Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world
Public media is in peril and facing many challenges. Social media platforms are presenting an existential crisis to public service media. Governments are trying to extend their control and influence on the editorial output of the broadcasters. Funding systems for many are up in the air. Journalists are facing threats, attacks and harassment, both online and in-person. But it’s also an exciting time for public service media – digital platforms provide new opportunities to reach audiences, technology means public broadcasters can be innovative in how they provide a public service.
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The power of diversity in investigative journalism | GMF talk with Ron Nixon
DW Global Media Forum: “You’re missing a lot of talent if you are only looking at one group of people when you’re recruiting.” AP’s Vice President of News, investigative, enterprise and grants and partnership, Ron Nixon, has overseen multiple award-winning investigations during his long career. Speaking to DW’s Sophie Kirby, he shares what makes for effective investigations teams – and leaders.
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AI – destroyer of journalism?
BBC The Media Show: How will the recent explosion in AI change how we find out about what’s going on in the world? What sources will AI rely on to deliver trustworthy news? Will it put journalists out of work?
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ALGERIA: Algeria: Government must halt crackdown on rights and immediately release detained journalists
Amnesty International: The Algerian government must end its relentless assault on freedom of expression and peaceful activism, Amnesty International said today, launching a new campaign to shed light on the impact of the authorities’ repressive crackdown on brave dissenting voices.
ANGOLA: Angolan Authorities Charge Journalist With Criminal Defamation Over Corruption Report
CPJ: Prosecutors should drop the criminal defamation, insult, and forgery charges against Angolan journalist Liberato Furtado Pereira and stop retaliating against the journalist for his public interest reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.
BURKINA FASO: Burkina Faso junta suspends French magazine over ‘untruthful’ articles
Reuters: Burkina Faso’s military junta on Monday suspended the French news magazine Jeune Afrique for publishing “untruthful” articles that reported tension and discontent within the country’s armed forces, it said in a statement.
CAMEROON: Cameroon governor bans The Post over military coup headline (Alert) (15 September)
CPJ: Cameroonian authorities should immediately lift an indefinite ban against The Post newspaper in the Southwest Region and stop any retaliatory action against the privately owned media outlet and its staff, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.
ETHIOPIA: Three Ethiopian journalists beaten and detained while covering protest in Tigray
CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday called on Ethiopian authorities to hold to account security personnel who assaulted at least three journalists and to desist from harassing and detaining members of the press.
GBC: President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, has made a passionate appeal to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, to check the military high command in Kumasi.
GHANA: Journalists Sanctuary International condemns latest police brutality against journalists in Ghana
Joy 99.7 FM: Journalists Sanctuary International has condemned the latest assault and detainment of journalists by officers of the Ghana Police Service.
LIBERIA: SafeSisters Fellow Empowers Women Journalists and Human Rights Defenders (18 September)
New Dawn: A two-day digital safety and security training aimed at enhancing the digital protection of women journalists and women human rights defenders in Liberia has successfully concluded.
LIBYA: Journalists ordered out of flood-hit Libya city after protests
Middle East Monitor: Journalists were ordered out of the devastated eastern Libyan city of Derna on Tuesday, the morning after demonstrators staged a rally and torched the home of the ousted mayor in fury over the authorities’ failure to protect the city from floods, Reuters reports.
MOROCCO: 2 French journalists expelled from Morocco as tensions revive between Rabat and Paris
AP News: Two French journalists have been expelled from Morocco this week in a move denounced by media outlets and press freedom advocates.
MOROCCO: Morocco earthquake spurs public service media’s emergency news response
EBU: At around 23.00 hrs local time on 8 September, an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit central Morocco. The death toll is near 3,000* and this figure is expected to rise.
NIGERIA: Death of Nigerian Journalist Raises Security Concerns
AllAfrica: Hamisu Danjibga, a veteran Nigerian radio journalist, was found dead in north-west Zamfara state three days after he was declared missing.
