AFGHANSITAN: Press freedom group urges Taliban to release detained Afghan journalist

Jurist: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Tuesday called on Taliban authorities in Afghanistan to immediately release journalist Shikib Ahmad Nazari, who has been detained since July following a raid on his Kabul office.

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BANGLADESH: Call for concerted efforts to implement media reforms 

Financial Express: Top editors and senior journalists on Tuesday stressed the need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to implement the recommendations of the Media Reform Commission, warning that continued inaction would further weaken the country’s media landscape.

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BANGLADESH: EC to require candidates in each constituency to announce manifestos on shared platform

The Business Standard: Additionally, the commission will assist political parties in carrying out their election campaigns on state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar after the announcement of the election schedule in December.

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CAMBODIA: Cambodia’s media more affected by funding and fear than AI

Asia Times: AI far less an issue than shifting economy of news and old-fashioned government restrictions on press freedom in Cambodia.

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HONG KONG: Journalist’s Hong Kong Visa Denial and FCCC Report Underscore Declining Press Freedom 

China Digital Times: As other outlets confirmed, the Hong Kong government refused to renew Choong Wilkins’ visa in what many journalists and media organizations have described as the latest blow to press freedom in the city.

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HONG KONG: What’s next for Jimmy Lai as his trial wraps up? 

DW: The landmark case against Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has seen both sides present their closing arguments, but the fate of the prominent Beijing critic remains unclear.

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INDIA: Dimapur press club expresses concerns over growing threats to press freedom

Nagaland Tribune: The Dimapur Press Club (DPC) has expressed deep concerns over the rising instances of threats and harassment faced by journalists in Nagaland, warning that such attempts to muzzle the media strike at the very foundation of democracy. 

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INDIA: How journalists can hold algorithms accountable in India – and beyond 

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: In India, algorithms now sit between people and their most basic rights. They decide who gets subsidised food, daily wages, pensions and disability allowances; in the gig economy, they act as de facto managers. 

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INDIA: Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform to allow family-friendly user content, following YouTube model

Mint: Prasar Bharati, India’s public broadcaster, plans to allow user-generated content to be uploaded on its streaming app WAVES – just as Youtube does – to give users a wider selection of family-focused shows across genres such as sports, culture, general entertainment and education. 

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JAPAN: Chinese ex-staffer ordered to pay NHK ¥11 million over unscripted radio remarks 

Japan Times: Tokyo District Court on Monday ordered a man who previously worked for Japan’s national broadcaster NHK to pay the public entity ¥11 million in compensation for making unscripted remarks during its Chinese-language radio news program.

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MALAYSIA: Right to Information Act must uphold human rights standards 

Article19: In recent months, Malaysia’s proposed Right to Information (RTI) Act has prompted discussions about how the legislation should consider ‘local sensitivities and political structure,’ ‘protect national harmony,’ and apply to ‘citizens’ only.

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MALDIVES: Government faces increasing backlash on “media control bill”

IFJ: Media advocacy groups, human rights watchdogs, trade unions and journalist representative bodies have collectively condemned a proposed Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Bill as a grave threat to democracy, press freedom, and the public’s right to know.

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MYANMAR: Media Weaponization in Myanmar and the World’s Relative Indifference to Its Crisis

The Diplomat: The absence of an independent and trusted media within Myanmar creates a febrile environment for misinformation and disinformation as tools of both repression and resistance.

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SINGAPORE: Mediacorp announces staffing changes in response to evolving media landscape (Press release) 

Mediacorp: Mediacorp is making staffing changes to adapt to the rapidly evolving media landscape and to better align its operations amid the prevailing economic and commercial uncertainty.

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SOUTH KOREA: KBS’s “Prosecution-Media Collusion” False Reporting Accusations: “There Must Be No More Abuse of Prosecutors”

 Journalists’ Association of Korea: Regarding the recent acquittal of a KBS reporter who had been indicted for the so-called “false report on collusion between the prosecution and the press,” the KBS Journalists Association issued a statement on the 29th, stating, “The press must never again be muzzled by the prosecution’s power.”

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TAIWAN: News alliance seeks to restore trust in media 

 Taipei Times: The Taiwan Alliance for the Self-Regulation of Online News (TASON) was launched yesterday, coinciding with Taiwan’s Journalists’ Day, with 23 media outlets signing on as founding members.

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 THAILAND: NBTC discusses with Thai PBS the future of Thai television after the license expires in 2029. (Press release – Thai) 

 Thai PBS: The NBTC met with Thai PBS executives to discuss the future of Thai television after its license expires in 2029. The discussions included preparations for the transition, support for beneficial Thai TV content, development of a national streaming platform, and future collaboration opportunities.

