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

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What we're listening to...


Climate scepticism boosted by broadcasters

RNZ: Forty years ago this week a milestone meeting of scientists led to the first comprehensive report on climate change science.  Four decades later, media outlets around the world – including Stuff – have hooked up to boost coverage of the issue globally. But here, some broadcasters are still fuelling scepticism instead.

What we're watching...


A day in the life of a mojo-only TV newsroom

Journalism.co.uk: Why the Indian broadcaster NDTV sends its reporters out in the field with selfie sticks, mobile phones and a handful of other gadgets to cover breaking news events


GAMBIA: State Media to Move From Analogue to Digital Broadcasting

All Africa: The Director-General of the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) said the State Media is on the verge of moving from Analogue Broadcasting to Digital Broadcasting.


GHANA: Ghana’s Constitution Is Meant to Protect the Media, But Does It?

The Wire: The state in Ghana still justifies taking steps that amount to suppression of the media.


KENYA: BWIRE: Nairobi Media Summit should focus on accountability

Citizen TV Kenya: Uncertain future, shattered careers, tensed and worried families, frozen bank accounts, isolated formerly highly connected individuals and mediatized police and court appearances least describe the life of public officers suspected to have been involved in plundering public resources.


LIBERIA: Campaign for an International Day on Universal Access to Information Gets Huge Boost

AFIC: The campaign for proclaiming September 28th as the International Day for Universal Access to Information got a major boost on July 16, 2019 when the Republic of Liberia announced that it will sponsor the United Nations General Assembly on the matter. 


NIGERIA: Channels TV reporter dies from injuries after shooting at Nigeria protest

CPJ: New York, July 25, 2019–Nigerian authorities should immediately investigate the death of Precious Owolabi, a reporter for the privately owned Channels TV, who was shot during a protest in Abuja on July 22, and ensure those responsible are held to account.


NIGERIA: Media ethics and quest for journalism survival (Opinion)

The Guardian Nigeria: Journalism has continued to face challenges due to many disruptions that pose threats to the survival of traditional media. Apart from breaching media ethics, a lot of other factors have hampered objective journalism practice in the country.


NIGERIA: Nigeria: ‘Suspension of Fulani Radio Contributing to Farmer/Herdsmen Clashes’

Via All Africa: The Executive Secretary of National Commission for Nomadic Education, Prof. Bashir H. Usman and Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Is’haq Kawu Modibbo have blamed the suspension of proposed Fulani radio in Nigeria for the increased clashes between herdsmen and farmers across the country


NIGERIA: WhatsApp played a big role in the Nigerian election. Not all of it was bad

The Conversation: There is growing concern about the potential for the message and media sharing platform WhatsApp to undermine democracy in a number of countries across the world including Brazil and India.


SOUTH AFRICA: Hands off our journalists – SABC slams death threats to staff

News 24: The SABC on Thursday condemned death threats and harassment directed at its journalists.


SOUTH AFRICA: No Funding For SABC Unless It Complies With Conditions -South African Govt

Broadcast Media Africa: South Africa’s Treasury Director-General, Dondo Mogajane, said in parliament yesterday that the SABC would have to comply with the conditions that have been laid down by the Treasury before it can access multi-billion-rand bailout that it has requested from the government.


SUDAN: A Fleeting Moment and Fragile Hope for Press Freedom in Sudan (Feature)

VOA: Fay Abuelgasim remembers when she was growing up in Sudan under then-President Omar al-Bashir, a time when the government shut down newspapers, arrested journalists and stopped printing presses. “It was quite restricted to almost a propaganda-like level,” the Dubai-based Abuelgasim told VOA. 


SUDAN: Sudan’s journalist union says its head detained by military

Al Jazeera: The Sudanese Journalists’ Union demanded the military rulers release journalist Sadiq al-Rizaigi, or put him on trial.


