AFGHANISTAN: Analyzing the State of Afghan Journalism

The Diplomat: The Federation of Afghan Journalists in Exile reports that the return of the Taliban has led to a substantial reduction in activity among Afghanistan’s once-vibrant media.

---

AFGHANISTAN: Taliban Leader Considers New Afghan Media Law

VOA: After two years of legal ambiguity and stringent restrictions on free press, de facto Taliban authorities have submitted a draft of a new Afghanistan media law for approval by their supreme leader.

---

BANGLADESH: Two journalists allegedly assaulted by student activists

IFJ: Two journalists were allegedly assaulted by members of the student political organisation the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) on August 21. 

---

INDIA: As Editors Guild red-flags Karnataka’s fact-check unit, minister says it’s ‘apolitical’, won’t impinge on press freedom

The Indian Express: After the Editors Guild of India voiced concern over the Karnataka government’s proposed fact-checking unit, minister Priyank Kharge said Tuesday that the unit would not attempt to “impinge upon the freedom of the press” and would have an “apolitical stance”.

---

INDIA: RSF urges the UN to take immediate action against escalating threats and harassment targeting Indian journalist Swati Chaturvedi

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) formally triggered the United Nations (UN) about the situation of Indian journalist Swati Chaturvedi, requiring immediate action to guarantee her safety and protection.

---

INDONESIA: ‘The Jakarta Post’ celebrates Indonesian democracy, journalism in 40th anniversary

The Jakarta Post: The Jakarta Post has wrapped up two weeks of celebrations surrounding its 40th anniversary, honoring the spirit of democracy and free, independent journalism in Indonesia through a photo exhibition and a series of discussions, workshops and lively events.

---

JAPAN: Japanese team wins ABU ROBOCON 2023

NHK: Japanese university students have won the top prize in a premiere robot performance competition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The annual ABU ROBOCON is sponsored by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union.

---

KYRGYZSTAN: Kyrgyz authorities apply to shutter investigative outlet Kloop

CPJ: Kyrgyz authorities should withdraw their application to shutter Kloop Media, a non-profit foundation that runs the independent news and anti-corruption investigative website Kloop, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

---

MALAYSIA: Critics Fear Malaysia Returning To Dark Days of Press Censorship

Asia Sentinel: Press protection NGOs and news organizations are growing concerned that Malaysia, under Ahmad Fahmi Fadzil, the Minister of Communications and Digital in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, is approaching the days of the UMNO administration under Najib Razak in restricting the public flow of information.

---

PAKISTAN: Targeted And Silenced: The Dangerous World Of Journalists In Pakistan – (Opinion)

Eurasia Review: Journalism is unquestionably one of Pakistan’s most risky professions. Reporting from the frontlines often necessitates bravery in the face of grave threats to one’s life and liberty. Journalists work in an atmosphere where their lives are continually threatened, their voices are silenced, and their quest for truth is thwarted.

---

SOUTH KOREA: KBS World Radio marks 70 years of broadcasting to a global audience (Press release) 

KBS: KBS World Radio celebrated 70 years of broadcasting on 15 August 2023. The anniversary marks a significant milestone for the only multilingual international broadcaster that introduces Korea to the world in 11 languages. 

---

SOUTH KOREA: President Yoon appoints chief of broadcasting watchdog

The Korea Herald: President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday approved the appointment of Lee Dong-kwan as the new head of the state broadcasting watchdog, the Korea Communications Commission, despite controversy surrounding Lee and his son. 

---

TAIWAN: Podcast listeners increase to half of radio audience

Taipei Times: The number of people listening to podcasts in Taiwan has reached half the number of those listening to traditional radio programs, a National Communications Commission (NCC) broadcasting market investigation report said.

---

THAILAND: Thai PBS invites applications for HACKATHON activities for people with disabilities: HACK HUG HUG. (Press release – Thai) 

Thai PBS: On August 22, 2023, the Public Broadcasting Service of Thailand (TPA) or Thai PBS held a press conference for the HACKATHON project for people with disabilities: HACK HUG HUG Fill Jai for Work, which is a collaboration.

