Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world
As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues, the need for community solidarity and mutual support has never been greater. But this support requires quality, fact-checked and evidence based news and information.
With this in mind, the Public Media Alliance has compiled an extensive and growing list of resources featuring recommended tools, advice and sources for journalists and the public alike. The resources can be found via the link below or in the Tools section of our website.
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What is...
Our weekly explainers for key public media terms, phrases and values.
Week 12: What do SLAPPs look like?
SLAPPs — or strategic lawsuits against public participation — can see the abuse of existing laws by powerful individuals or bodies to strategically target legitimate critical reporting. These lawsuits are often not about winning; rather, a SLAPP’s main aim is to intimidate critics, drain their resources, and discourage active public engagement. There have been growing concerns about the use of SLAPPs in some parts of Europe and their use as a tool of legal harassment and censorship. They can look like the suing of two journalists and a journalists’ association in Croatia by public broadcaster HRT, where political interference in the broadcaster’s work has become commonplace. Many examples can also be found in Slovenia, where SLAPPs have quickly become a worrying trend.
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Coronavirus: Resources & best practices
Essential resources for sourcing and reporting news about the coronavirus pandemic
What we're watching...
Welcoming New Neighbours: How public media works for refugees and asylum seekers
PMA: On 17 March the Public Media Alliance held a special event as part of the University of East Anglia’s Refugee Week, exploring how public broadcasters are covering the lives of refugees and asylum seekers as they make new homes in the UK. This virtual session shared inspiration and clips from public media organisations around the world and explored what more could be done to improve coverage and report on those relocating due to hardship.
What we're listening to...
Facebook And The News: It’s Complicated
NPR: The relationship between Facebook and the news industry has been pretty rocky over the past decade or so. Last month, those tensions spilled over into a dramatic showdown in Australia: for a couple days, no one in there could post or even see any news articles on the social network. The company cut off news because the country was getting ready to pass a law that would force big online platforms, including Facebook, to pay publishers for that news content. Eventually, the Australian government relented and made some changes to the law, and Facebook turned the news back on.
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BURUNDI: Burundi: 7 journalists sentenced to life imprisonment’ (French)
IFJ: The Supreme Court of Burundi on June 23, 2020 sentenced seven journalists to life imprisonment for having “instigated a coup against the government”, a decision made known to the public on February 2, 2021.
ETHIOPIA: How Ethiopian news media have become dangerously divided along ethnic fault lines
Reuters Institute: As the government expanded media freedoms, journalism flourished but also got much more polarised, Benon H. Oluka reports.
GHANA & RWANDA: GBC to partner Rwandan Broadcasting Agency on staff exchange program
GBC Ghana: The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, GBC is to partner with the Rwandan Broadcasting Agency, RBA on a staff exchange programme.
KENYA: Sputnik News Agency eager to establish, strengthen media partnership with KBC
KBC: Media executives from the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and Russia’s state-owned Sputnik News Agency and Radio, have welcomed the prospects of a partnership between the two institutions.
LIBYA: Libyan media practitioners decry uptick in censorship
Africa News: Media practitioners in Libya are witnessing an increase in censorship. Ten years after the overthrow of longtime leader, Moammar Gadhafi, journalists say they still face threats to their lives and intimidation.
MALAWI: Sumbuleta found guilty of sexual abuse at MBC: MHRC probe calls for prosecution
Nyasa Times: Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has released the findings of their investigations on allegations lodged against former Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) director general Aubrey Sumbuleta on sexual harassment of female employers and found him in the wrong, saying he should be prosecuted for indecent assault.
MOZAMBIQUE: Mozambique: Media Regulator Must Be Independent
Via All Africa: Any future regulatory body for the Mozambican media must be fully independent of the government, warned representatives of the media at a hearing on Monday organised by the Commission on Social Affairs of the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.
NAMIBIA: Strike looms at NBC
New Era: A strike appears imminent at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation after the labour commissioner last week issued a certificate of non-resolution to the ongoing dispute pitting a union representing NBC workers and the national broadcaster’s management.
Broadcast Media Africa: An announcement by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) – the broadcast media regulator in Nigeria, has called on all broadcasting stations owing broadcast licence fees to have their debts settled before the 31st of March 2021.
SENEGAL: Senegalese journalists allege increasing intimidation over Ousmane Sonko
Africa News: Journalists in Senegal say they have rarely experienced as much intimidation as they have since opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was detained for several days earlier this month, sparking unrest that claimed five lives.