SENEGAL: Training journalists and democracy: two statements by the head of communications at the Senegalese presidency examined (French)
Africa Check: The head of communications for the Senegalese presidency made two assertions: one about the training of journalists, and the other about Senegal’s standing in terms of democracy in black Africa. Africa Check has gone through his statements with a fine-tooth comb.
SOUTH AFRICA: 13%: The record-low number of people still paying their SABC TV Licence
News24: The number of South African TV households who pay their annual SABC TV Licence fee has fallen to a historic record low, with just 13% of households who have paid during the 2022/23 financial year.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC makes another offer to Multichoice … This time for the broadcast of the Cricket World Cup
IOL: The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) says they have made an offer to Multichoice to air the tournament which gets under way on October 5 in India. SuperSport has all the rights to broadcast the tournament in South Africa.
SOUTH AFRICA: Standard Bank threatens freedom of expression and media
IOL: Earlier this week, Daily Maverick reporter, Lerato Mutsila, who was covering the Extinction Rebellion protest, was assaulted by Standard Bank’s security, who also unlawfully removed photos and videos from her mobile phone. This is just another in a growing list of such incidents that have the potential to diminish media freedom.
UGANDA: IPI and partners submit shadow report to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights
IPI: Uganda must do more to meet its commitments to protect freedom of the press and access to information, according to a shadow report by IPI and the Small Media Foundation, the Freedom of Expression Hub in Uganda, and the Africa Freedom of Information Centre.
BANGLADESH: Bangladesh revised a digital security law. Is it really less severe?
Rest of World: Ahead of elections in January 2024, Bangladesh’s Parliament has passed the Cyber Security Act. It replaces a controversial law enacted in 2018, which allowed creators to be arrested for social media posts that were critical of the government or deemed to hurt religious sentiments. But nobody’s quite convinced that the new law is less “draconian.”
CAMBODIA: Eroding Press Freedom: Media Crackdown in Cambodia
New Naratif: The move of Cambodia’s former prime minister, Hun Sen, to shut an independent media, Voice of Democracy (VOD), ahead of the 2023 general elections reflects the 2017 media crackdown playbook. Along with the intimidation and harassment against independent journalists, it erodes Cambodia’s press freedom and democracy.
CHINA: China: Jailed journalist trial begins amid inhumane detentions
IFJ: The trial of jailed journalist and women’s rights activist Huang Xueqin has begun after over two years in pre-trial detention, while supporters have raised concerns for jailed citizen journalist Zhang Zhan following her second birthday in custody.
HONG KONG: Explainer: The decline of Hong Kong’s press freedom under the national security law
HKFP: HKFP rounds up press freedom incidents since the onset of the Beijing-imposed security law in June 2020.
HONG KONG: Leading Hong Kong journalist found guilty of obstructing a police officer
ABC News: The chairman of Hong Kong’s leading journalist group received a five-day jail term after he was found guilty of obstructing a police officer on Monday in a court case that sparked concerns about the city’s declining press freedom.
INDIA: INDIA coalition has not banned or boycotted any journalist, says Congress on alliance’s media policy (16 September)
Scroll.in: The alliance on Wednesday said that it would not send its representatives on television debate shows hosted by 14 news anchors.
PAKISTAN: Missing Pakistani journalist Imran Riaz Khan returns home after four months
Al Jazeera: The former TV anchor with more than three million followers on YouTube was arrested in May while on his way to Oman.
PHILIPPINES: Manila, call for bids FY 23/24: media freedom (Opportunity)
Gov.uk: The British Embassy in Manila is seeking proposals that support the protection and promotion of media freedom in the Philippines.
PHILIPPINES: Philippines: Outlet withdraws article on alleged lawmaker university donation
IFJ: The online news publication Inquirer.net withdrew an article detailing an alleged donation by the House of Representatives speaker to Boston’s Harvard University in exchange for a Filipino language course. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in expressing its deep concern over the withdrawal and calling on Filipino media outlets to uphold their commitments to press freedom and discourage self-censorship.