AUSTRALIA: Heston Russell trial: ABC journalists defamed former commando to protect their egos, court told

The Guardian: Federal court hears closing submissions in defamation case brought by Russell against the public broadcaster

---

AUSTRALIA: Mark Humphries’ comedy sketch cut from 7.30 in ABC’s latest cost-cutting drive

The Guardian: As far as ABC budget cuts go this one hits hard. ABC 7.30 has told comedian Mark Humphries, who has been producing satirical sketches for the program since 2018, that his services are no longer required.

---

AUSTRALIA: NRMA Insurance leads the way in support of the Beyond 3% initiative (Press Release)

SBS: NRMA Insurance and National Indigenous Television (NITV), part of the SBS network, today announced a new partnership which marks the largest advertising investment by a single commercial brand in the First Nations broadcaster.

---

AUSTRALIA: Stan Grant accuses the Australian newspaper of acting like a ‘racist hit squad’

The Guardian: Stan Grant has accused the Australian newspaper of acting like “a racist hit squad” with a history of targeting Indigenous public figures, after the Murdoch masthead claimed the former ABC host was the subject of a bullying complaint.

---

FIJI: How media can help unravel Fiji’s social cohesion puzzle (Opinion)

Asia Pacific Report: Conflict and insufficient social cohesion are the biggest challenges in Fiji, and all and any efforts to mitigate and address this situation are laudable.

---

NEW ZEALAND: Low-key reveal of law to make big tech pay for news

RNZ MediaWatch: Long-awaited legislation to force big tech platforms to pay New Zealand media for the news they disseminate online is now before Parliament.

---

NEW ZEALAND: Outstanding public media that matters (Press Release)

RNZ: RNZ has been busy planning for the future in the wake of its funding increase and decision to keep it as the standalone independent, non-commercial public media organisation for Aotearoa.

AUSTRIA: New ORF fee – so many already want to sue (German)

Heute.at: The new ORF law continues to cause trouble. A class action lawsuit against the ORF fee is now really picking up speed. 

---

DENMARK: DR: Mandatory login next year (Swedish)

Nordvision: DRTV will provide users with a better experience by requiring login for streamed content from next year.

---

FINLAND: Yle Lähiö takes Yle’s regional deliveries to suburbs across Finland (Press release – Finnish) (14 August)

Yle: In the fall, Yle’s regional deliveries will expand to suburbs and neighborhoods. At the same time, the radio broadcasts will also be taken to ten residential areas across Finland. As the first regional delivery, Yle Pohjois-Suomi Oulu’s Tuira will start on August 28.

---

GERMANY: Politicians want to further reduce salary for future RBB management (German)

DWDL: The new RBB director Ulrike Demmer will earn significantly less than her predecessors, but the draft of the new RBB state contract provides for an even further reduction in salary levels in the future.

---

GERMANY: Public legal radio : ARD music competition under pressure to save (German – Paywall)

Süddeutsche Zeitung: The world-renowned classical music contest, which is now starting again in Munich, is threatened with cuts.

---

GREECE: Family of Greek journalist who survived over 100 SLAPPs, physically attacked

Euractiv: In another incident demonstrating the precarious situation for Greek journalists’,  investigative reporter Kostas Vaxevanis – also a nominee for the Daphne Caruana Galizia prize – and his family were verbally and physically attacked on Friday by a businessman whose name was mentioned in the “sinful” Lagarde list, which contained roughly 2,000 potential tax evaders and was revealed in 2012 by the journalist.

---

HUNGARY: DDoS cyber attacks pose major new threat to media freedom

IPI: The International Press Institute (IPI) today warns that an unprecedented wave of cyber-attacks predominantly targeting independent media outlets in Hungary in recent months represents a serious and growing threat to the free flow of information in what arguably is already the European Union’s worst country for press freedom.