TANZANIA: Arrest of Tanzanian journalist sparks fears over press safety

The Guardian: Tanzanian police have arrested a prominent investigative journalist, a senior official said, sparking calls for answers from authorities about the safety of journalists.


UGANDA: Media houses commit to work together

New Vision: As part of efforts to protect media freedom and promote responsible journalism, senior editors from several media houses and other industry players have signed commitment to support the formation of an association of editors and content managers.


ZIMBABWE: Community Radio Stations for Chimanimani, Binga and Beitbridge

New Zimbabwe: GOVERNMENT has availed $180 000 for the setting up of community radio stations in cyclone hit Chimanimani as well as Binga and Beitbridge, Parliament has revealed.


ZIMBABWE: What do Zimbabwe’s internet disruptions say about the state of digital rights in the country?

Balancing Act: Zimbabwe’s January internet disruptions sent a chilling message to citizens that internet access is a favor, not a right.


REGIONAL: Serial Defamation Suits: Evidence of Growing Media Unprofessionalism or Intolerance of Critical Scrutiny?

MFWA: In this piece, our programme officer for Freedom and Expression, Muheeb Saheed, assess a sequence of defamation suits against journalists and media houses in West Africa over a period of 16 weeks to inquire whether there’s a growing sense of unprofessionalism or intolerance in the media landscape in the region.


GENERAL: An explainer for when the internet goes down: What, who and why?

African Arguments: What’s the difference between a block and a blackout? Who’s responsible? What can be done?


GENERAL: How China is slowly expanding its power in Africa, one TV set at a time

CNN


GENERAL: Top journalists win key awards at African Women in the Media (AWiM19) conference

Citizen TV Kenya: The largest gathering of African Women in the Media (AWiM19) was in Nairobi, Kenya this week and brought together top journalists from across the continent.

CAMBODIA: Espionage trial of two former RFA journalists starts in Cambodia 

Al Jazeera: The trial of two Cambodian journalists charged with espionage has begun in the capital, Phnom Penh, in a case human rights groups say should never have been brought to court.  


CAMBODIA: Journalists charged with incitement for live-streaming land protest in Cambodia

CPJ: Cambodia should drop incitement charges against two local journalists and stop using legal threats to intimidate and harass reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.


CHINA: RSF calls on President Xi Jinping to pardon journalist sentenced to 12 years in prison

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on Chinese President Xi Jinping to pardon journalist Huang Qi, two-time RSF Press Freedom Prize laureate, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison today despite his critical health condition.


HONG KONG: Hong Kong: RSF presents five proposals to put an end to violence against the press

RSF: In a letter to Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) details five proposals to put an end to the violence against journalists and restore full freedom of the press.


INDIA: Indian government in National Broadcasting Policy discussions

Rapid TV News: India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) is in talks with stakeholders ahead of drawing up a National Broadcasting Policy.


INDIA: India’s #MeToo Movement, One Year On

NPR: The #MeToo movement gained momentum in India last fall when scores of women came out with stories of sexual harassment.


INDONESIA: British Lords call for strong stand on press freedom in West Papua

RNZ: Eight members of Britain’s House of Lords want to see their government take a strong stand on press freedom in West Papua.


JAPAN: Aligning access journalism and press freedom

The Japan Times: Although access journalism is common in places such as Washington, in Japan it’s normalized through the press club system, which assigns reporters from certain media outlets to each government organ. This system leads to relationships that often seem at odds with the purpose of journalism. 


JAPAN: Tokyo’s 5 major networks to test simultaneous online streaming

Japan Today: Tokyo’s five major private television networks are preparing to test simultaneous online streaming of their evening news programs from next year, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.


MALAYSIA: Moves to improve press freedom in Malaysia met with cautious optimism

The Guardian: The Malaysian government is considering repealing a restrictive media law and creating an independent watchdog to regulate the industry.


