Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.
As the global Covid-19 pandemic continues and many countries enter a state of lockdown, 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 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.
The resource will be frequently updated to reflect the changing needs and evolving situation. If you have any recommendations, please let us know.
We also want to hear about your local public media coverage! Email us!
As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, public media are rapidly adapting to best cover the crisis on a local level while also providing for educational needs and vulnerable groups as isolation policies are introduced.
We want to hear from our members about what you are doing to best cover the crisis on a local level. Email us using the link below.
Coronavirus: Resources & best practices
Essential resources for sourcing and reporting news about the coronavirus pandemic
What we're watching...
ABC reporter Nas Campanella writes about a shocking interaction on a Sydney train (Must read and watch)
ABC News: A must read ahead of International Day of People with Disability.
What we're listening to...
News as a social enterprise?
RNZ: People are used to getting news from public broadcasters paid for by taxpayers – or as a customer of commercial media organisations. But is news as a social enterprise an idea whose time has come? South Island online outfit Crux now wants its local audience to take ownership.
Global Headlines
Click on the tab menu below to reveal the latest regional stories.
ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia communications shutdown stifles reporting on Tigray crisis (Paywall)
BBC Monitoring
MALI & NIGER: Insurgency, Political Upheaval Exploited to Repress Press Freedom in Mali, Niger
MFWA: In addition to terrorist threats, the countries of the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali and Niger) face enormous challenges in preserving and strengthening the rule of law and democracy.
MOZAMBIQUE: Universal Peer Review: Mozambique Should Guarantee Digital Rights
CIPESA: In April 2021, Mozambique’s human rights record will be assessed under the Universal Peer Review (UPR) process at the United Nations Human Rights Council. The assessment will need to shine a light on Mozambique’s record on online and offline rights to privacy, access to information, and free expression, which are increasingly under threat in the southern Afican country.
NIGERIA: Stakeholders task journalists on disability inclusive content, reporting
The Guardian (Ng): Media organisations and practitioners have been urged to increase disability-inclusive content in their reportage, due to their vital roles in mirroring society and shaping its culture.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC responds to CWU memorandum of demands
SABC News: The SABC says it has responded to the Communication Workers Union’s (CWU) memorandum of demands.
SOUTH AFRICA: Ndabeni-Abrahams refutes claims that there are plans to privatise the SABC
SABC News: Communications Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has refuted claims that there are plans to privatise the SABC.
SOUTH AFRICA: “No Going Back On 30% Local Content On Streaming Platforms” – South African Govt.
Broadcast Media Africa: The South African government says it is serious with the proposed requirement of thirty per cent local content on streaming platforms operating in the country.
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa: SABC Readies To Dispose Off Properties To Raise Funds
Broadcast Media Africa: The South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has reportedly announced it is prepared to end the lease agreements of the ‘non-core properties’ it owns in the bid to get these ready for disposal via auction early next year.
UGANDA: CBC News journalists deported from Uganda, despite having press credentials
CBC News: Country ranked low on world press freedom index, government accused of media suppression.
UGANDA: Uganda: Crackdown on reporters threatens Ugandan election’s credibility
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns a wave of attacks against journalists and media outlets in Uganda in recent days during an increasingly turbulent presidential election campaign. This major escalation in efforts to suppress the freedom to inform is liable to discredit the entire election, RSF warns.
ZIMBABWE: Critics Decry Zimbabwe’s Press Freedom Failures
VOA Zimbabwe: November marks three years since Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa took power from the late Robert Mugabe and promised to honor his people’s constitutional rights. But critics say freedom of the press is not being respected, pointing to the two arrests this year of journalist Hopewell Chin’ono.
ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe awards new TV licences, but only to regime-linked players
The Africa Report: The Zimbabwean government under President Emmerson Mnangagwa has awarded new television licenses that would end decades of monopoly by the only State-controlled broadcaster ZTV (ZBC TV). But experts fear it is merely a ploy for Mnangagwa to tighten his grip on power.
GENERAL: The 2020 pandemic has challenged press freedom in Africa
Relief Web: In partnership with Cartooning for Peace, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) presents a summary of infringements of press freedom in Africa arising from the coronavirus epidemic.