SOUTH AFRICA: R2K raises questions around SABC and eMedia’s new agreement
SABC: Lobby group the Right2Know (R2K) Campaign has raised a number of questions over the new SABC and eMedia Investments’ agreement for the Openview satellite free-to-air platform.
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa: SABC Enters Free-To-Air Satellite Market Through Deal With Openview – Reports
Broadcast Media Africa: The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), together with eMedia Investments, has signed a channel supply agreement to ensure the public broadcaster supplies Openview with six television channels (SABC1, 2, 3 and three new channels) as well as nineteen radio stations.
BANGLADESH: At least 17 journalists injured covering protests in Bangladesh
CPJ: Bangladesh police must ensure that officers do not harm members of the press covering protests, and should investigate attacks on journalists by demonstrators and police officers, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
BANGLADESH: Bangladesh Called on to Review Digital Security Act (Watch)
VOA News: Journalists in Bangladesh say the 2018 Digital Security Act is being used to harass and jail members of the media, including Mushtaq Ahmed who died in prison. Sanjana Feroz, for VOA Bangla, has more.
CHINA: Foreign correspondents in China facing growing restrictions
IPI: New report highlights shrinking space for independent journalism.
HONG KONG: Another RTHK programme dropped at the last minute
RTHK: Another RTHK television programme has been pulled from the schedule at the last minute, with no word from the station’s management as to why the decision was taken.
HONG KONG: RTHK producer goes on trial over Yuen Long reporting
RTHK: RTHK producer Bao Choy was put on trial on Wednesday for allegedly making false statements while trying to obtain vehicle registration information as part of research for a TV documentary aimed at finding the perpetrators of the 2019 Yuen Long gang attack.
INDIA: How ‘Grievance Redressal’ Under the New IT Rules Amounts to Unlawful Harassment of Media (Opinion)
The Wire: The concerns, grievances and disappointments of the audience cannot operate as a restriction on the freedom of the press.
INDIA: India complains about low press freedom rank – even as ministers talk of ‘neutralising’ journalists
Scroll: An official report concludes that India’s low ranking in the World Press Freedom Index is the product of ‘western bias’.
INDIA: India’s News Upstarts Challenged Modi. New Rules Could Tame Them (Paywall)
The New York Times: Online portals have practiced aggressive journalism in a mostly compliant media landscape. But trolls and the government could now be empowered to stop them.
KAZAKHSTAN: Kazakhstan adopts new accreditation requirements that journalists fear will promote censorship
CPJ: Kazakh authorities should revise new amendments to the country’s journalist accreditation policies to ensure they do not restrict the freedom of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
MACAU & PORTUGAL: Macau media ‘gag’ forces Portugal out of its shell to issue stinging rebuke to China over its obligations (Opinion)
HKFP: New censorious guidelines issued by the city’s public broadcaster, TDM, requiring journalists to toe the official line spark the first sharp criticism of Beijing by Lisbon since the 1999 handover.
MYANMAR: Myanmar junta crushes journalists, but news still gets out
Nikkei Asia: Media organizations defy ban as regime curbs freedoms, cuts internet access.
MYANMAR: Myanmar’s military junta eliminates independent media
RSF: “There is no longer a free press in Myanmar”
PAKISTAN: PEMRA directive violates liberties of information: CPNE
The Express Tribune: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) expressing concern over the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) directive regarding reporting of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) activities has termed it as a “transgression of the canons of press freedom and free speech”.
PAKISTAN: UN panel finds media restrictions in Pakistan alarming
Dawn: A UN human rights panel has expressed its concerns over “an alarming pattern of restrictions” on freedom of expression in Pakistan, urging the government to allow journalists to exercise this right.
PHILIPPINES: Analysis of Trolling Reveals Efforts to Undermine Philippine Journalist
VOA News: An analysis of five years of internet trolling directed at Maria Ressa found a concerted effort to undermine credibility and trust in the Philippines-based journalist.
SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka: Groups express concern over the president’s statement about the media
Via IFEX: Sri Lanka’s Media Organisations Collective said the recent statement by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa about the media gave “a dangerous signal of an ominous threat to the freedom of media and expression” in the country.