PAKISTAN: Govt plans to set up media courts, says PM’s aide

Dawn: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday revealed the government planned to establish media courts, aimed to speedily resolve issues pertaining to media industry, but the idea was rejected by the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors as well as the All Pakistan Newspapers Society.


PAKISTAN: Lack of diverse media ownership leads to censorship in Pakistan says new report

Global Voices: Aided by lax legal restrictions, Pakistan is a “high-risk country” in terms of media pluralism as more than half of mass media ownership is concentrated in the hands of a few — a model which has resulted in closure of businesses, a fall in journalism standards and rise in censorship, says a new research study.


PAKISTAN: Pakistan censorship: ‘Hovering above the mute button’

BBC News: The interview, between one of Pakistan’s best-known TV news anchors, Hamid Mir, and leading opposition politician Asif Ali Zardari, was only a few minutes into its transmission when it was suddenly interrupted by an unscheduled ad break and news bulletin.


PHILIPPINES: IPI Board chair condemns ‘cyber-libel’ trial of Philippine editor Maria Ressa

IPI: The Executive Board chair of the International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and journalists, has condemned the trial of Philippine editor Maria Ressa on cyber-libel charges as farcical and part of a targeted campaign to silence her.


PHILIPPINES: Reject Sweeping ‘Fake News’ Bill

HRW: The Philippines proposed law on “false content” is sweepingly broad and threatens to stifle discussion on websites worldwide, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should withdraw the Anti-False Content bill, popularly described as a bill on “fake news,” introduced in the Senate on July 1, 2019.


SRI LANKA: Media obstructed by security forces

IFJ: A journalist was obstructed from reporting on a Sri Lankan Air Force Commander’s visit to a Buddhist monastery in Kandy on Sunday, July 21.


TAIWAN: Taiwan Shaken by Concerns Over Chinese Influence in Media, Press Freedom

The Diplomat: A report alleging that some Taiwanese media outlets receive instructions from Chinese officials has been countered with a libel lawsuit.

AUSTRALIA: ABC Heywire 2020 competition launched (Opportunity)

ABC: The ABC is calling on people aged 16-22 to share their experiences of life in regional Australia for the opportunity to be featured on the ABC and win a lifechanging trip to Canberra for the Heywire Regional Youth Summit in February 2020.


AUSTRALIA: Au revoir, press freedom (Watch)

ABC Media Watch: Press freedom dented again following the arrest of a French journalist in Queensland.


AUSTRALIA: Crackdown on Facebook, Google looms as ACCC hands down its final report into digital platforms

ABC: Australia’s consumer watchdog has called on the Federal Government to take action to rein in the market dominance of Facebook and Google in Australia, including strengthening the Privacy Act and giving Australians greater power over how their information is collected and used.


AUSTRALIA: National security being used to stifle public interest journalism, former judges warn

The Guardian: A new group of prominent ex-judges and anti-corruption experts has warned that national security is being used to clamp down on whistleblowers and journalists on an unprecedented scale.


NEW ZEALAND: Climate scepticism boosted by broadcasters (Listen)

RNZ: Forty years ago this week a milestone meeting of scientists led to the first comprehensive report on climate change science.  Four decades later, media outlets around the world – including Stuff – have hooked up to boost coverage of the issue globally. But here, some broadcasters are still fuelling scepticism instead. 


NEW ZEALAND: Media watchdog’s report into Christchurch shootings goes soft on showing violent footage

The Conversation: Coverage of the Christchurch terrorism by Australia’s television channels raised “serious questions” about whether they had breached the television codes of practice, according to the broadcasting regulator, the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA).


NEW ZEALAND: Meet the minister in charge of a media teetering towards end times

The Spinoff: Kris Faafoi sits down with The Spinoff’s managing editor to discuss all that bedevils a rowdy sector with big problems and high expectations.


GENERAL: Mobile era Pacific Media Centre website upgrade ready to go live

Asia Pacific Report: The Pacific Media Centre has a new website and it will be going live over the next week. A project almost two years in the making, the PMC Online website features a new vibrant design along with an innovative user interface.