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THAILAND: Thai PBS and its partners join forces to enhance the Missing Persons Center and expand the pilot community network in Bangkok and its vicinity. (Press release – Thai) 

 Thai PBS: The Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS), through its Missing Persons Center, has collaborated with the Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, and the Department of Older Persons Affairs, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, to launch the “Upgrading Missing Persons Centers, Expanding Community Networks” project, aiming to expand to 50 pilot areas in Bangkok and its vicinity to create an effective system for tracking and assisting missing persons.

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VIETNAM & ALGERIA: Algeria Press Service highlights strong cooperation with Vietnam News Agency 

Vietnam+: The Algeria Press Service (APS) and the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) must continue to serve as a “special channel of diplomacy” by delivering accurate information that reflects the political commitments between the two countries.

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REGIONAL: AI-Driven Newsrooms and Journalism Education: International Webinar (Webinar) 

UNESCO: The multistakeholder forum will explore how AI is reshaping newsrooms and journalism training in South-East Asia and beyond

AUSTRALIA: Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight against Modern Slavery (Press release) 

SBS: Head of SBS Inclusion Program Leon Coningham said this partnership combines the deep expertise Australian Red Cross has in supporting survivors and shaping policy, with SBS’s proven reach in creating and distributing impactful learning programs. 

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AUSTRALIA: Bob Katter threatens journalist (Listen)

ABC: The flamboyant Queensland MP Bob Katter is in the news again, this time for threatening a journalist with physical violence.

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AUSTRALIA: TV bosses in fight for new rulebook (Listen) 

ABC: Free to air television is at a tipping point as Australians flock to international streamers. The commercial television broadcasters are heading to Canberra next week to lobby the returned government to change the rules they’re under.

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AUSTRALIA & CHINA: ABC to return to Beijing with appointment of Allyson Horn as China correspondent

ABC: The ABC is set to have a correspondent based in China for the first time in nearly five years. The previous China correspondent left the country in 2020 after a five-day diplomatic stand-off over a national security case.

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NEW ZEALAND: Stuff journalists vote to strike over split agreement 

IFJ: Journalists at Stuff, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest media company, will take industrial action on August 28 in response to the company’s bid to split their collective agreement between digital and masthead workers.

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NEW ZEALAND: TVNZ braces for two years of losses after posting net profit

RNZ: State-owned broadcaster TVNZ has reported a bottom line net profit with an outlook for losses in the next two financial years as it invests more in digital services.

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NEW ZEALAND & PALESTINE: NZ media workers call for ‘decisive action’ by Luxon over Gaza journalists

Asia Pacific Report: About 120 journalists, film makers, actors, media workers and academics have today called on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and two senior cabinet ministers in an open letter to “act decisively” to protect Gaza journalists and a free press.

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TIMOR LESTE: The ‘secrets’ of effective training: journalists supporting their own in Timor-Leste

ABC: Timor-Leste media practitioners are getting set to lay the foundations of support and skill-building for the next generation of journalists.

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REGIONAL: Regional Media Support Fund

ABC: The Regional Media Support Fund is an Australian Government initiative, designed and managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It is aimed at supporting more viable, resilient, inclusive, and independent media in the Pacific, Southeast Asia and South Asia.

AUSTRIA: Why the ORF must reinvent its credibility (German) 

Der Standard: The case of an anti-Semitic Facebook post cannot be dismissed as an isolated incident. It is a wake-up call. We should view it as an opportunity – and position ourselves against the digital logic of outrage.

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BELGIUM: MR’s threat to boycott RTBF broadcasts: the public service reacts and “affirms its editorial independence” (French) 

RTBF: RTBF responded on Wednesday to the Reform Movement (MR) press release issued the day before, threatening the public broadcaster with a “boycott” by party members.

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BELGIUM: New EDUbox on mental well-being helps young people feel good about themselves (Press release – Dutch) 

VRT: Attention to mental well-being has grown significantly in recent years, including in education. A growing number of specialists, principals, and teachers emphasize that students can only truly learn well when they feel safe and supported. With the EDUbox Mental Well-being, VRT provides teachers with teaching materials to actively address this topic in the classroom.