THAILAND: Thai PBS Foundation Invitation to donate money for the purchase of television and set-top boxes for education (Thai)
Thai PBS: Foundation Thailand PBS with television station PBS Thailand [is] continuing the mission of helping students in wilderness throughout the country. You can study online effectively. Through television and continuous quality signals By organizing a program to learn on TV anywhere with Thai PBS for the second year under the event name “Thai PBS adds a learning space for all Thai children” because learning has no limits.
VIETNAM: Vietnam: Journalists and media watchdogs fear increased persecution
IPI: The re-election of the leaders of Vietnam’s Communist Party during the party’s official congress last month heralds a continuation of oppressive policies toward press freedom, experts say.
REGIONAL: Internet connectivity a challenge in broadcasting through Covid-19: #RadiodaysAsia
Asia Radio Today
AUSTRALIA: ABC calls on storytelling students to “takeover Melbourne”
ABC: The ABC is calling on high school-aged students from across greater Melbourne to share a story about their life through the Takeover Melbourne competition.
AUSTRALIA: Media agencies challenged to go Beyond 3% as SBS and NITV champion Australia’s First Nations media (Press release)
SBS: SBS Media is raising awareness of the benefits of greater investment by agencies and brands in Australia’s Indigenous media platforms with the launch of Beyond 3%, an initiative designed to inspire, engage and encourage a long-term shift in the sector.
AUSTRALIA: Porter v ABC (Watch – ICYMI)
ABC Media Watch: It’s being called the trial of the century. What’s at stake for both sides as the Commonwealth Attorney-General sues the ABC for defamation.
AUSTRALIA: The watchdog that doesn’t bark: corruption in the Australian media (Opinion)
Crikey: When media companies stop being the guardian and instead need to be guarded against, the public, as ever, is the biggest loser.
FIJI: FBC once again clarifies PSB fee
FBC: The Fijian Broadcasting Corporation Chief Executive has once again clarified that the money paid to the company by the Government under the public service broadcasting contract is a service fee and not a grant.
FIJI: Fun activities planned for the FBC Holi celebration
FBC: Fijians are invited to be part of the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation’s Mirchi FM/Radio Fiji 2 Non-Stop Holi Masti celebration that will be held at Damodar City in Suva on Saturday.
NEW ZEALAND: Even more public money for journalism?
RNZ: Last month the government announced $55 million of public money will be made available for “at risk” public interest journalism over the next three years. But a recently-released Cabinet paper has another $20m in the mix. What’s the money for – and how will it be spent?
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Misinformation threatens control of Covid-19 outbreak in Papua New Guinea
The Strategist: A member of the PNG parliament died from Covid-19 last week, but it still wasn’t enough to convince many Papua New Guineans that the virus is real and is probably out of control in their country.
TONGA: Gov’t department calls on media to be their mouthpiece (Paywall)
Matangi: A government department at a workshop with journalists, has requested to partner with the media to promote government messages.
REGIONAL: Facebook’s monopoly danger in the Pacific
Lowy Institute: The recent stoush between the Australian government and social media giant Facebook, with its eight-day-long ban of local news from its platform, had results that were not confined to Australia. Facebook’s block of Australian news also highlighted the vulnerability of information security in the Pacific.
REGIONAL: Pacific Media Network Annual General Meeting`
Pacific Media Network: The Board of Trustees for the National Pacific Radio Trust and its operational arm – Pacific Media Network – again invite members of the community to attend its Annual General Meeting.
BELARUS: Arrests of journalists in Belarus continue ahead of planned protests
IPI: Journalists describe febrile atmosphere as crackdown persists.
BULGARIA: Bulgarian Election Offers Little Hope for Greater Media Freedom (Paywall)
Balkan Insight: If information really is the oxygen of democracy, Bulgaria is suffocating. BIRN looked at the prospects for change in the country’s upcoming election.
CZECH REPUBLIC: MFRR partners call on Members of Parliament for de-politicisation of the Council of the Czech TV (Letter)
ECPMF: Letter to All Members of Parliament of the Czech Republic.
FINLAND: Korona had a significant impact on Yle’s operations – the economy remained stable (Finnish – press release)
Yle: Yle’s net sales in 2020 were EUR 487.6 million.
FRANCE: Documentary “I am not a slut, I am a journalist”: Radio France opens an internal investigation after the testimony of a journalist (French)
France TV: A journalist from Radio France denounced in a documentary sexist remarks made by one of her colleagues.