SOUTH KOREA: Media civic groups call for passage of amendments to the Broadcasting Act 108 times in front of the National Assembly (Korean)
KBS News: Media, labor, and civic social groups have come out in 108-fold action, calling for the passage of a revision to the Broadcasting Act for the political independence of public broadcasting.
SOUTH KOREA: Korean media regulator’s “one strike” policy for “fake news” denounced as censorship
Hankyoreh: The Korea Communications Commission’s “fake news eradication plan” has come under fire for what critics say are direct violations of the Constitution.
TAIWAN: Taiwan president addresses Radio Taiwan International’s 95th anniversary celebrations
RadioInfo Asia: Radio Taiwan International (Rti) celebrated its 95th anniversary with an event featuring remarks by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday, September 19.
THAILAND: The website “Thai PBS Election 66, Choose the Future of Thailand” has passed into the final round. (Press release – Thai)
Thai PBS: The Public Broadcasting Service of Thailand (TPA) or Thai PBS has advanced to the final round to win the ABU Prizes 2023 in the Digital Content Awards category from the work” Thai PBS: 2023 General Election – Deciding the Future” of Thailand” or the website “Thai PBS Election 66, Choose the Future of Thailand” […] The only work from Thailand.
ABC: During a natural disaster, many turn to ABC Radio. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how the team brings you vital information when you need it most.
AUSTRALIA: CPSU and George Brandis say Michael Pezzullo’s position is ‘untenable’
The Guardian: The public sector union and the former attorney general George Brandis say Michael Pezzullo’s conduct has left his position untenable. Meanwhile, the media union has demanded action on “disturbing” reports that the former home affairs boss sought to censor journalists and criminalise some forms of national security reporting.
AUSTRALIA: Labor urged to include news outlets in social media crackdown to curb ‘dangerous’ misinformation
The Guardian: The Albanese government has been urged to remove the “professional news content” exemption from its crackdown on misinformation on social media, amid concerns that news coverage of the voice and Covid has spread false information and lies.
AUSTRALIA: SBS On Demand launches Voice Referendum with Auslan Hub (Press release)
SBS: Australia’s multilingual broadcaster is keeping the deaf and hard of hearing community informed with accessible resources ahead of the vote on a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
AUSTRALIA: Why is the campaign for an Indigenous voice struggling? It’s not just the media (Opinion)
The Guardian: Speaking to voters I have not found hostility but a lack of engagement. In this laidback nation, many Australians resent the toxicity of the referendum debate.
AUSTRALIA: Women in media on sexism and the things that still need to change in newsrooms
ABC News
NEW ZEALAND: Current and future state of Stuff (Listen)
RNZ: Three years ago Sinead Boucher took over the country’s biggest publisher of news from Aussie owners who gave it away “like a set of steak knives”. In the absence of big backers and the government backing away from funding journalism, does its future now depend on getting money from Google and Facebook? And does she still have the Stuff staff on board for the future?
NEW ZEALAND: NZ media is in a major slump. Will a National-Act government make it worse?
The Spinoff: A prolonged downturn in the advertising market. Layoffs at all major operators. Just around the corner, the spending cuts of a National-Act government. How might all this play out for an embattled New Zealand media?
NEW ZEALAND: TVNZ tightens its belt citing ad revenue slump
RNZ: TVNZ is planning significant cuts to content production, programmes and operational spending in response to commercial clients’ reduced spending on advertising. Future projects are under review and pay rises for executives and top-earning staff have also been scrapped at the state-owned broadcaster.
REGIONAL: India and Australia: Building media resilience in the Pacific and Indian island states (Opinion)
Observer Research Foundation: The Pacific and Indian Ocean islands states require support from external partners to protect the integrity of independent thought and defend themselves against disinformation.