ALBANIA: Government must withdraw “anti-defamation” legislation

Article 19: On 3 July the Albanian Government’s Council of Ministers approved a series of amendments known as the “antidefamation package” which include amendments to law Nr.97/2013 “On Audio Visual Media in the Republic of Albania and law Nr.9918 “On Electronic Communications in the Republic of Albania.” 


FINLAND: Finland’s press freedom under pressure from politicians and lack of transparency

ECMPF: Finland holds the presidency of the council of the EU for the next six months.To find out what this means for press and media freedom in Europe, the ECPMF talked to Salla Vuorikoski, a leading Finnish journalist who reported on the “Sipilägate” scandal in 2017 and later resigned from the Finnish public broadcaster Yle after disagreements over journalistic integrity.


FRANCE: Australian police drop charges against French media crew over coal protest

Reuters: Australian police dropped charges on Thursday against four French nationals arrested this week while filming protesters blockading a coal port in the northeastern state of Queensland.


FRANCE: Freedom of the press celebrates 138 years and has never been so bad (French

Mediapart: 138 years that the law on the freedom of the press exists in France. 138 years it governs the freedoms of journalists but also their limits.


GERMANY: Election coverage! But please be impartial (German)

MDR 360G: As a public service broadcaster, the MDR is required to report impartially and transparently. This is not easy during election campaigns, because every type of coverage is also an advertisement for the parties – in a positive as well as a negative sense.


GERMANY: After Frankfurt tragedy, should German media report a suspect’s nationality? (Opinion)

Deutsche Welle: The tragedy in Frankfurt will have serious consequences for an already-tense societal debate in Germany. That’s why it’s so important that the media report the truth completely, says DW Editor-in-Chief Ines Pohl.


HUNGARY & POLAND: Hungary and Poland tighten grip on ‘national narratives’

Balkan Insight: The stories countries tell about themselves are key to national identity — and authoritarian governments in Hungary and Poland have made it their mission to control the plot.


ITALY: ARTICLE 19 comments on new Italian regulation on ‘hate speech’

Article 19: ARTICLE 19 provides comments on the final version of the regulation, issued by AGCOM, the Italian regulatory agency on ‘hate speech,’ following an earlier public consultation. ARTICLE 19 welcomes the improvements AGCOM has introduced in the final text, including several of our recommendations. However, a number of concerns from a freedom of expression perspective remain. 


LATVIA: Latvia urged to address public broadcaster’s problems

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for a swift solution to the disturbing problems and internal conflicts at Latvia’s public radio service, which its journalists blamed on inadequate funding and their mistrust of the board of governors in a letter published on 10 July.


MONTENEGRO: Media Legislation and Journalists Safety for Media Freedom in Montenegro

Total Montenegro News: The current activities of state bodies in improving media legislation and the safety of journalists represent a significant contribution to strengthening media freedom in Montenegro, it was concluded at the second session of the Rule of Law Council held recently in Podgorica.


PORTUGAL: Two more public DTT channels?

Advanced Television: Portugal’s modest DTT offer, consisting of only seven TV channels, could soon be expanded with two regional TV channels from public broadcaster RTP.


ROMANIA: IFJ and UNI MEI condemn union-busting in public broadcaster

IFJ: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and UNI MEI Global Union, have written a joint open letter to several Romanian authorities expressing serious concerns over union-busting actions in Romanian Public Service Television (SRTV).


SERBIA: N1 warns of increasing pressure from Serbian authorities

Safe Journalists: N1 TV warned on Friday that the authorities are increasing the pressure on the station with no intention of changing anything in the media field.


UK & RUSSIA: Ofcom fines Russian news service £200,000 over impartiality

BBC News: Ofcom has fined a Russian news service £200,000 for “a serious breach” of impartiality rules in several news and current affairs programmes.