GERMANY: German BND Act: A missed opportunity for press freedom
RSF: As the German Bundestag passed the federal government’s draft to reform the Federal Intelligence Service Act (or BND Act), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) considers the new hurdles that the law creates regarding the surveillance of journalists and their sources within the framework of Foreign-Foreign Communications Intelligence by the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, to be inadequate.
HUNGARY: Human Rights Commissioner: “It is high time for Hungary to restore journalistic and media freedoms”
EFJ: The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, has called on the Hungarian authorities today to restore journalistic and media freedoms.The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the Commissioner’s call and demands the EU to investigate the process of state capture of media in Hungary.
HUNGARY: Orbán’s influence on the media is without rival in Hungary
Euractiv: The state of Hungary’s media has become the focus of intense public debate at home and across Europe after Hungary’s national Media Council, run exclusively by people from the ruling Fidesz party, revoked the opposition Klubrádió’s frequency in February. EURACTIV’s media partner Telex takes stock of the country’s media landscape.
NETHERLANDS: Netherlands: Churchgoers breaking COVID rules attack journalists
Deutsche Welle: Worshippers flouting pandemic measures in the Netherlands have responded to media attention with violence. Lawmakers have slammed the attacks on reporters.
NORWAY: Mandatory quarantine rule for foreign journalists must be amended
IFJ: The Norwegian government has decided it will require a mandatory quarantine of 10 days for all foreign journalists on assignment in Norway. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) join their affiliate, the Norwegian Union of Journalists (NJ), in its call for an urgent amendment to a measure that will make it almost impossible for foreign journalists to report in Norway.
SERBIA: Big Brother: Serbia’s Media Are Creating Nation of China Lovers
Balkan Insight: The political elites in Belgrade have made good use of the politically controlled media to transform China’s image in the country.
SLOVENIA: Growing Concerns About Govt Attacks on Slovenia Press Agency
Total Slovenia News: The ZRC SAZU, the Scientific and Research Centre at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, is worried at escalating attacks on the STA, urging by the Government Communication Office (UKOM) to stop threatening and financially draining the news agency. UKOM denied the allegations.
SLOVENIA: Slovenia’s Jansa Unplugs From Debate on Media, Alleging Censorship
Balkan Insight: Prime Minister Janez Jansa switched off from a European Parliament-organised debate on media freedom in Slovenia, accusing it of censorship after he was prevented from showing a video.
SPAIN: Informative RTVE Councils, after the election of the new president: “The worst scenario has been consummated” (Spanish)
El Confidencial Digital: The three RTVE News Councils have reiterated their “dissatisfaction” that the election of the new president of the Corporation, José Manuel Pérez Tornero, “was not based on criteria of merit, capacity and project, but on a political agreement” and has stated that “the worst scenario has been consummated.”
SPAIN: RTVE accumulates 600 infected professionals since the pandemic began (Spanish)
El Confidencial Digital: More than half of the positives have been registered at the headquarters of the Corporation in Madrid. Technicians and cameras have been the most affected.
SPAIN: The new president of RTVE bets on his own production (Spanish)
Cine & Tele: José Manuel Pérez Tornero has granted his first interview to Las mañanas de RNE and La Hora de La 1, in which he explained the challenges of his mandate, defending the need for public media and a “trustworthy and close” RTVE.
SPAIN: The Senate appoints four members and completes the council of RTVE (Spanish)
El País: The pact sealed between PSOE, PP, Unidas Podemos and PNV allows the election with a comfortable majority.
UK: BBC announces new commissions and structure to grow the BBC’s Arts and Music offer
BBC Media Centre: BBC Two will increase its resources for arts and music, whilst BBC Four becomes the home of arts and music performance and will bring together collections of the most distinctive content from the BBC’s rich archive. The BBC will also open up its entire BBC Local Radio network to local arts organisations.
UK: Record year helps shape bold future for the BBC
BBC Media Centre: Record numbers of people consistently turned to the BBC throughout the last year as it supported the UK through the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show.
UK: Television licence fee ‘preferred option’ to fund BBC until 2038, say MPs
The Guardian: Britons could be paying the television licence fee until 2038, according to a group of MPs who say the government has failed to devise a better way of funding the BBC.
REGIONAL: The SoMe folks are getting vitamin injections online (Danish)
Nordvision: Back in March, Nordvision held the third hour-long lunch meeting, and the three presentations provided inspiration for colleagues in other companies. For basically, everyone faces the same challenges. The next online meeting will be held on 28 April.