AFGHANISTAN: BBC News Pashto Instagram channel is revamped to serve female audiences (Press Release)
BBC: The BBC News Pashto channel on Instagram has been revamped to better serve women. The new-look BBC News Pashto Instagram account now focuses on issues that matter to female audiences in Afghanistan and around the world.
CHINA: Chinese media step up campaign to muddy probe into Covid origins (Paywall)
The Financial Times: Communist party newspaper tries to undermine belief virus jumped to humans within the country.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s democracy movement in dire straits as Beijing tightens grip
Deutsche Welle: Since the mass resignation of pro-democracy legislators and the detention of prominent activists, the territory’s pro-democracy movement has been facing an uncertain future. William Yang reports.
HONG KONG: Lay-offs at Hong Kong TV station stoke concerns over media freedom
Reuters: A Hong Kong television station said on Tuesday about 100 staff were “affected” by a shake-up as it seeks to control costs and remain competitive in a challenging economic environment, a move that has re-ignited worries over media freedom in the city.
INDIA: Editors Guild urges PCI to withdraw advisory to media to verify foreign content before publishing
Scroll.in: The Editors Guild of India on Saturday urged the Press Council to withdraw its advisory asking media organisations to publish foreign content only after due verification. It warned that it could lead to “some form of censorship and punitive actions”.
Deccan Herald: CPI Parliamentary Party leader Binoy Vishwam on Monday shot off a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, accusing the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati of making “concerted efforts” to shut government-financed radio and TV…
INDONESIA: Does Emergency Warning Really Work on DRM? (Commentary)
Radio World: The chair of DRM says Indonesia has just demonstrated that it does.
INDONESIA & MYANMAR: Indonesia and Myanmar Press Councils share lessons on media freedom
UNESCO Bangkok: While the media environment in each country is unique, there are many lessons about safeguarding press freedom that journalists from Myanmar and Indonesia can share – including self-regulation in lieu of government control…
JAPAN: Japan could fine TV licence non-payers
Advanced Television: Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications says it plans to introduce legislation to impose extra charges on people who are “illicitly” watching TV sets without paying the reception licence fee.
JAPAN: News outlets clash over tone of COVID-19 coverage
The Japan Times: The government’s COVID-19 subcommittee held a news conference on Nov. 9 to discuss nationwide increases in infections this winter. The government itself seems hesitant to call this sudden spike the “third wave,” a term that has become normalized in the media, but the subcommittee definitely sees it as ominous.
PAKISTAN: Case for public television (Opinion)
The Express Tribune: The newly inducted chairman of the Pakistan Television (PTV) Board, Naeem Bokhari, said in an interview recently that the state television would only represent the government, adding that it was “not like any other channel”.
PAKISTAN: PTV will only represent government: New chairman Naeem Bokhari
Geo News: Newly appointed Pakistan Television (PTV) Board Chairman Naeem Bokhari said Tuesday that the state television will only represent the government, adding that it was “not like any other channel”.
SRI LANKA: UNP accuses Government of scuttling media
Daily Mirror (SL): Efforts have been made to control media with the latest move by the government to give advertisements to private media only on President’s Secretary’s approval while 20th Amendment is also being used to suppress democracy, UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said over the weekend.
SRI LANKA: With the Rajapaksas at the Helm, Press Freedom in Sri Lanka Takes a Hit
The Diplomat: As President Gotabaya Rajapaksa continues amassing power, the future for the country’s media looks bleak.
TAIWAN: Why Taiwan Killed a TV News Broadcasting License Despite Legal Freedom of Speech
VOA News: Taiwan has revoked a television broadcasting license for a cable news channel because the openly pro-China outlet had aired inaccurate reports and ignored warnings to reform, a regulatory body said in an unusual test of the democratic island’s normally free-wheeling media scene.