UK: Young people in UK abandon TV news ‘almost entirely’

The Guardian: Young people in Britain have almost entirely abandoned television news broadcasts, according to Ofcom, while half of the country now gets its news from social media.


UK: British journalists slam use of ‘intimidating’ lawsuits

Deutsche Welle: Press freedom advocates have called for more safeguards from legal attempts to silence journalists. Without them, such lawsuits will continue to pose “a threat to media freedom and public interest advocacy.


UK: Ofcom reports more people using social media for news

BBC News: The number of people watching news on TV is falling, but social media is growing in its popularity as a news source, according to Ofcom.


UKRAINE: Ukraine To Launch Russian-Language TV To Counter Russian State Media

RFE/RL: A senior aide to Ukraine’s president says Kyiv plans to launch a worldwide Russian-language television channel in an attempt to counter Russian state-controlled media broadcasts to people living in separatist controlled parts of eastern Ukraine and in Russia.


GENERAL: Public service broadcasters: encouraging diversity (Paywall)

IBC: European broadcasters are facing increasing pressures to promote equality across top jobs. But are they doing enough?

ARGENTINA: Another Raid on News Station Critical of Argentina’s Government

The Rio Times: The operation was carried out as part of an investigation into alleged fraud in the purchase of the Ámbito Financiero newspaper. However, critics regard the search as an attempt by President Mauricio Macri’s government to intimidate one of the country’s few opposition media.


BRAZIL: Rio MPF wants to annul the merger of TV Brasil and TV NBR (Portuguese)

Folha de S.Paulo: The Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Rio (MPF-RJ) filed a public civil action seeking revocation of federal government decree that would have seen merger between public and state channels. 


COLOMBIA:  Judge prohibits Colombian journalist Claudia Duque from issuing opinions during judicial proceedings for her case of psychological torture (Spanish)

Knight Centre: A Colombian judge prohibited the journalist Claudia Julieta Duque from issuing opinions and photographs in the context of a judicial proceeding against Emiro Rojas Granados, former deputy director of the now extinct intelligence department of the country, accused of psychological torture against Duque.


COSTA RICA: Explosive device detonated outside the headquarters of Televisora de Costa Rica (Spanish

CNN: The Costa Rican judicial police investigates the detonation of an explosive device in the windows of the Televisora headquarters in Costa Rica. 


CUBA: Cuban government cautiously expands Internet access

France 24: All Cubans can now have Wi-Fi in their homes, as the island’s government extends internet access even while trying to maintain control over its version of the “truth” and to defend its legitimacy, a top official tells AFP.


EL SALVADOR: Online attacks and threats against Salvadorean investigative news site

RSF: Although the Salvadorean state is required to protect all of Revista Factum’s journalists as a “precautionary measure” requested in 2017 by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an offshoot of the Organization of America States, online intimidation and smear campaigns against the site have been growing ever since the start of the election campaign that brought Bukele to the presidency in June.


NICARAGUA: Press Director: “If this continues, we will have to close the printed newspaper”  (Spanish

Confidencial: After 48 weeks that the General Directorate of Customs (DGA) keeps the supplies used by the newspaper La Prensa to circulate nationally, its director and president, Jaime Chamorro Cardenal, states that this “is an order of the Presidency” to censor indirectly to the media, as the customs appeals court has ruled twice in favor of the media.


PARAGUAY: Protesters and police attack journalists in Asunción (Spanish) 

IFJ: Several journalists and graphic reporters were attacked and attacked by protesters and police officers when they reported on a taxi driver protest the MUV and Uber platforms on July 23 in Asunción.


PERU: Peruvian journalist launches first collaborative journalism platform on public health in Latin America (Spanish

Knight Centre: The platform was launched in early July with a regional series of newspaper reports produced by collaborators from Peru, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. “Health in the Power Table” investigated the efforts made by food and medicine corporations to influence government decisions and public policies.