GENERAL: Over 100 rights groups call on the Council of Europe to act on the growing threat of SLAPPs
Via IFEX: “A self-standing recommendation should be issued with clear guidance on measures needed to discourage SLAPPs and dismiss them at an early stage, to sanction those who use SLAPPs or threaten to do so, and to provide financial and legal support to those targeted by SLAPPs”.
BRAZIL: Brazilian journalist’s home, newspaper office targeted in arson attack
CPJ: Brazilian authorities should promptly and thoroughly investigate the arson attack on the Folha da Região newspaper and the home of editor José Antônio Arantes, and ensure the safety of Arantes, his family, and the outlet’s staff, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
BRAZIL: Communications Minister says decision to privatize EBC is not taken (Portuguese – Paywall)
Folha de S.Paulo: Although EBC was included in the privatization program, the Minister of Communications, Fábio Faria, says that the decision has not yet been taken. “It may be privatization, asset sales or closing. The main thing is to put expenses within revenue,” he said.
BRAZIL: Eletrobras, Correios and EBC indication for privatization is made official (Portuguese)
Poder360: The CPPI (Investment Partnership Program Council) officially included Eletrobras, Correios and EBC (Empresa Brasil de Comunicação) in the National Privatization Program. The decision was published on Tuesday (23.Mar.2021) in the Federal Official Gazette.
CHILE: Journalist and cameraman for the Chilean channel TVN were injured in coverage (Spanish)
El Universo: Two members of a journalistic team from Chile’s public television (TVN) were injured after being attacked with firearms in the Tirúa sector, in the Biobío Region, 650 kilometers south of Santiago, while covering the area of La Saturday night.
COLOMBIA: “We will work for independence and information quality”: Álvaro García (Spanish)
RTVC: This March 25, Signal Colombia launches RTVC Noticias, which will follow in the footsteps of the great public information systems of the world such as the BBC or Spanish Television. SEMANA spoke with the director of RTVC, Álvaro García, who explained the new proposal.
CUBA: Cuba: Independent journalism officially outlawed by the regime
IPI: List of permitted self-employment activities excludes journalism and media.
ECUADOR: Government extends deadline to liquid Public Media, Sowing and UNA (Spanish)
Primicias: The term to liquidate public companies extends until May 10, 2021, according to Executive Decree 1281, issued on March 25, 2021.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Sedition laws back in effect
Newsday: Trinidad and Tobago’s sedition laws are back in effect. On Friday, Justices of Appeal Mark Mohammed, Charmaine Pemberton and Maria Wilson allowed the Attorney General’s appeal of a judge’s ruling that parts of the law were unconstitutional, as it infringed on the rights of citizens to freedom of expression and thought and freedom of the press.
VENEZUELA: Facebook freezes Maduro’s page over COVID misinformation
Deutsche Welle: According to the social media platform, Venezuela’s president posted misleading information about the coronavirus that “violated” its policies and put people’s health at risk.
VENEZUELA: Rights Groups Concerned as Venezuela Reviews Media Laws
VOA News: A set of laws due to be debated in Venezuela could further limit citizens’ rights, experts are warning.
REGIONAL: Attacks on the media show democratic setbacks in Latin America (Spanish)
Elsalvador.com: The smear campaigns against the media and attacks on journalists in Latin America have a long history, some limited themselves to specific moments in countries that were going through a socio-political crisis; However, in the last two years, the phenomenon has spread across all sectors and, the more polarized a society is, the greater the risk for journalists to exercise the fundamental right to inform.
REGIONAL: Regional Forum in Latin America and the Caribbean, celebrating the World Press Freedom Day (Event)
UNESCO: Coinciding with the 30th Anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration for the development of Free, Independent and Pluralistic press, this year’s annual 3rd May, World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) will be marked by a global event titled: “Promoting Information as a Public Good”.
IRAQ: Iraqi dreams of democracy fade with arrests of journalist (Paywall)
Financial Times
SAUDI ARABIA & US: Lack of US Action Against Saudi Crown Prince Bemoaned
VOA: On the day the U.S. declassified an intelligence report on the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, another prominent U.S.-based Saudi dissident received a death threat.
SYRIA: Syria, foreign policy, and the limits of journalistic impact (Analysis)
CJR
TURKEY: IPI to European Union: Prioritize press freedom in Turkey
Bianet: International Press Institute has addressed an open letter to the President of the European Council ahead of EU leaders’ meeting this week and called on the European Council to prioritize press freedom in Turkey.