THAILAND: Thai PBS delivers the Thai PBS Learning Shelf to the public library. Under the Ministry of Education (Thai – Press release)
Thai PBS: On November 24, 2020, Ms. Monruthai Phongsothon , Corporate Communications Manager Public Broadcasting Organization of Thailand (FTI) or Thai PBS delivered 67 sets of Thai PBS Learning Shelf 2020 to Mr. Prawit Prathamayo, Deputy Director of the Institute.
THAILAND: Thailand revives lese majeste ahead of rally over royal fortune
Aljazeera: Summons issued for at least seven leaders under royal insult law, mark its first use since early 2018.
VIETNAM: Facebook and YouTube accused of complicity in Vietnam repression
The Guardian: Facebook and YouTube are complicit in “censorship and repression on an industrial scale” in Vietnam, according to a report by Amnesty International that accuses the platforms of openly signalling that they are willing to bow to the wishes of authoritarian regimes.
AUSTRALIA: ABC opposes quotas as Coalition plans to force Netflix to make more Australian content
The Guardian: ABC says imposing an Australian content quota on the public broadcaster could undermine its independence.
AUSTRALIA: ABC reporter Nas Campanella writes about a shocking interaction on a Sydney train (Must Read – Watch)
ABC News: A must read ahead of International Day of People with Disability.
AUSTRALIA: ABC, SBS to be included in tech giants’ content payments
Financial Review: New legislation to force Google and Facebook to pay for the value of Australian journalism on their platforms looks to have secured a smoother ride, with vital support in the Senate more likely due to the inclusion of the ABC and SBS, a measure supported by the largest commercial media companies in Australia.
AUSTRALIA: How the ABC is prioritising diversity, to reflect and represent modern Australia (Press Release)
ABC Australia: We’re proud of the great, diverse talent at the ABC, in our content and our workforce.
AUSTRALIA: Morrison government asks ABC to please explain controversial Four Corners episode
The Sydney Morning Herald: The ABC is preparing to fire back at Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher after he asked board chair Ita Buttrose to explain how a recent Four Corners episode exposing alleged affairs and inappropriate behaviour between ministers and staffers was in the public interest.
AUSTRALIA: The ABC and diversity criticism – it’s not all black and white
The Guardian: It didn’t take long after the ABC unveiled its 2021 TV slate at a virtual event hosted by comedian Wil Anderson before it was being slammed on social media for having an all-white line-up.
FIJI: FBC TV turns nine
FBC News: FBC TV celebrated its ninth birthday today. Television Manager Vinal Raj says they’ve achieved a lot over the past nine years and overcome many challenges.
NEW ZEALAND: Broadcasting Standards Authority sees surge of complaints in past year
RNZ: The Broadcasting Standards Authority has had a surge in complaints in the last year, with an 11 percent increase.
NEW ZEALAND: News as a social enterprise? (Listen)
RNZ: People are used to getting news from public broadcasters paid for by taxpayers – or as a customer of commercial media organisations. But is news as a social enterprise an idea whose time has come? South Island online outfit Crux now wants its local audience to take ownership.
AUSTRIA: Austria’s journalists face roadblocks to accessing official information
IPI: The COVID crisis demonstrated again the lack of a freedom of information act in Austria. The current government promised to change that. Experts are cautiously optimistic.
BELARUS: Unfinished business in Belarus (Opinion)
CJR
BELGIUM: VRT and RTBF host (online) media conference with CEOs from all over the world (Press Release)
VRT: In a different world, this week Brussels would be hosting the annual Public Broadcasters International media conference. Unfortunately, due to the corona pandemic that event has been postponed for a year. However, broadcasters VRT and RTBF have come up with a plan that allows everyone to get together now by arranging an interim, online round table discussion on Tuesday afternoon.
BULGARIA: Podcasts Bring Welcome Change to Bulgaria’s Stale Media Scene (Feature)
Balkan Insight: The revolution will be broadcasted: the burgeoning podcast scene in Bulgaria may have a way to go, but it’s gaining momentum fast and already has the potential to transform a dire media landscape.
DENMARK: Together about the important: One-year status of DR’s strategy (Danish – press release)
DR: In a rapidly changing media market, DR wants to bring Danes together about the important things. DR is well on its way, shows new one-year status on DR’s strategy.