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BELGIUM & RUSSIA: Russian journalist risks expulsion from Belgium after losing EU press accreditation (Paywall) 

The Brussels Times: The International Press Association (API-IPA) urged on Monday Belgian authorities not to expel journalist Margarita Zuaui and her 18-year-old son following a dispute about her EU press accreditation.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Coalition period in the news and no jumping into the conversation. Slovak recipe for Czech Television and Czech Radio (Analysis – Czech) 

Hlídacípes: This summer marked the year that a new – effectively nationalized – television and radio broadcasting system began operating in Slovakia. It is Slovakia that today’s Czech opposition, the ANO movement and the SPD, want to take inspiration from when abolishing concession fees in the event of electoral success.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech media coalitions establish ten-point self-regulation framework

PPC.land: Ten major Czech media associations unite to implement European Media Freedom Act requirements through comprehensive industry standards announced August 8, 2025.

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FRANCE: Strike at Radio France: unions welcome a ‘change of tone’ from management; stations still disrupted (French) 

Le Monde: On the third day of the strike, Wednesday, most of the disruption was still concentrated on the Ici (formerly France Bleu) network, with 14 out of 44 morning shows not running.

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GEORGIA: Deutsche Welle Academy and MDF, in partnership with Myth Detector, are starting to accept participants for the Myth Detector Lab! (Internship – Georgian) 

MDF: The Media Development Foundation (MDF), in partnership with Myth Detector and with the support of Deutsche Welle Academy (DWA), is announcing the admission of young people to the joint program “Myth Detector Lab”. 

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GERMANY: Commission urges reforms at ARD and ZDF (German) 

Digital Fernsehen: In its second interim report, “Strengthening Trust in Public Broadcasting Through Transparency and a Will to Reform,” the Enquete Commission calls for “comprehensive reforms in public broadcasting.” These reforms are necessary to strengthen citizens’ trust.

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GERMANY: Takeover of ProSiebenSat.1 raises questions about media pluralism in Europe

EFJ: Italian media group MediaForEurope (MFE) is set to takeover German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 after the Czech major shareholder PPF announced its withdrawal, on 27 August 2025.

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GERMANY: The reform of the broadcasting fee is dead (German) 

Frankfurter Allgemeine: The new fee model for ARD and ZDF is on the verge of collapse. Three states have rejected an automatic increase in the broadcasting fee as long as ARD and ZDF continue their legal action in Karlsruhe.

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GERMANY & ISRAEL: Israeli military targets DW team in West Bank (Press release) 

DW: A DW team was threatened with weapons and fired on with tear gas by Israeli soldiers while filming in Ramallah, despite wearing clearly marked “PRESS” gear. The attack was caught on video.

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GERMANY & ISRAEL: DW chief condemns ‘unacceptable’ attack on journalists

DW: DW Director-General Peter Limbourg said there was “no justification for threatening press representatives.” In July, another DW team was attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Sinjil.

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IRELAND: Ryan Tubridy scandal fallout continues with Claire Byrne exit, as RTÉ’s flagship station schedule is torn up (Paywall) 

Irish Independent: Within the space of three years, every presenter on RTÉ’s flagship radio station from 9am to 3pm will soon have changed.

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KOSOVO: RTK rejects accusations of censorship: The removal of journalists is an organizational decision, not a disciplinary one 

Kossev: “Claims about ‘censorship’ or ‘silencing the professional voice’ do not stand. Editors still have full editorial freedom and rights, which they demonstrate through public appearances in RTK programs, as never before.

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LITHUANIA: Siena is reimagining sustainable journalism through business mindset and community building 

IPI: Lithuania’s investigative outlet launched a premium newsletter and found new revenue streams

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MALTA: Malta’s media freedom: Laws on paper, shackles in practice 

The Shift: What the man on the Clapham Omnibus is supposed to understand is that Malta is doing its bit to bring the European Media Freedom Act – one of the EU’s democracy safeguards – into our domestic system.

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NORWAY: NRK P13 becomes NRK P3 Music (Press release – Norwegian)

NRK: NRK P3, for its part, will continue as a young channel with a strengthened focus on humor. NRK P3 and NRK P3 Music will complement each other to meet the audience’s needs for humor, music and presenters who offer knowledge, insight and the best company.  

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POLAND: TVP and TVN24 protest against the obligation to display the TV Republika logo (Paywall – Polish) 

Gazeta Wyborcza: Public television was not allowed into the BHP hall, but it did broadcast the 45th anniversary of the signing of the August Agreements. The signal came not from TV Republika, but from the Chancellery of the President on the X portal.

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PORTUGAL: RTP’s independence: a battle won? (Paywall – Portuguese) 

Publico: RTP’s independence from political power does not depend solely on its governance model.

