the Ortega regime to “end the corral of critical voices” in Nicaragua (Spanish)

Infobae: “The process against the former journalist Chamorro is clearly a way of restricting political freedom and expression in the face of the elections next November,” said a statement from the Inter-American Press Association.


TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Covid19, China and the media (Opinion)

Newsday

ISRAEL: VIDEO: Al Jazeera journalist banned from entering Sheikh Jarrah after being detained by Israeli police

Arab News: Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Givara Budeiri was arrested by Israeli police while covering a demonstration in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah. She was later released and banned from entering the neighborhood for 15 days.


ISRAEL & PALESTINE: WhatsApp blocks accounts of at least seven Gaza Strip journalists

RSF: For no apparent reason, WhatsApp blocked the accounts of many Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip after the start of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on 21 May. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) deplores this repeated blocking, which has the effect of censoring Palestinian journalists, and urges WhatsApp to be more transparent about its moderation and appeal mechanisms.


TURKEY: 14 journalists appeared in court in May, 2 convicted: report

SCF: A report by opposition lawmaker Utku Çakırözer has revealed that 14 members of the press appeared in court and two were sentenced to prison in May, according to Turkish media.


TURKEY: ECHR again condemns Turkey for arbitrary detention of journalists (Spanish)

SWI: The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) again condemned Turkey for the ninth time this Tuesday for imposing prison against a journalist, after the attempted coup in 2016 and “without Justified reasons to suspect that the plaintiff committed a crime.”


TURKEY & YEMEN: Turkey/Yemen: Yemeni journalist subjected to violence during his detention in Turkey

IFJ: Yemeni journalist Adnan Al -rajhi working for Belqees TV, a Yemeni media organization based in Turkey, was subjected to violence and forced into confession during his detention in Turkey in January 2020. 


REGIONAL: New Middle East and North Africa Coalition to Combat Digital Surveillance

Article 19: From Morocco to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are using digital surveillance tools to identify, surveil, and silence dissidents, journalists, and human rights defenders. 


REGIONAL: Panel Highlights Challenges for Women Journalists as Report Shows Rise in Threats

VOA: Media restrictions imposed during the pandemic, protests that threaten the safety of reporters, a high number of jailings — these kinds of attacks on press freedom in the Middle East are on the rise and increasingly affect female journalists, a media group found.


REGIONAL: Watch: Press freedom in the Middle East, 10 years after the Arab Spring

ICIJ: To mark the 10th anniversary of the Arab Spring, ICIJ hosted a panel of journalists to discuss the current state of press freedom in the MENA region, what can be done to combat threats and how global collaborations help free press thrive.

CANADA: CBC Atlantic journalism making an impact in our region

CBC News: CBC’s English-language journalists in Atlantic Canada received five nominations from the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ). The CAJ is the voice of Canadian journalists, recognizing excellence in journalism—with an emphasis on investigative work.


CANADA: CBC strides forward with Olympics plans, keeping fingers crossed

The Globe and Mail


CANADA: The silence of Radio Canada International (Opinion)

Open Canada: The former head of CBC News laments the evisceration of CBC’s international service and Canada’s shrinking voice in the world.


CANADA: Upfronts ’21: CBC focuses on flexibility and building from within (Paywall)

Media in Canada: Homegrown programming and a focus on shows fit for brand integration will keep the broadcaster’s momentum going into the upcoming Olympic season(s).


CANADA: What happens when the media fights back in a battle with the RCMP? (Listen)

CityNews Montreal: In today’s Big Story podcast, every time there’s a protest, or dispute, or anything else newsworthy in rural Canada, the media shows up to cover it. And runs into the RCMP. Sometimes, nothing happens. But more often than not, access to the story becomes a story in itself, with the RCMP insisting media aren’t allowed in, or offering access only to “accredited media”. You can imagine where this leads, and probably guess that Indigenous journalists have [borne] the brunt of it.


US: 3 Steps Toward Making NPR More Inclusive and Diverse (Opinion)

Nieman Reports: Creating public media for everyone means realizing a more equitable distribution of power. Here’s how…


US: Biden shouldn’t be shy about fixing one of Trump’s most destructive legacies (Opinion)

Washington Post: When Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko took the shocking step last month of forcing an international commercial flight traveling in his country’s airspace to land so authorities could arrest Roman Protasevich, a journalist critical of the regime, concerns about the state of press freedom in the post-Trump world were confirmed.