TRINIDAD : Sat wins lawsuit against police

The Trinidad Guardian: Sanatan Dhar­ma Ma­ha Sab­ha (SDMS) sec­re­tary gen­er­al Sat­narayan Ma­haraj and the or­gan­i­sa­tion’s me­dia com­pa­ny Cen­tral Broad­cast­ing Ser­vices have won their law­suit over the re­fusal of the T&T Po­lice Ser­vice (TTPS) to dis­close the war­rant used to search Ra­dio and TV Jaa­gri­ti, in April.

IRAN: Iran arrests mother of imprisoned RSF press freedom laureate

RSF: Plainclothes agents arrested Mazloom at her sister’s home on 22 July and took her to a location that is still unknown. The authorities have not yet said why she is being held.


IRAQ: Iraqi reporter’s home searched after he exposes corruption

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is appalled to learn that a judge in Basra, in southern Iraq, ordered I News investigative reporter Hassan Sabah’s arrest this week on spurious grounds after he exposed a case of alleged corruption involving another Basra judge.


IRAQ: Kurdish military forces detain journalist in Iraqi Kurdistan

CPJ: Beirut, July 29, 2019 — Kurdish Peshmerga forces should immediately disclose any charges against journalist Zuber Bradosti or else release him from custody, the Committee to Protect Journalist said today.


ISRAEL: Press freedom group chides Israel for wounding Palestinian journalists

Times of Israel: Press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) castigated Israel this week after five Palestinian journalists were wounded while covering clashes in Gaza and the West Bank over a four-day period.


SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia launches media prize in bid to ‘boost reputation’

Middle East Eye: Media forum set to take place in November even as the number of journalists in Saudi jails has tripled since Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince 


SYRIA: Not even loyalist journalists safe in Assad’s Syria (Opinion

Arab News: So far, the number of loyalist journalists who have been arrested remains relatively small. However, the targeting of high-profile figures and the involvement of the dreaded intelligence agencies in their arrests have been enough to ensure that the regime’s message of “back to business as usual” is received loud and clear. 


TURKEY: A week full of inconsistencies in Turkey – Erol Önderoğlu acquitted but many others still detained

ECPMF: In a busy week for Turkey’s courts, the ECPMF sent two representatives to Turkey in order to monitor court hearings and to meet with journalists, defendants, lawyers, consuls and press freedom and human rights organisations.


TURKEY: After Failed Coup, Journalism in Turkey Often Means Jail

Balkan Insight: Since a failed coup three years ago this month, Turkey has become the world’s most prolific jailer of journalists.


GENERAL: How Arab governments use cyberspace laws to shut down activism

Al Jazeera: Critical Arab voices are being silenced on Twitter, and laws across the Middle East are created to further this cause

CANADA: Canada’s film and TV workers launch political pressure campaign ahead of federal election

The Star: Toronto film and television director Warren P. Sonoda is busy cutting his latest movie, a thriller about brothers who steal a stash of money and face unintended consequences.


CANADA: The Creation Accelerator (Opportunity)

Canada Council for the Arts: Are you an artist with a great idea for a digital creation project? The Canada Council for the Arts and CBC/Radio-Canada are teaming up to offer The Creation Accelerator, an exciting opportunity for Canadian artists to develop an original concept and create a digital project for potential distribution on CBC/Radio-Canada’s platforms. 


CANADA: More fake newspaper sites claiming to be based in Quebec pop up — two years after they were exposed

CBC/Radio-Canada: Two websites claiming to be the pages for newspapers located in Quebec are the latest in a series of fake sites first uncovered by Radio-Canada in 2017. 


US: CPB Funds 37 Public Media Stations Engaging Communities with Ken Burns’s ‘Country Music’

CPB: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is providing $366,200 in grants to 37 public radio and television media stations across the nation to engage communities in the upcoming Ken Burns documentary series “Country Music.” The grants allow stations to hold events and produce local content to connect the new series with music and storytelling in their communities. 