---

MALTA: RSF joins calls for CoE pressure to implement inquiry recommendations

The Shift: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Director of Campaigns Rebecca Vincent has joined Dutch MP Pieter Omtzigt in calling for increased pressure to fully implement the recommendations of the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry.

---

NETHERLANDS: How an AI-generated photo ended up in the NOS Journaal (Dutch)

NOS: You may not have noticed at all, but that’s exactly the point. In the NOS Journaal of 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 24, there was a background photo that was not real. The “screen shot” of king penguins in Antarctica wasn’t a real archival image of those animals, it was an AI-generated manipulation. 

---

NETHERLANDS: NPO is willing to explore possibilities for a new digital culture platform together with the cultural sector (Dutch)

Spreekbuis.nl: In close cooperation with the cultural sector, it will be explored in the coming period how the findability and visibility of cultural offerings in a digital platform can be further increased and how the parties can strengthen this. The exploration of the new platform builds on NPO Culture 2.0; the new culture program of the public broadcaster with the aim of encouraging the public to return to the cultural stages and halls. 

---

POLAND: Soros-backed fund completes majority purchase of Polish newspaper

Notes from Poland: An investment group backed by billionaire George Soros has taken a majority stake in a Polish media house that publishes one of the country’s leading newspapers, Rzeczpospolita.

---

RUSSIA: CPJ condemns Russian court’s 3-month extension of detention of US journalist Evan Gershkovich

CPJ: “Every new extension of Evan Gershkovich’s detention is a blow to the freedom of the press in Russia and an attack on the work of foreign correspondents in the country,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director.

---

SLOVENIA: Andraž Pöschl became the new acting director of Television Slovenia (Press Release – Slovene) 

RTV SLO: At today’s 6th extraordinary meeting, the Council of RTV Slovenia gave its consent to the dismissal of the acting director of Television Slovenia, mag. Uros Urbanija.

---

SPAIN: TVE buys 70 films from the distributor DeAplaneta and from a German television (Spanish)

El Confidencial Digital: TVE continues to acquire films to cover the cinematographic needs of its peogramación. 

---

SWITZERLAND: SRG SSR launches the “dialog” pilot project (Press release – German)

SRG: What interests the Swiss? What moves you, what makes you happy, what scares you? SRG is launching a pilot project called “dialog” that aims to attract Swiss people in all four language regions and abroad via digital platforms.

---

SWITZERLAND: This is what SRF says: Statement on CH Media’s reporting on gender-neutral language at SRF (Press release – German)

SRF: On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, CH Media claimed in an article that SRF was getting rid of the gender star. That’s wrong. The gender star was never recommended in SRF’s journalistic guidelines. Lis Borner, Editor-in-Chief Audio, comments on this.

---

UK: BBC Trending delves into the extremes of social media (Press release)

BBC: New series, Extreme, explores the ways social media is shaping behaviour and beliefs on the fringes of the internet – and in some cases, making it into the mainstream.

---

UK: TV clips on social media – what they mean for broadcast complaints

Ofcom: Social media is changing how we see and engage with TV content. It’s increasingly common to see clips from TV shows popping up on our timelines and feeds, allowing us to get a glimpse of a programme, even if we didn’t watch it in full at the time it was broadcast.

---

REGIONAL: How the EU Digital Services Act affects Facebook, Google and others

The Guardian: Unprecedented regulation forcing more than 40 online giants including Facebook, X, Google and TikTok to better police the content they deliver within the EU is due to come into force on 25 August. So what is the legislation and how will regulators enforce it?

---

REGIONAL: News on the fight against European corruption: How EU countries spy on their citizens (Czech)

Czech Center for Investigative Journalism 

---

REGIONAL: Record number of abusive SLAPP lawsuits filed in Europe in 2022 – report

Euronews: The number of abusive lawsuits against journalists and human rights defenders increased to a record 161 in 2022, according to a new report published Wednesday by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE).