ALBANIA: Albanian Media Facing ‘Darkest Day’, Warns Author of New Study (18 September)
Balkan Insight: A new book looks at the trajectory of Albanian media freedom, from the ‘glorious’ 1930s to non-existence under communism and new tools of control today.
AUSTRIA: ORF program for International Sign Language Day on September 23, 2023 (Press release – German)
ORF: In 2023, the ORF will once again be dedicating itself to the “International Day of Sign Languages”, the World Day of Sign Languages, which takes place annually on September 23rd, as part of its commitment to inclusion and accessibility.
BELARUS: Belarusian Freelance Journalist, Wife Handed Prison Terms On Extremism Charges
RFE/RL: A court in the city of Vitsebsk in Belarus’s northeast has sentenced freelance video-journalist Vyachaslau Lazarau and his wife, Tatsyana Pytsko, to five years and three years in prison, respectively, on extremism charges as authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues to clamp down on independent media and free speech.
BELGIUM: Accessible through technology: VRT makes media for all (Press release – Dutch)
VRT: There are countless ways to experience media. And those experiences go a lot further than classic TV and radio broadcasts. But how do you experience that media if you have a visual or hearing impairment?
Future Media Hub: International cooperation is essential in the media sector. In a world where borders between countries, sectors and audiences are increasingly blurred, the impact of a network is undeniable. VRT, together with RTBF, brings together 50 international media organisations within such a network, called Future Media Hubs.
CYPRUS: Cyprus: Call for thorough investigations into surveillance of Makarios Drousiotis (Statement)
ECPMF: We, the undersigned international media freedom organisations and journalists’ associations, are highly concerned about the alleged surveillance of journalist Makarios Drousiotis, and the fact that there has not been a prompt, adequate or thorough investigation of the matter.
GERMANY: Deutschlandradio Radio Council approved annual and consolidated financial statements for 2022 (Press release – German)
Deutschlandradio: The Deutschlandradio Radio Council unanimously approved the station’s annual and consolidated financial statements for 2022 at its meeting on September 21, 2023. The final report had already been approved by the Board of Directors based on the report of an independent auditing firm and the unqualified audit opinion it issued.
HUNGARY: Cyberattack on IPI: Evidence points to retaliation for press freedom work in Hungary (14 September)
Free Turkey Journalists IPI: Since September 1, the International Press Institute (IPI) has been battling a targeted and sustained cyberattack. This attack appears to be in retaliation for our advocacy work on behalf of independent media in Hungary, who have faced a wave of similar attacks since this summer.
IRELAND: Statement from Kevin Bakhurst re. documents submitted to the PAC (Press release)
RTÉ: RTÉ Director-General, Kevin Bakhurst said. “I think that it is important to highlight that RTÉ is fully cooperating with both Committees and being as thorough and transparent as we possibly can, within what is permissible in law.”
SLOVAKIA: RTVS will offer viewers discussions with election leaders of political parties and movements before the 2023 parliamentary elections (Press release – Slovak) (19 September)
RTV: On Tuesday, September 19, RTVS will start discussions with election leaders of political parties and movements before the 2023 parliamentary elections.
RUSSIA: How exiled Russian journalists are navigating an uncertain future (13 September)
IJnet: More than 18 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, independent media inside Russia has all but disappeared.
RUSSIA: Russian media rhetoric could be ‘incitement to genocide in Ukraine’: UN
Al Jazeera: UN investigators probing violations in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion have warned that some rhetoric transmitted by Russian media could amount to incitement to genocide.
SLOVENIA: How will journalistic stories be created in the editorial office of the future? (Press release – Slovene)
RTV SLO: What will be the contribution and involvement of augmented reality and artificial intelligence technologies in creating and accessing media content.
SLOVENIA: The responsible editor of the information program TV SLO 1 has resigned (Press Release – Slovene) (19 September)
RTV SLO: As of today, Jadranka Rebernik resigned from the position of editor-in-chief of the news program TV SLO 1. Until a new editor-in-chief is appointed, the editorial office will be led by Polona Fijavž as acting editor-in-chief.