ESTONIA: Estonia is hosting the Global Conference for Media Freedom in 2021
Estonian World: Estonia will be hosting the Global Conference for Media Freedom in 2021, an event designed to strengthen joint efforts in defending media freedom worldwide and to connect with journalists and media workers, civil society and governments.
CBC News: Lawmakers from French President Emmanuel Macron’s party will rewrite the most criticized article of a proposed security law involving a measure aimed at banning the publication of images of police officers with intent to cause them harm.
FRANCE: France′s new security bill attacks press freedom (Opinion)
Deutsche Welle: A new bill aims to ban the dissemination of images of police officers on duty. If signed into law, it would be a danger to press freedom in a country where police violence is not uncommon, says DW’s Luisa von Richthofen.
FRANCE: French security forces fire teargas at press freedom protesters
The Guardian: French security forces have fired teargas at protesters marching against police violence in Paris after masked activists launched fireworks at their lines, put up barricades and threw stones.
GERMANY: Big dispute over 86 cents (German)
Deutschlandfunk: The radio license fee is to increase nationwide from 17.50 euros per month to 18.36 euros on January 1, 2021. But the rejection of the CDU and AfD in Saxony-Anhalt could prevent that. Why is that possible? And what is the legal situation? Questions and answers.
International Emmy Awards: Dr. Thomas Bellut, Director General of German national broadcaster ZDF, one of Europe’s major and most renowned public broadcasters, will receive the International Academy’s 2021 Directorate Emmy® Award, it was announced today by Bruce L. Paisner, President & CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
HUNGARY: Investors or professionals: How most Hungarian media helped discrimination
EURACTIV: Media watchdogs have been sounding the alarm over the shrinking space for media pluralism in Viktor Orbán’s Hungary. EURACTIV looks into how discrimination of ethnic and social minorities has evolved in the country and how the development of its media landscape also played a role.
NETHERLANDS: NPO temporarily opens ‘fourth channel’ full of culture (Press release – Dutch)
NPO: From [today], Tuesday 1 December, the Dutch Public Broadcaster will present the first programs of the major cultural platform with which NPO and the broadcasters want to bring the magic of the auditorium to people’s homes in the coming six months.
NORTH MACEDONIA: North Macedonia’s Digital Paradox – More Information, Less Memory
Balkan Insight: The digital media boom in North Macedonia is resulting in more reporting than ever – but worryingly little of this valuable information is being stored, as the practice of archiving fades away.
POLAND: Poland: Authorities must end police brutality and persecution of protesters and journalists (Statement)
ARTICLE 19: ARTICLE 19 strongly condemns the ongoing crackdown on protests against the abortion ban in Poland, and police brutality against protesters and journalists. We call for the immediate cessation of persecution and violence against those exercising their right to protest and to report on protest related issues. The protests concern a matter of crucial public interest for women’s reproductive rights, and participation in public life, and the right to protest on this issue must be protected.
SLOVENIA: According to RTV Slovenia, STA is still under attack: Janša’s government will no longer finance the news agency (Slovenian)
Večer: The attitude of the Janša government towards the media continues to deteriorate. If at first the target of pressure was public radio and television, now it is the state news agency, which Prime Minister Janez Janša has already made known on the social network twitter.
SLOVENIA: Slovenia, SLAPPs and Silencing of the Media
IPI: Latest SLAPP case puts spotlight on Slovenian legal system.
SPAIN: Appearance of Rosa María Mateo in the Senate (Spanish – Press release)
RTVE: The sole provisional administrator of RTVE, Rosa María Mateo, has argued today in the November appearance in the Senate that the program ‘ Las Cosas Claras’ is an informative news magazine. “It is not an informational program. That is why we are not obliged to be one hundred percent internal production ”, [s]he stressed.
SPAIN: Spain’s free press put to test under COVID-19 restrictions
IPI: A COVID-era Spanish press finds itself blocked from information and prohibited from live coverage in a series of national and regional government mandates limiting journalism, disguised as safety measures.