ARGENTINA: “Public media play an essential role in shaping democratic consciousness” (Spanish)

Télam: The Chief of Staff participated in the 23rd Plenary of the Public Television Council, which will take place until Friday at the Kirchner Cultural Center with the aim of “strengthening the development of these media.”

---

BRAZIL: Abraji condemns attitude of authority that led to attacks against reporter (Portuguese)

Abraji: A reporter specializing in police coverage on TV Vitória, an affiliate of Record in Espírito Santo, was the victim of a wave of virtual attacks and even received death threats. The offenses began last week (15.Aug.2023), after Alexandre Ramalho, state secretary for Public Security and Social Defense, posted a video of the interview he gave to Suellen Araújo on social media.

---

CUBA: Article 19 denounces patterns of aggression and strategies to repress freedom of expression in Cuba (Spanish)

Diario de Cuba: Arbitrary arrests of journalists, home confinement and harassment have been the most common inhibitory tools in the last six months.

---

ECUADOR: Ecuador issues regulation that seeks to protect the press from organized crime (Spanish)

VOA News: The law includes protection mechanisms for the press, threatened by organized crime, he said, and in honor of the assassinated candidate and journalist Fernando Villavicencio.

---

ECUADOR: Ecuador’s Ombudsman asks to protect journalists during the electoral process (Spanish)

Swissinfo: The Ecuadorian Ombudsman’s Office has urged the Government to reinforce the protection of journalists during the electoral process that will conclude on October 15 with a second round of voting between the presidential candidates Luisa González and Daniel Noboa.

---

GUATEMALA: SRFOE condemns violence against journalists in Guatemala and urges authorities to investigate effectively and find those responsible (Press release)

OAS: The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (SRFOE) of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) emphatically condemns the murder of journalists Edin Alonso and Hugo Gutiérrez in Guatemala and calls on the State to investigate the facts in a complete, effective and impartial manner, as well as to prosecute and punish those responsible.

---

HAITI: Haitian radio commentator Brown Larose shot in Port-au-Prince (16 August)

CPJ: Haitian authorities must investigate the recent shooting of radio commentator Brown Larose and take steps to ensure that journalists can work freely in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. 

---

NICARAGUA: 8-year sentence against journalist Víctor Ticay adds to list of human rights violations

IFEX: Freedom of expression organisations demand the immediate release of the Ticay and the suspension of the recent constitutional reforms linked to the crime of “treason”, which can be used against critics or opponents of the regime.

---

PARAGUAY: Paraguay authorities order 2 outlets to disclose authors of anonymous articles

CPJ: On August 23, ABC Color and Última Hora received the official letters for certified copies of several reports published without bylines and the names of the journalists who authored them. 

---

VENEZUELA: Globovisión journalist Seir Contreras fired for controversial interview (Spanish)

Efecto Cocuyo: The journalist Seir Contreras , who was one of the presenters of the Primera Página program on Globovisión, was fired after the controversial interview he gave to a representative of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) on August 22.

---

REGIONAL: #SaveTheDate For CBUAGA55! (Watch)

CBU: The CBU’s 55th Annual General Assembly takes us to the Western Caribbean paradise of BELIZE! We look forward to seeing you August 12 to 14, 2024 at #CBUAGA55. 

IRAN: Iranian Journalist Summoned for Sharing Photos of Women Dancing Without Hijabs

VOA News: The prosecutor’s office in Iran has charged a journalist in Tehran for publishing images that featured women dancing and not wearing the hijab.

---

IRAQ: Journalists face additional prison time: Sherwan Sherwani & Guhdar Zebari

Amnesty International: Journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Guhdar Zebari, imprisoned in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) since October 2020 following a grossly unfair trial, are facing new spurious charges.  

---

ISRAEL: Israel’s Communications Minister of Darkness (Paywall – Opinion)

Haaretz: The Israeli media sector is perpetually being battered.