SPAIN: RTVE hires psychologists to care for workers who suffer sexual harassment in the corporation (Spanish)
El Confidencial Digital: He estimates that they will have to deal with a maximum of six cases in one year. The professionals will have to receive the complainants within a maximum period of 48 hours.
SPAIN: RTVE inaugurates the Master of International Reporting with Jon Lee Anderson as godfather (Press release – Spanish)
RTVE: This Monday, the Eugenio Trías library in El Retiro Park in Madrid hosted the inauguration of the first Master’s Degree in International Reporting promoted by RTVE Instituto through Haz and the University of Alcalá (UAH).
SPAIN: RTVE joins WorldDAB, the association that promotes the adoption of digital radio (Spanish)
El Confidencial Digital: Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) has decided to join WorldDAB, the association that promotes the adoption of digital radio around the world based on DAB/DAB+ standards.
SWEDEN: New production solution reduces SVT’s climate impact (Press release – Swedish) (15 September)
SVT: In July, SVT carried out a live broadcast unlike any before. With a completely new production method that reduces the carbon footprint, lowers costs and gives the audience more choices.
SWEDEN: Lilla Aktuell – more important than ever (Press Release – Swedish) (15 September)
SVT: For 30 years, Lilla Aktuellt has made news for all of Sweden’s children. For three decades, the program has explained what is scary and addressed topics that are particularly important to children and young people.
UKRAINE: Evidence suggests Russia has been deliberately targeting journalists in Ukraine — a war crime
Nieman Lab: “It is essential — for us all — that the protections afforded to journalists under international law are scrupulously upheld, and those responsible for their deaths are caught and face the consequences.”
UKRAINE: Swedish journalists attacked by Russian drone in Ukraine
Kyiv Independent: A car of two Swedish news channel TV4 journalists came under an attack by a Russian drone in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, leaving them unharmed but injuring their local Ukrainian producer and two policemen, TV4 reported on Sept. 20.
UK: BBC Teach and Beano team up to give teachers new free resources (Press release)
BBC: BBC Teach and Beano have joined forces to help primary school teachers share the secrets of comic creation with their pupils. The new, Beano – how to create a comic, set of resources provide a step-by-step guide to help children to make their own comic; from creating characters, to constructing worlds to developing stories.
UK: British journalist held by police at Luton airport for five hours without arrest
The Guardian: Matt Broomfield, who has worked in Kurdish-controlled north-east Syria, had his phone and laptop seized when he was questioned last month.
UK Parliament: Obligations on smart TVs, firesticks and set-top boxes to ensure public service broadcasters (PSBs) are prominent on their platforms should be strengthened, MPs say today. In their report on the draft Media Bill published today, they also want to see current obligations on PSBs to provide programming in areas such as religion, international matters and science, retained.
UK: The UK’s leading public service broadcasters set to evolve free TV for the streaming age (Press release) (18 September)
BBC: Britain’s biggest broadcasters announce today their latest collaboration: the development of a new free TV service that will deliver live TV over broadband.
UK: RTS Cambridge Convention 2023 – Speech by Alex Mahon, Chief Executive, Channel 4: Too Much to Watch (Press release)
Channel4: “Five months ago the Channel 4 team set out to determine what the new ‘video day’ for consumers is really made of, with an original research project. I will talk a little about what we did and what we found and then some experts will join me on stage to help interpret our research.
REGIONAL: European public media allocated 5.7 billion to news programs in 2022 (Spanish)
APM: Above the 5.5 billion in 2019, they correspond to 31% of total spending on public media programming, according to the EBU Media Intelligence Service.