US: CPB analysis finds steep declines in station underwriting, foundation funding (Paywall)

Current: Revenues of public television and radio stations declined by $147 million, or 5%, in fiscal year 2020, which included the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, according to CPB’s latest “State of the System” analysis.


US: Expecting—and getting—more from children’s media (Blog)

Brookings: By embedding educational content into entertaining stories with compelling characters, high-quality children’s media can engage young viewers and foster their learning. From “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” to “Sesame Street,” public media have long targeted this blending of education with entertainment. 


US: Joe Biden’s mixed signals on press freedom

CJR


US: Local News Outlets Upgrading Apps and Battling App-rehension

Local News Initiative: Local news organizations are working hard to improve their news apps and get readers to download them, touting them as a superior customer experience that boosts engagement and loyalty.


US: Op-ed: Strengthen our democracy by funding public media (Opinion)

CJR: Despite the popular assumption that democracy requires a free and functional press, Americans harbor a surprising recalcitrance toward public subsidies for journalism. Many believe that if the market doesn’t support a news outlet—or if it doesn’t receive a wealthy benefactor’s support—then it deserves to wither. 


US: PBS Digital Studios on YouTube Seeks to Draw Younger Audiences Amid Streaming Wars (Watch)

Cheddar: As media companies fight for viewers in the ongoing streaming wars, traditional television networks like PBS are seeking new ways to remain relevant. Sylvia Bugg, chief programming executive and general manager, joined Cheddar to discuss the PBS Digital Studios channel on YouTube. 


US: US Department of Justice will no longer obtain reporters’ phone records

The Guardian: The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said on Saturday it will no longer secretly obtain reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, a practice decried by news organizations and press freedom groups.


US: Visual journalists must approach protest coverage with an informed perspective (Opinion)

Poynter: In the age of viral media and punitive surveillance, visual journalists have an ethical obligation to minimize harm when covering protests.

Building a hypothesis for your next data story (Resource)

DataJournalism.com: How an intentional exploration of inequity can help data journalists better serve communities.


Facebook’s launch plans for Bulletin, its Substack clone

Vox: Facebook wants to launch its newsletter product later this month. But it doesn’t want controversial writers using it — just the ones it’s recruiting.


How Nonprofit Newsrooms Pioneered In-Depth Healthcare Coverage Before the Pandemic

GIJN: When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold last year, editors scrambled to rapidly assemble teams to cover the crisis. Readers suddenly wanted to know about specialized topics like vaccine efficacy and intensive care capacity. Many reporters faced a steep learning curve.


Journalists are not going to stop tweeting. But should media outlets exert more control over their posts? (Opinion)

The Conversation


Lessons learned from community listening during a pandemic (Case study)

Democracy Fund: In a follow-up to this Ecosystems Toolkit, the author Fiona Morgan shares lessons from how she and others undertook aspects of news ecosystem assessments during the pandemic, and how this listening was itself an investment in communities.


Major internet outage sees gov.uk and media organisation sites crash

ITV: A major internet outage saw the UK Government’s website, Reddit, Amazon and several leading news organisations websites crash on Tuesday morning.


Media for Democracy Monitor 2021

Nordicom: In a two-volume edition, the Media for Democracy Monitor 2021 delivers a panorama of the news media’s performance regarding freedom, equality and control across 18 countries worldwide. 


Step out — at IPI World Congress 2021 (Event)

IPI: Time to step out with the IPI global network of journalists, editors and publishers at the 2021 IPI World Congress 2021. Join us in Vienna or join us on-line: It’s a hybrid — some face to face, some on-line and some a mix of the two, designed to bring the global journalism community together, and to suit you.


The Global Rise of University-Based Investigative Journalism Centers

GIJN


UN: Tackling corruption through transparency

Article 19: The United Nations General Assembly first Special Session on Corruption (UNGASS), which started on 2 June and runs to 4 June, is an opportunity to reaffirm commitments to strengthen and enable democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. 


With the ABC and BBC both forced to apologise, how does brand management for public broadcasters differ?

Mumbrella: Public service broadcasters take up a unique position within the media landscape. With strict editorial guidelines and non-commercial interests, the BBC and ABC have been two of the most trusted brands in and outside media for some time. But, will the recent lapses have a longer term impact on the brands than commercial competitors?


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Header Image: Media interview stock photo. Credit: microgen/iStock

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