---

PALESTINE: MADA: 247 VIOLATIONS AGAINST MEDIA FREEDOMS DURING THE FIRST HALF OF 2023

MADA Center: The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) has issued its report on violations of media freedoms in Palestine during the first half of this year 2023.

---

PALESTINE: Palestinian Authority Accused of Suppressing Media Freedoms With New Legislation

The Media Line: The law could undermine international treaties the Palestinian Authority is obligated to uphold and violate constitutional protections for press rights.

---

SYRIA: Suspected Turkish Drone Hits Journalist’s Car in Northeast Syria

VOA News: A suspected Turkish drone hit a car carrying journalists in northeast Syria, killing the driver and severely wounding a journalist, local officials said.

---

TURKEY: In Turkey, Silence a Bigger Fear Than Arrest, Says Journalist

VOA News: When it comes to violations against female journalists globally, analysts show one country accounts for around one-fifth of all cases: Turkey.

---

TURKEY: US, press organizations slam impending access ban on VOA Turkish

SCF: The US State Department as well as international and local press organizations have criticized Turkey’s media watchdog for threatening to block access to the Turkish edition of US broadcaster Voice of America if it does not obtain a broadcasting license, Turkish Minute reported, citing VOA Turkish.

---

YEMEN: Journalist brutally assaulted in Sana’a

IFJ: On August 24, director and owner of the radio station Voice of Yemen, Mujalli As-Samadi, was brutally assaulted in front of his house in Al-Safia area in Sana’a, by a gang of five individuals allegedly associated with the Houthi group. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate (YJS) in condemning the attack and calling for better protection measures for journalists and media workers in the country.

CANADA: A call for Meta to end news-blocking for wildfire communities (Letter)

CBC/Radio-Canada

---

CANADA: CBC Gem and ICI TOU.TV now available on Roku Streaming Players and Roku TV Models in Canada (Press release)

CBC/Radio-Canada: CBC and Radio-Canada news and entertainment programs are now available on the Roku platform.

---

CANADA: Former BBC reporter keeps NWT local news alive with Cabin Radio

The Globe and Mail: As thousands of terrified people packed up their belongings last week after an evacuation order in Yellowknife, NWT, local news site Cabin Radio was providing line-by-line, minute-by-minute updates on where to go and what to expect.

---

CANADA: How Meta’s news ban is affecting Canadians (Listen)

CBC Radio: Today on Front Burner, Alfred Hermida, a digital media scholar and professor at the UBC school of journalism, tells us how the ban has been working so far, and the kind of political and community reaction it’s brought out.

---

CANADA: New Heritage Minister holds ‘positive’ talks with Meta executives, but won’t ‘roll back’ on Bill C-18

The Globe and Mail: Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge says she has held productive talks with executives at Meta, which is blocking Canadians’ access to news on Facebook and Instagram, but told the tech giant she will not give in to demands to “roll back” Ottawa’s Online News Act.

---

US: ‘AM Is Critical For Rural Communities’ Says Senator As Support Grows For AM Proposal

InsideRadio: Most members of Congress are spending their August recess back in their districts and that could prove to be advantageous for radio as they are reminded of the role local radio plays, especially AM stations. 

---

US: American Press Institute launches expanded training portfolio for local news organizations

American Press Institute: The American Press Institute launched a new portfolio of training opportunities for local news organizations, news leaders and journalists nationwide.

---

US: Colorado Public Radio becomes ‘first U.S. media’ to earn unique global trust credential

Editor and Publisher: For the past year, Colorado has been a state-based testing ground for an international project seeking to bolster trust in local news.

---

US: How a small-town feud in Kansas sent a shock through American journalism

The Washington Post: A police raid without precedent on a weekly newspaper alarmed First Amendment advocates. The real story of how it happened, though, is rooted in the roiling tensions and complex history of a few key community members.

---

US: How information gaps and disinformation impact Latino communities in the US

IJNet: For many years, politicians, academics and journalists have said that disinformation affects Latino communities much more than other segments of the U.S. population. But why is this the case? 