REGIONAL: What makes a city lovable? New co-production seeks the answers (Swedish – 11 September)
Nordvision: In “Byernes mester” it becomes clear how much influence the Danish architect Jan Gehl had over the years on city planners worldwide. The series is a Nordic co-production, with DR as the main percentage bringing along NRK, RUV, SVT and Yle. Here, the creator of the idea, DR’s culture editor Thomas Hedemann, writes about the work that led to the series, which is now beginning to reach Nordic viewers.
ARGENTINA: They repudiate Marra’s statements about the closure of public media: “His ignorance is total” (Spanish)
Agencia Télam: Workers, officials and political leaders this Monday repudiated the statements of the Buenos Aires legislator and candidate for head of Government of the CABA for La Libertad Avanza (LLA), Ramiro Marra, in favor of promoting the closure of public management media in the event that Javier Milei wins the elections.
BOLIVIA: Ombudsman’s Office calls for “clarification” of attacks on journalists in Bolivia (Spanish)
Infobae: The Bolivian Ombudsman’s Office asked the authorities this Wednesday to “clarify” three recent cases of attacks against journalists in the cities of Oruro, La Paz and Santa Cruz and to guarantee the freedom of the press and free expression.
BRAZIL: EBC participates in the PBI 2023 Conference in Prague (Press release – Portuguese)
EBC: The CEO of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC) , Hélio Doyle, participated, this Thursday (21), in the Public Broadcasters International (PBI) Conference, which takes place in Prague, in the Czech Republic, until the 22nd of September. In the morning, he was part of the panel “Main Threats and Security in Journalistic Coverage”.
BRAZIL: They denounce threats, pressure and attacks against journalists in the Amazon; there are 66 cases of attacks on press freedom (Spanish)
Semana: About 16 are directly related to reports on the agricultural industry, mining exploitation, indigenous peoples and human rights violations.
BRAZIL: Violence against journalists: MPF and 9 other institutions form a partnership to monitor complaints (Portuguese)
Ministério Público Federal: The increase in cases of judicial harassment against journalists and other attacks on communicators led ten institutions to sign an agreement and a work plan, starting immediately, against violations of press freedom at a national level.
CHILE: CPJ calls for accountability after Chilean journalist is shot covering military coup protest
CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Chilean authorities to investigate and hold accountable those who shot Javier Barría, a camera operator with privately owned news outlet MegaMedia, while he covered a protest on the anniversary of the country’s 1973 military coup.
COLOMBIA: Colombia: two local media outlets close news programs due to threats from criminal gangs (Spanish)
VOA: Two radio stations in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, closed their news programs due to the threats that drug trafficking gangs make to their journalists, who prefer not to give interviews about the situation because their lives could be at risk.
ECUADOR: Death threats against journalists doubled in Ecuador (Watch – Spanish) (12 September)
NTN24: Death threats against journalists have doubled in Ecuador, amid the growing wave of violence shaking the Latin American country.
GUYANA: Celebrating Guyana’s First Indigenous Radio Station
Guyana Chronicle: Radio Paiowomak is a radio station that was set up to serve the Amerindian communities in the Hinterland. Through voluntary services by the pioneers Virgil Paiowomak and Mike Williams, the community radio station is celebrating 23 years.
JAMAICA: RJRGLEANER Group Continues NextGen TV Buildout
Radio Jamaica News: The RJRGLEANER Communications Group says it continues to buildout its next generation television (NextGen TV) transmission. Deputy CEO Dr. Claire Grant says the company is still within the US$7.5 million budget for the project.
JAMAICA: RJRGLEANER Group Touts Strong Position In Social Media
Radio Jamaica News: The RJRGLEANER Communications Group says it has established a strong position in social media. The company says it continues to diversify its operations, as the global media landscape integrates new media.
MEXICO: Mexico: a freedom of the press that is dying (Opinion – Spanish) (Paywall)
El País: For years, political power has been trying, by all means, to restore absolute control over the information that was the daily bread during the PRI era. Even at the cost of eradicating journalism from the map.