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RUSSIA: Russia’s repression record (Report) 

CPJ: Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, its media has experienced an unprecedented crackdown.

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SERBIA: Over 30 journalists attacked in under two months, RSF urges EU to strongly condemn record wave of violence

RSF: RSF calls on European Union (EU) member states and the European Parliament to send a clear message to the Serbian authorities that their passive stance – and potential complicity – in these abuses is incompatible with their goal of joining the EU.

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SLOVAKIA: STVR stopped the column about hoaxes Overovňa, neither Danko nor Daniš liked it

SME: Radio Slovakia will no longer explain spreading hoaxes to its listeners on Saturday evenings.

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SPAIN: Carlos Núñez: “The flood and the blackout are experiences that make me optimistic about the role of public radio.” (Spanish) 

RTVE: … In the case of the blackout, it was key not to create chaos, of which there was already quite a bit that day, but to treat things very seriously, very responsibly, as I believe was done. We were audience leaders, by the way, and it’s been recognized worldwide that that broadcast of more than eight hours was a true stress test of what public radio is, of what public radio should be. … 

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SWEDEN: “Behind the microphone” – the audience steps into the world of Swedish Radio (Press release – Swedish) 

SR: As part of Sveriges Radio’s 100th anniversary, Sveriges Radio is opening its studio doors to 100 listeners for a day behind the scenes. The initiative is called “Behind the Microphone”.

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SWEDEN: SVT and SR are becoming dangerously anxious (Opinion – Swedish) 

Aftondbladet: The debate about the journalist appeal is timid and evasive

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UK: Reform council boss bans local newspaper’s reporters 

BBC: The Reform UK leader of Nottinghamshire County Council has banned a local newspaper from speaking to him or any of his councillors “with immediate effect”.

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UKRAINE: Three newspaper buildings hit by Russian drones 

EFJ: Three Ukrainian newspaper editorial offices, two in Kyiv and one in Mezhivskyi, were hit overnight on 28 August by Russian drones, causing damage to the buildings and property inside.

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REGIONAL: European Parliament’s new “transparency”: keeping journalists (and lobbyists, and diplomats…) as far away as possible 

EUnews: “The changes introduced to the rules […] are part of a broader reform aligning with Parliament’s commitment to ensure transparency, accountability and public trust,” explained the European Parliament to Euronews, justifying certain restrictions on journalists’ freedom of movement within the EU Parliament.

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REGIONAL: Eurovision News unites broadcasters to deliver in-depth reporting on Gaza famine – despite strict media blockade (Press release) 

EBU: Multiple EBU Members have delivered a complex journalistic collaboration to report on the hunger and hardship in the Gaza Strip.

IRAN: Iran reformist front urges state TV to provide equal airtime

Iran Front Page: The head of Iran’s Reformist Front has criticized state broadcaster IRIB for a “biased and one-sided approach,” calling on the organization to grant reformist representatives a platform to present their views, particularly following the group’s recent national reconciliation statement.

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IRAN & AUSTRALIA: Journalists report death threats from Iranian regime (Listen)

ABC: Australians are among dozens of journalists and their families who have received death threats from the Iranian regime to try to silence them, in an alarming escalation since the Iran-Israel war.

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IRAQ: 20th Anniversary Collection: Surviving PTSD as an Iraq War correspondent (Listen) 

ABC: Michael Ware spent seven years as a war correspondent for Time magazine and CNN, reporting from Iraq. 

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ISRAEL: At Gaza’s border, influencers broadcast Israeli propaganda

Le Monde: In an effort to discredit the United Nations’s recognition of a state of famine in the enclave, the Israeli army has organized visits to a humanitarian aid platform near the Kerem Shalom crossing point.

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LEBANON: US envoy lectures Lebanese reporter on ‘animalistic’ conducts

MenaFN: US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, made controversial remarks during a press conference in Beirut that have drawn sharp criticism across Lebanon. 

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PALESTINE: ‘Exhausted, hungry, and scared’: What it’s like to be a journalist in Gaza 

BBC: “I never imagined that one day I would be living and working in a tent, deprived of the most basic human necessities – even water and a bathroom.

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PALESTINE: Local journalists and fixers are dying at unprecedented rates in Gaza. Can anyone protect them? 

The Conversation: Israel’s nearly two-year war in Gaza is among the deadliest in modern times. The Committee to Protect Journalists, which has tracked journalist deaths globally since 1992, has counted a staggering 189 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza since the war began.