SWEDEN: Focus on our local reporters (Swedish – Press release)
SVT: They are in place for you. To provide the best possible local journalism. In everyday life and in crisis. Their job is to highlight other people’s stories, to inform, to review misconduct and to report on possible solutions. Always with a proximity, always with a great local knowledge…
SWITZERLAND: Swiss public broadcaster examines more cases of sexual harassment
Swissinfo.ch: The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) has launched an independent investigation into sexual harassment at the French-language Swiss public radio and television, RTS, following cases reported in the media. The Italian-language public broadcaster has also opened a separate enquiry into complaints.
UK: BBC Studios reduces gender, ethnicity & disability pay gaps
Advanced Television: BBC Studios has published its UK Pay Gap Report (PGR) for 2019/20. saying it shows “good progress in reducing its gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps”.
UK: BBC to introduce new sustainability changes to TV commissioning process
BBC Media Centre: The BBC is updating the way its television programmes are commissioned to decrease the environmental impact of productions and include conversations about sustainability.
UK: British Journalists Say Abuse, Assault Becoming ‘Normalized’ (Watch)
VOA News: Journalists in Britain say they are facing an increasingly hostile atmosphere, with intimidation, physical assault and online abuse now seen as routine.
UK: Channel 4 unveils Future4 digital-first strategy
Advanced Television: Alex Mahon, Chief Executive of UK PSB Channel 4, has unveiled a new five-year strategy for the business, Future4 – which will accelerate its pivot to digital and significantly increase both streaming of Channel 4 content and new revenues.
UK: Facebook to pay UK media millions to license news stories
The Guardian: Social network agrees deal with mainstream outlets in face of government crackdown on its dominance of advertising.
UK: Northern Ireland: Amnesty hails ‘victory for press freedom’ in case of arrested journalists
Amnesty International: Police agree to delete data wrongly seized from journalists and pay substantial damages.
UK: Over-55s growing less satisfied with the BBC, Ofcom says
BBC News: Satisfaction with the BBC among its most loyal audiences is showing “signs of waning” for the first time, broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has said.
REGIONAL: Nordvision all set to launch major Nordic collaboration on children’s fiction (Swedish)
Nordvision: New Nordic collaboration aims to bring even more fiction to young Nordic audiences. Within the last five years Nordic children drama co-productions has doubled and this development is now being used by the Nordic public service media DR, NRK, SVT and Yle to launch an even stronger and closer collaboration.
GENERAL: Diversity in media sector: Still lots of room for improvement
EURACTIV: Europe’s newsrooms are still predominantly white and middle-class, though societies are changing at a rapid speed. Experts are calling on the sector to change and enable journalists to reflect the society they are reporting about.
GENERAL: EU: A call for action to combat SLAPPs (Statement)
Article 19: Ahead of the launch of the European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP), Article 19 and 60 partners today endorse the Model EU Anti-SLAPP Directive.
REGIONAL: European Parliament stands up for journalists to defend democracy
EFJ: After Polish MEP Magdalena Adamowicz (EPP) presented a passionate call for the report on strengthening media freedom: the protection of journalists in Europe, hate speech, disinformation and the role of platforms in plenary, the European Parliament adopted today with a great majority the report, which was first drafted in February this year. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has fully supported the draft and given its input throughout the process.
ARGENTINA: Santa Cruz | They begin to discuss the public media system (Spanish)
Tiempo Sur: The bill entered late on Wednesday at the entrance table. It was sent from the provincial government. It went to commissions and will be treated next year.
COLOMBIA: “Innovation in public media has been key in the pandemic”: Juan Devis (Interview – Spanish)
Radio Nacional: This Thursday, November 26, the second edition of the International Public Media Forum (FIMPU) will be held virtually, a meeting organized by RTVC and the ICT Ministry, a space for reflection that brings together experts from around the world around public media and the creation of content in the midst of what has been called the “new normal”.
CUBA: Cuban authorities harass journalists, block social media amid protests
CPJ: Cuban authorities should stop harassing journalists and allow all citizens to access the internet without restriction, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today [November 30].