---

US: NPR to end local versions of ‘Consider This’ podcast (Paywall)

Current: “This is a bitter pill,” said Eric Marrapodi, VP of news programming. “We really wanted this to work. And this was a big, big swing to try to do this.”

---

US: Public Media and the Infrastructure of Democracy

JSTOR Daily: Federal support for broadband expansion reflects the understanding that communication is as vital as roadways to the republic.

---

US: StoryCorps is returning to St. Louis Public Radio. Here’s how to share your story

St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis Public Radio will host the StoryCorps Mobile Booth at the Public Media Commons in Grand Center. StoryCorps staff will record stories of local residents through both in-person and virtual interviews that will be preserved in the Library of Congress.

A guide to press freedom op-eds

Freedom of the Press Foundation: People often ask us how they can help advance press freedom and push back against censorship, seizures of reporter’s equipment, and other violations. 

---

As crypto goes mainstream, meet two news sites covering it in the Global South

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: Satoshi Nakamoto’s original pitch for Bitcoin promised an electronic payment system where any two willing parties could transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party. 

---

Explaining complicated ideas, processes with digestible and impactful graphics

Reynolds Journalism Institute: Beheraj spoke with our Innovation in Focus team about how she approaches visualizing complex ideas and shared her practical tips for small teams wanting to think more creatively about their data visuals.

---

Journalists Need More Training in the Art of Negotiation

Nieman Reports: The idea of asking for more money after receiving a newsroom job offer at first seemed unfathomable. “You should feel so fortunate to have a full-time opportunity in journalism,” a professor told me in college. Another questioned how I could ask for more money during the height of mass layoffs.

---

More funding is flowing to local journalism and for-profit newsrooms, study finds

Nieman Lab: In a new report on journalism grantmaking, more than half of funders said they’re investing more in journalism than ever, including many who funded journalism for the first time in the past five years.

---

New York Times, CNN and Australia’s ABC block OpenAI’s GPTBot web crawler from accessing content

The Guardian: News outlets including the New York Times, CNN, Reuters and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) have blocked a tool from OpenAI, limiting the company’s ability to continue accessing their content.

---

Podcasting Goes Visual: How Video Can Help Investigative Storytelling Reach New Audiences

GIJN: For many of us, podcasts are quintessentially an audio format: news shows, stories, and investigations we can listen to while on trains or out walking, doing chores, waking up or going to sleep.

---

Real estate and food reporting is a missed opportunity

CJR: Celebrity-owned $25,000 glass-door fridges;  hotel owners “writing off San Francisco” as the market drops; homeowners shelling out “tens of thousand dollars to outfit their properties with cold plunges;” and finally, buildings with stroller valets.

---

The Outlook: Filling information gaps in news deserts

IPI: This is The Outlook, IPI’s media innovation newsletter where we look at actionable advice and fresh perspectives on the pressing challenges facing independent media.

---

Tips for starting a hyperlocal podcast

Reynolds Journalism Institute: Locally driven podcasts offer listeners a distinct and personalized experience that nationally recognized podcasts cannot deliver. Podcasting can also help newsrooms meet new audiences where they’re at, while inviting the current audience to engage with a familiar medium. It’s an opportunity for both the newsroom and the community to try something new. 

---

To report fully on climate change, journalists need to integrate Indigenous knowledge into their coverage

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: “Two-Eyed Seeing” is crucial to showing what’s really happening in a warming climate, says Jennifer Thornhill Verma, a freelance journalist in Canada.

---

Why journalists deserve convention protecting ‘inalienable rights that are frequently denied’ (Comment)

Press Gazette: The case for an international convention to protect journalists.

---

Why the future of digital-only local news may be small, focused and based on email

Press Gazette: The local news problem is simply stated: fewer people want newspapers because their phones are better at providing them with information on demand. And the economics of providing local news digitally are all but impossible: local audiences are too small to generate the page views needed to fund them via advertising.