VENEZUELA: Venezuelan Media Say Hostility Makes Coverage Harder
VOA News: President Nicolas Maduro says a “new Venezuela” is rising and he wants journalists to report this “truth.” However, editors and journalists working in the country say those whose reports are critical of his administration can find themselves accused of promoting a “hate campaign” or the target of “selective repression.”
IRAN: Inside Iran’s ‘war of attrition’ on journalists
Middle East Eye: For nearly 200 years, Iranian journalists have fought for survival in a country that has treated them as enemies – but now this pressure has become ‘backbreaking’.
IRAN: Iran declares plan to compel journalists to apply for ‘trade licenses’
Amwaj.media: The Ebrahim Raisi administration is being accused of trying to exert more control over Iranian media. A new plan to compel journalists to apply for “trade licenses” has sparked an uproar among media workers.
IRAN: Iran International TV returns to air from high-security studio
Arab News: Iran International returned to air on Monday from a new high-security studio in London. The Farsi-language news broadcaster closed in February following alleged threats from the Iranian government.
PALESTINE: Shireen Abu Akleh’s death must be investigated
IFJ: “If the International Criminal Court does not investigate the death of Shireen Abu Akleh soon, it will lose all credibility among journalists and the Palestine people” said IFJ vice-president Nasser Abu Baker. He was speaking to a packed meeting on 21 September at the United Nations Human Rights Council, organised by the IFJ on the anniversary of the lodging a complaint with the Hague-based court.
PALESTINE & ISRAEL: MADA: escalation of Israeli violations and the use of excessive force against media freedoms in Gaza Strip calls for international intervention (18 September)
MADA Center: The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms expresses its deep concern about the escalation of violations and restrictions imposed on journalists and freedom of expression in Gaza Strip by the Israeli authorities, not to mention the use of excessive force against them, which comes in the context of the systematic policy they follow against media freedoms and crews, whether local or foreign, working in the Palestinian territories.
TURKEY: 8 arrested in Turkey for fomenting enmity, spreading disinformation on social media
SCF: An Ankara court has ordered the arrest of eight people including two journalists on charges of fomenting enmity and hatred and spreading disinformation on their X social media accounts, the Turkish Minute reported on Saturday, citing the Diken news website.
TURKEY: Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül sentenced to 6 months in prison for trespassing
CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the six-month sentence issued to Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül on Tuesday, in connection with his journalistic activity.
CANADA: CBC Predicts Meta & Alphabet Will Block News In Other Countries
Deadline: Meta and Alphabet will pull back from news distribution in more countries if forced to pay for content, the CEO of leading Canadian public network CBC/Radio Canada has predicted.
CANADA: Facebook and Instagram’s Canadian News Blackout Is Crushing Student Journalists
Gizmodo: Student publications and nonprofit community outlets are caught up in a drawn-out battle between the Canadian government, big-name publishers, and Meta.
CBC News: The mass layoffs of more than 600 people at Metroland Media Group, along with the news that Nordstar plans to stop printing most of its 70 community newspapers across Ontario, spells trouble for a healthy democracy, say industry experts.
CANADA: New survey spotlights Canadians’ perspectives on Bill C-18
News Media Canada: Overall, the findings show that awareness of Bill C-18 is high among Canadians, with about three-quarters of Canadians being aware of the legislation. Also, nearly half of Canadians (47%) have seen changes in their online feed since Meta blocked news content.
CANADA: Radio-Canada renews its paid EDI internship program for professionals from under-represented groups (Press release – French) (13 September)
Radio-Canada: Dany Meloul , General Manager, Television, is pleased to announce today the renewal of the paid EDI accelerator internship program offered to professionals from underrepresented groups for 2023-2024.
CANADA: TVO Media Education Group Responds to Misleading Canadian Media Guild Statements (Press release)
TVO: The Canadian Media Guild (CMG) today issued a press release making misleading statements and asking questions about TVO’s $17 million long-term investments.