GUYANA: Ministry mobilising TV stations to expand Learning Channel (Paywall)
Stabroek News: The Ministry of Education (MoE) through the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) is collaborating with owners of television stations across Guyana to assist in the expansion of the Guyana Learning Channel (GLC).
MEXICO: 2020, the most violent year against the press in Mexico in a decade (Spanish)
El País: The Government reports 19 journalists murdered and a record of attacks, the majority perpetrated by public servants.
URUGUAY: Public media opened a call to present proposals for cultural programs (Spanish)
Montevideo Portal: The National Audiovisual Communication Service (Secan) opened the call for interested parties on Monday to present proposals for cultural programs.
URUGUAY: Sotelo: public media must bet on digital platforms (Spanish)
La República: The head of the National Audiovisual Communication Service (Secan) stated that he does not believe that at this time it is “possible or appropriate” to invest in buying television rights from the incumbent companies, unless there is a “reasonable deal” and the conditions are not appropriate.
VENEZUELA: Journalism is an Escape in a Devastated Venezuela
CIJN: A Venezuelan journalist speaks frankly about her own personal struggle in a country whose economy has collapsed and health care system is unable to provide relief.
REGIONAL: Small Caribbean Islands prepare to fight COVID-19 disinformation
UNESCO: “The sun kills coronavirus”. “Drinking tea prevents infection with COVID-19”. These were just some examples of false remedies that people spread in the Caribbean in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
IRAN: Iranian women journalists resist ‘men’s colony’
Deutsche Welle: In Iran, nine out of ten female journalists say they experience sexual harassment in context of their profession. The patriarchal structure of newsrooms seems to create a work environment of intimidation.
IRAQ: New Iraqi Law Threatens to Strangle Dissent
IWPR: Freedom of expression in Iraq faces a danger unprecedented since the Saddam Hussein era. The innocuously named Law on Information Technology Crimes will introduce massive fines and long prison sentences for a range of supposed offences that include simple criticism of the state.
PALESTINE: Gaza photojournalists at the forefront of the coronavirus pandemic
MEMO: As coronavirus spreads in the besieged Gaza Strip, photojournalists have been thrust into danger once again, having previously covered Israel’s numerous wars on the Strip, they now face an invisible adversary.
TURKEY: 2020 International Mission Report: “Turkey’s Journalists on the Ropes” (Report)
Free Turkey Journalists, IPI: IPI publishes the International Press Freedom Mission Report.
TURKEY: Turkish journalist tops ’10 Most Urgent’ list of press freedom cases focused on COVID-19
The Boston Globe: The One Free Press Coalition, a united group of pre-eminent editors and publishers using their global reach and social platforms to spotlight journalists under attack worldwide, today issued its 22nd “10 Most Urgent” list of press freedom cases around the world. This iteration focuses on cases relating to COVID-19 and is ranked in order of urgency.
CANADA: Carleton and CBC North collaboration will bring young journalists to the north
CBC/Radio-Canada: Yesterday, Carleton University’s journalism program announced the creation of a paid internship for recent Carleton graduates in CBC newsrooms in Northern communities such as Iqaluit, Yellowknife and Whitehorse.
CANADA: CBC/Radio-Canada’s second 2020-2021 quarterly report now available online
CBC/Radio-Canada: Financial report for the second quarter ended September 30, 2020.
CANADA: Celebrating the communities we serve
CBC/Radio-Canada: Every year, CBC/Radio-Canada employees dedicate time, effort and resources to making the holidays bright in their communities. Our teams across the country will be offering Canadians the opportunity to contribute to those in their community by giving back — not only financially, but in sharing stories of goodwill and holiday spirit.
CANADA: Government of Canada announces new appointment to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors
CBC/Radio-Canada: The Government of Canada has announced the appointment of a new member to CBC/Radio‑Canada’s Board of Directors.
CANADA: It’s Groundhog Day — again — for freedom-of-information reform in Canada (Opinion)
National Observer: Once upon a time, a government-in-waiting promised voters that, should it be elected, it would run the most open and transparent government in history. Raise your hand if you’ve heard this story before.