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PALESTINE & GLOBAL: In a world first, over 250 media black out their front pages and broadcasting programmes to protest the killing of journalists in Gaza 

RSF: In an unprecedented international operation organised by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the global campaigning movement Avaaz, more than 250 news outlets from over 70 countries will simultaneously black out their front pages and website homepages, and interrupt their broadcasting to condemn the murder of journalists by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

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SYRIA: UNESCO Director-General condemns the killing of journalist Sari Majid Al-Shoufi in Syria (Press release)

UNESCO: Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, has condemned the killing of journalist Sari Majid Al-Shoufi in Ta’ara, Sweida Governorate, Syria. He was confirmed dead on 24 July after going missing ten days earlier.

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TURKEY: Turkish court upholds broadcast ban on pro-opposition TELE1

Stockholm Center for Freedom: The Ankara 23rd Administrative Court has rejected a motion filed by TELE 1, a pro-opposition TV station, seeking to suspend the execution of a five-day broadcast ban imposed by Turkey’s media watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), according to Turkish media reports.

CANADA: CBC heads to court to fight order to disclose subscriber numbers for Gem streaming service

National Post: CBC/Radio-Canada is going to court to defend its refusal to disclose subscriber numbers for its Gem streaming service.

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CANADA: CMMB report highlights value of Canadian media and ad sector

Broadcast Dialogue: A consortium of Canadian media organizations has released a new report it says is a call to action, recognizing the economic value of the sector as it continues to lose advertising revenue to foreign digital platforms. 

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US: As PBS Stations Confront Cuts, American History Takes a Hit (Paywall) 

The New York Times: The documentary series “American Experience” begins an abbreviated schedule this week. A victim of the federal funding take-back, it has suspended production and laid off its staff.

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US: Censoring Public Media Threatens Democracy (Opinion) 

The Daily Utah Chronicle: Public broadcasting services need funding to provide for Americans.

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US: More than 500 workers at Voice of America and other broadcasters to be laid off 

The Guardian: Acting CEO of parent agency makes announcement one day after judge blocks her from firing VOA director

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US: Public Broadcast Cuts Hit Rural Areas, Revealing a Political Shift (Paywall) 

The New York Times: Threatened by the president with political retribution, Republicans agreed to defund public broadcasting, imperiling a lifeline of communication in rural Alaska.

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US: The White House Is Its Own Media Outlet

CJR: The Trump administration is publishing articles that are top-ranked on Google News.

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US: Trump administration to tighten visa rules for students and journalists

ABC: The Trump administration has released new plans to tighten the duration of visas for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media, according to a proposed government regulation.

Global Disinformation Summit to take on elections, scams and war

LatAm Journalism Review: Influence operations in wars through disinformation, the use of manipulated content to commit scams, and the inclusion of the Portuguese language and disinformation issues in Brazil are the main new features of the fifth edition of the Global Disinformation Summit.

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Maria Ressa won the prize Donald Trump wants. She says US democracy is failing 

ABC: “This is our generation. This is our time. Will our leaders come together [to address this]? Because what we’ve seen is impunity, the violation of the international rules-based order,”

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Photojournalist resigns from Reuters over its ‘betrayal of journalists’ in Gaza

Asia Pacific Report: Canadian photojournalist Valerie Zink has resigned after eight years with Reuters, criticising the news agency’s stance on Gaza as a “betrayal of journalists” and accusing it of “justifying and enabling” the killing of 245 journalists in the Palestinian enclave.

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Publications aimed at LGBTQ+ audiences face discrimination from advertisers, editors warn

The Guardian: Media figures say ‘gold rush is over’, as attacks on diversity and inclusion have led to some advertisers avoiding outlets.

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The history of advertising at RTBF: between (dis)love, competition and survival (French) 

RTBF: Advertising is now part of RTBF’s daily routine, but there was a time when it was banned from the public service airwaves. How and why did advertising become a feature of RTBF?

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The next internet for news? Publishers gather to discuss protocols over platforms

Nieman Labs: Journalists and tech industry workers gathered at Protocols for Publishers to talk about building an internet that works for news.

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This is local news now: Rethinking who creates, shares, and sustains it (Report – PDF)

Press Forward: A revised framework for understanding and supporting news and information sources serving today’s local communities

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Trusted news sites may benefit in an internet full of AI-generated fakes, a new study finds

Nieman Labs: An economics paper found subscriber retention and daily visits both increased after readers were confronted with a difficult quiz with AI-generated images.

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Why more and more people are tuning the news out: ‘Now I don’t have that anxiety’

The Guardian: Emotional toll of constant negative news and unlimited access to ‘doomscrolling’ has led to record-high news avoidance.