CANADA & NEW ZEALAND: National public broadcasters RNZ (Radio New Zealand) and CBC/Radio-Canada announce new partnership agreement (Press release)
CBC/Radio-Canada: MOU focuses on Indigenous cultures and languages, podcasts and journalist training.
Poynter: The Las Vegas Review-Journal is facing a harassment campaign stoked by Elon Musk, one year after a reporter was killed for his coverage.
US: CPB Invests $2.25 Million in State Government Coverage (Press release)
CPB: Funding strengthens coverage in 7 states and provides more editorial support for public media statehouse reporters.
US: How a new generation of listeners interprets public radio’s core values (Paywall)
Current: Recent research found that most of PRPD’s Core Values of Public Radio resonate strongly with today’s young listeners. But study participants defined some values differently.
US: How public radio programmers replaced ‘The Takeaway’ (Paywall)
Current: Cancellation of The Takeaway left some public radio programmers lamenting the loss of a unique program that covered diverse communities and perspectives during a critical daypart.
US: Public Media and the Future of Local Journalism position paper released (Press release – 14 September)
NPR: Today a coalition of public media organizations published Public Media and the Future of Local Journalism. The paper, endorsed by more than 120 leaders across public media, presents a shared vision for the role public media can play in the future of local news and provides specific action items to face the growing information crisis.
US: The Supreme Court showdown over social media “censorship” and free speech online
VOX: A rogue federal court effectively put the Republican Party in charge of social media, and now the justices have to deal with this mess.
Artificial intelligence is coming for elections, and no one can predict its impact
IJNet: It’s undeniable that AI will be used to produce disinformation ahead of upcoming elections around the world. What’s unknown is what impact this AI-generated disinformation will have. Among other concerns, will candidates and their teams be transparent with voters about using AI?
Elon Musk: Social media platform X could go behind paywall (19 September)
BBC: Elon Musk has suggested that all users of X, formerly called Twitter, may have to pay for access to the platform.
Equal pay Day: Six tips for equal pay in newsrooms (15 September)
IFJ: To mark International Equal Pay Day on 18 September, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has published six tips for the media to set equal pay in newsrooms.
Fight disinformation through Reporters Without Borders certification, CBC/Radio-Canada president urges international public broadcasters (Press release)
CBC/Radio-Canada: CBC/Radio-Canada President and CEO Catherine Tait called on public broadcasters around the world to fight disinformation and bolster trust in public media by getting Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) certification from Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Tait issued the call to action at the Public Broadcasters International conference (PBI Prague 2023), an annual international gathering of public media executives.
How Big Tech Went to Sh*t (Listen)
NPR: Why does every social media platform seem to get worse over time? This week’s On the Media explores an expansive theory on how we lost a better version of the internet, and the systems that insulate Big Digital from competition. Plus, some solutions for fixing the world wide web.
How community listening can help shape election-year coverage
American Press Institute: What do audiences really want when it comes to campaign and elections coverage?
International regulators come together to discuss online safety on a global scale (13 September)
Ofcom: This week Ofcom hosted the first annual meeting of the Global Online Safety Regulators Network (GOSRN), which brings together regulators from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific to discuss solutions to global online safety challenges.
Maria Ressa on disinformation & creating a better world (Watch)
DW Global Media Forum: Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa has laid the blame for the erosion of democracy at the door of social media giants like Facebook. But how can journalists combat disinformation and fake news on social platforms – and what role does wider society play.
Nearly 7,000 students from 147 countries already enrolled in online course on AI in newsrooms. Sign up now! (Opportunity)
LatAm Journalism Review: A new course from the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, “How to Use ChatGPT and Other Generative AI Tools in Your Newsroom,” is resonating with a massive global audience. The course, which started on Monday, Sept. 25, has already attracted nearly 8,000 participants from around the world and there is still time to register.
Seven newsletters about AI for journalists (11 September)
Journalism.co.uk: Are you overwhelmed by all the talk of algorithms and language models? We picked a handful of newsletters that can help you make sense of it all.
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