US: How public media can ensure its push for diversity includes people with disabilities (Paywall)
Current: Public Media for All Day Nov. 10 was a day for public media to advance our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals. We celebrated our good work while acknowledging the progress yet to be made. It reminded us that we are privileged to be a part of this national public media team dedicated to ensuring that all voices are heard.
US: How Public Media Stations Increase Remote Learning (Blog)
Protect my Public Media: Following the broad school closures due to COVID-19 in March, local public media stations quickly transitioned to provide at-home learning services to pre-K through 12th grade students in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
US: How will Biden’s new team treat the press? (Opinion)
CJR: President-Elect Joe Biden’s White House Communications Team is now in place.
US: NPR Released An Explicit Podcast On Hip-Hop And Prison, Here’s Why It Matters (Opinion)
NPR: The first thing listeners hear, after the sponsorship message, is a warning: “This podcast is explicit in every way.”
US: PBS Programming Chief Sylvia Bugg Works to Keep the Public Broadcaster Relevant Amid 2020 Tumult
Variety: When Sylvia Bugg rejoined PBS for a third stint in February 2020, the public broadcaster faced a conventional set of challenges. Then March happened, and everything became very unconventional.
US: Public Media and the Youth Media Landscape: A Q&A
CPB: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is funding a project with the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop (“Cooney Center”) to study the current media habits of tweens and teens. The By/With/For Youth: Inspiring Next Gen Public Media Audiences project seeks to build a foundation for how public media can engage with youth audiences and better equip them to participate and thrive in the world.
US: Student Journalists on Front Lines of COVID-19 Coverage
VOA News: College student journalists have been at the forefront of university COVID-19 coverage, breaking news stories about campus outbreaks and holding university leadership accountable for its handling of the pandemic.
CPJ joins call for new emergency visa regulations to protect journalists fleeing threats
CPJ: Yesterday, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined a panel marking the launch of a report, “Providing Safe Refuge to Journalists at Risk,” published by the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, and CPJ endorsed the report’s findings and recommendations.
Evidence rather than ideology should shape the future of PSB (Opinion)
Broadcast Now: The ecology of public service broadcasting has to evolve, but debate must be open and honest.
Experts want global task force to probe abuses vs journalists
Rappler: An independent global panel of legal experts on media freedom sought the creation of an International Investigative Task Force to effectively probe abuses against journalists.
FIMPU: How to get into sound experimentation on radio? (Spanish)
Radio Nacional: One of the messages that the second edition of the International Public Media Forum (FIMPU) left was, among other things, the importance of experimental, collective and community betting for radio.
InnoPSM: We are pleased to announce that our InnoPSM Research Network project has resumed after we had to suspend it for six months due to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.
IFJ: On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and girls on 25 November, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Gender Council call on world governments to act responsibly to eradicate violence against women by ratifying the ILO Convention 190 on harassment and violence in the world of work and urge social media platforms to introduce binding steps to act against online violence.
IPI re-launches COVID-19 press freedom tracker with new features
IPI: Nearly 500 press freedom violations in connection with COVID-19 have taken place this year, according to the International Press Institute (IPI)‘s COVID-19 Press Freedom Tracker.
Online Attacks on Women Journalists Leading to ‘Real World’ Violence, New Research Shows
ICFJ: The insidious problem of online violence against women journalists is increasingly spilling offline, with potentially deadly consequences, a new global survey suggests.
The “New York Times” on the road to digital success (German)
Deutschlandfunk: Ten years ago the “New York Times” announced that it would charge money for its online content. Since then, the number of subscribers has been growing, and this year, for the first time, more money was earned on the Internet than with the print edition. Now the newspaper wants to continue growing abroad.
WAN-IFRA and UNESCO join forces to support journalism in the face of existential economic menace
WAN-IFRA: As the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact, the decimation of journalism in many areas of the world constitutes a growing threat, bringing existing challenges to a tipping point. Each month brings new reports of job losses in journalism and the closure of once-vibrant local media outlets.
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Header Image: Students Experimenting With TV studio Equipment stock photo. Credit: TommL/iStock
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