REGIONAL: Journalist Reem Abdellatif on the risks facing female reporters who cover the Gulf (Feature)
CPJ
REGIONAL: Report: MENA governments exploit pandemic to deepen repression
Via Ifex: In the guise of confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities in MENA have censored online information, suppressed criticism, and passed measures hostile to rights and freedoms, says a new report from the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS).
CANADA: Black Female Journalists Expanding the Narrative (Watch)
CBC/Radio-Canada: How are we making space for the stories and experiences of Black Canadians? We asked Tamika Forrester, Lead Producer for Being Black in Canada, and Omayra Issa, Reporter and Co-Producer for Black on the Prairies, to discuss their projects, experiences and inspirations.
CANADA: CBC/Radio-Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts unveil Creation Accelerator projects (Press release)
CBC/Radio-Canada: CBC/Radio-Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts today presented the eight digital projects chosen for production as part of the Creation Accelerator, a catalyst tool launched in May 2019 to amplify digital creation in Canada and provide Canadians with more original content.
CANADA: Noovo.info: Is launching a TV newscast in 2021 crazy or visionary? (French)
The Conversation: They smoked good. This could be said when we learn that Bell is launching a new TV newscast, on air since March 29.
The Conversation: Over the past several years, and maybe even longer, it seems as if every day brings a new round of attacks on the American press.
US: Covering the shooting in Colorado — how the media is becoming accustomed to such tragedies (Commentary)
Poynter: Journalists have gotten proficient at covering mass shootings because they happen far too often. But they haven’t treated them as just another day.
US: How at-home pandemic recordings are changing pubmedia’s standards for audio quality (Paywall)
Current: Reporters and producers have more options for safely recording interviews, but not everyone welcomes the trade-offs in sonic fidelity.
US: How U.S. media lost the trust of the public (Watch)
CBC News: Media consumption was at record highs in 2020, but trust plummeted. CBC documentary explores the consequences.
US: Indigenous-Language Radio Show In Oakland Promotes Vaccine Effort
NPR
US: PBS honors Asian American and Pacific Islander communities through ongoing educational programming (Press release)
PBS
Applications open today for aspiring film makers to be part of the next cohort of the New Documentary Directors’ Initiative (Opportunity)
BBC Media Centre: Applications open today to apply to take part in the BBC’s Documentary Directors’ Initiative, offering aspiring film makers the opportunity to make their first documentary film for BBC Three.
Covid-19 and the global spread of vaccine misinformation (Event)
BBC Monitoring: Online communities sharing harmful anti-vaccine content have grown significantly during the pandemic, according to new global research from BBC Monitoring. So how does vaccine misinformation spread across different regions? What are the common narratives? And could it undermine trust during the biggest vaccine roll out the world has ever seen?
Nieman Lab: “A strong, proactive public editor can be part of this current reckoning in journalism that is looking increasingly like a required revolution in journalism culture.”
The Conversation
How a revitalised Public Editor role could solve two of journalism’s biggest crises (Research)
Poynter: At a time when journalism is facing a crisis of trust and a long-overdue reckoning for racial equality in staffing and coverage, I offer one key recommendation: hire a public editor.
How coronavirus has affected humanitarian journalism
Journalism.co.uk: Travel bans meant that newsrooms had to work with local reporters, and bringing humanitarian crises to an already-overwhelmed audience was always going to be a hard sell.
How evidence can help us fight against COVID-19 misinformation
RISJ: “Our research underlines the importance of drawing on actual evidence when seeking to counter misinformation,” writes Rasmus Nielsen.
Investors do not appear to care about media freedom – but they should (Analysis)
Press Gazette: The state of press and media freedom in a country appears to bear little direct relationship to how successfully it attracts foreign business investment, according to analysis by Press Gazette and Investment Monitor.
Taking care of your mental wellbeing can help you become a better journalist (Opinion)
Journalism.co.uk: Just as our industry has reinvented its ways of working this past year, Hannah Storm invites you to change your approach to work to cope better in these difficult times.
Vaccine Hesitancy: What Journalists Need to Know (Event)
Poynter: In this 45-minute On Poynt session, you will get the most up-to-date information about who’s not getting the COVID-19 vaccine, why and what journalists can do about it.
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Header image: Broadcast tower. Credit: pbkwee/Creative Commons
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