US: How to cover 11,250 elections at once: Here’s how The Washington Post’s new computational journalism lab will tackle 2020

Nieman Lab: Hold onto your robots: The future of journalism is exceedingly computational. (At least part of it.) And the 2020 U.S. election is a great place to start.


US: PBS and WETA Announce Groundbreaking Documentary Series ASIAN AMERICANS

PBS: The series examines what the 2010 U.S. Census identifies as the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States. Told through individual lives and personal histories, ASIAN AMERICANS explores the impact of this group on the country’s past, present, and future.


US: PBS forges deal with YouTube TV for localized live streams (Paywall)

Current: PBS has inked a landmark multiyear deal with YouTube TV that secures carriage for all PBS stations and the PBS Kids network on the live television and on-demand subscription service owned by Google.


US: PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger extends contract

Real Screen: U.S. pubcaster PBS has extended president and CEO Paula Kerger’s contract for another five years.


US: Save Journalism Project is encouraging journalists to speak out against job layoffs

Journalism.co.uk: Since the start of the 2019, there have been 3,100 job cuts in the US media amid the continuing decline of digital advertising revenue – but one journalist who was made redundant this year is taking a stand.

David Kaye: ‘Attacks on journalists are attacks on our right to know’ (Interview)

Free Press Unlimited: David Kaye is the United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. He’s tasked with reporting on and monitoring the state of free expression globally. We caught up with Kaye to talk about how safe journalists are today.


Facebook algorithm changes suppressed journalism and meddled with democracy

The Conversation: Facebook’s News Feed algorithm determines what users see on its platform – from funny memes to comments from friends. The company regularly updates this algorithm, which can dramatically change what information people consume.


Feeling the heat 

CJR: There’s a clear scientific link between climate change and intensifying heat waves, yet it’s been communicated in coverage with insufficient urgency 


How journalists’ jobs affect their mental health: A research roundup

Journalist’s Resources: Day in and day out, journalists report on complex and difficult topics — natural disasters, political violence and human suffering, for example — and often they do this work while also worrying about newsroom layoffs and the future of the industry. It takes a mental and physical toll.


Is there still life in linear broadcasting?

IBC: With their business model being rapidly disrupted by the streamers, can traditional free-to-air broadcasters hold on to viewers and advertisers? Tim Dams reports


Newsmakers discuss TRUST and TRUTH in JOURNALISM at the 2019 Global News Forum

ABU: Top newsmakers from the Asia-Pacific region have gathered in Istanbul, Turkey for the 5th Global News Forum (GNF) by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). 


Newsroom diversity demands real actions instead of lip services (Research)

EFJ: Media leaders should stop seeing diversity as a “nice to have” and treat it as a “must have” instead. That was determined by the latest study titled “Are Journalists Today’s Coal Miners? The Struggle for Talent and Diversity in Modern Newsrooms”, published on 15 July by the Reuters Institute in cooperation with the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.


“Press freedom remains contested” (German)

Deutshlandfunk: Christoph Dreyer in conversation with Michael Borgers. If Reporters Without Borders accounts for the status of press freedom worldwide, it’s often about negative developments. Why is that? Why do not we talk about positives?


Putting a leash on Google and Facebook won’t do much to save the traditional news model

Nieman Lab: “Social media and search give advertisers better tools to target messages to more precise groups of potential consumers. It is a phenomenally better mousetrap.” 


The Crisis In Journalism Won’t Be Solved By Money Alone

Forbes: There are some problems even a big pot of money can’t solve. Journalism has one such problem.


53% of journalists surveyed weren’t sure they could spot flawed research 

Journalist’s Resource: Almost 64% of journalists who responded to Journalist’s Resource’s 2019 user survey said they mention academic research in their work on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. More than 40% said their stories focus largely on the findings of new studies with the same regularity. However, 23% of journalists said they mention academic research in their coverage only once or twice a year, and 13% said they never or almost never do.


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