Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world
Public media is in peril and facing many challenges. Social media platforms are presenting an existential crisis to public service media. Governments are trying to extend their control and influence on the editorial output of the broadcasters. Funding systems for many are up in the air. Journalists are facing threats, attacks and harassment, both online and in-person. But it’s also an exciting time for public service media – digital platforms provide new opportunities to reach audiences, technology means public broadcasters can be innovative in how they provide a public service.
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What we're watching...
In Ghana, Photojournalist Inspires Deaf Students to Explore Visual Storytelling
VOA: For students with a disability, career options can appear limited. But in Ghana, one journalist is using photojournalism to encourage students at a deaf school to broaden their horizons. For VOA, Senanu Tord reports from Savelugu, Ghana.
What we're listening to...
How social media is shaping the 2024 EU elections
Euractiv: Together with Katja Muñoz, research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations’ Center for Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, and Technology, we talk about the impact of social media and technology on the 2024 European Parliament elections, TikTok and Meta’s election preparations, the lack of access for data for researchers, and even Taylor Swift.
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Global Headlines
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ALGERIA: APS inks cooperation agreement with Gabon’s AGP (Press release)
APS: The agreement was signed, on the sidelines of the 7th Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), by the Director General of APS, Samir Gaïd, and his counterpart of AGP, Ghislain Ruffin Etoughet Nzuet.
CAMEROON: 17 Suspects in Reporter’s Death to Stand Trial in Cameroon
VOA: Seventeen people, including a top businessman and an ex-secret service chief will stand trial in Cameroon over the killing of a popular journalist, according to court papers seen by AFP.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: DRC police detain journalist Masand Mafuta, slap him, seize equipment and money
CPJ: Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) must hold accountable the police officers who arrested and then assaulted journalist Masand Mafuta, and ensure his belongings are returned
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Eastern DR Congo: Al Jazeera’s sanitization of killer militia needs to stop (Opinion)
The New Times
ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia Releases French Journalist After Week of Imprisonment
VOA: French journalist Antoine Galindo, who was detained for a week in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, was released Thursday ahead of his scheduled second appearance in court Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said.
GHANA: It’s time for GBC to get needed attention – Prof. Amin Alhassan
GBC: The Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Professor Amin Alhassan, has emphasised that the corporation has faithfully served the country, and it is time for Ghana to give it the attention it deserves.
LIBYA & TUNISIA: Libyan Center for Press Freedom decries Mitiga Airport’s rejection of Tunisian journalist’s entry
The Libya Observer: The Libyan Center for Press Freedom denounced the refusal of the Mitiga airport security authorities to allow Tunisian journalist Mohamed Al-Youssoufi to enter the country, calling on Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to fulfill his pledges regarding media freedom.
MOROCCO: IFJ and unions in the Arab world join forces to promote press freedom in the region
IFJ: Representatives of IFJ-affiliated unions across the Middle East and the Arab World came together on 13 and 14 February in Casablanca, Morocco, to attend a press-freedom reporting workshop organised by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and hosted by the Moroccan National Press Union (SNPM).
CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed the February 14 decision by an appeal court in Nigeria’s western Kwara State acquitting journalists Gidado Yushau and Alfred Olufemi of criminal conspiracy and defamation, charges for which they were convicted last year, and reiterates the call for Nigerian authorities to reform their country’s laws to ensure journalism is never criminalized.
NIGERIA: ECOWAS Court dismisses suit seeking compensation for slain Nigerian journalists
Premium Times NG: The ECOWAS Court of Justice on Monday in Abuja dismissed a petition filed by Media Rights Agenda (MRA), an NGO, seeking to compel the Nigerian government to pay N10 million reparation each to the families of 11 deceased journalists.
NIGERIA: Maintain public trust- Bulama urges FRCN Cooperative executives
FRCN: The Director General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Dr. Mohammed Bulama, has instructed the leadership of the FRCN Headquarters Cooperative Society to maintain the trust of its members as they manage their savings over the next two years.
SOMALIA: Muna Ibrahim Dakhtar: Setting a leading example for Somali women journalists
Horn Observer
SOUTH AFRICA: Show Us Our Data, Media In South Africa Demands Of Google
Forbes: South Africa has become the latest country to demand that Google reveal how much information it uses and money it is making from news publishers.
ZIMBABWE: Former ZBC CEO says she was ousted after Minister Muswere made advances towards her
New Zimbabwe: FORMER Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) Adelaide Chikunguru has broken her silence over her resignation from the public broadcaster making allegations of “advances” by Minister of Information Jenfan Muswere towards her.
ZIMBABWE: ZBC suspends embattled CEO Chikunguru
New Zimbabwe: STATE broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has suspended its underfire Chief Executive Officer, Adelaide Chikunguru.
Delegation of the European Union to the African Union: The African Union Media Fellowship Programme (AUMF) is one of the African Union flagship programmes that aims at transforming African media by empowering African media professionals and content creators to challenge prevailing narratives about Africa.
REGIONAL: IPI delivers press freedom training on elections and access to information with African Union Media Fellows (Event recap)
IPI: Helping equip journalists for the “year of democracy”
AFGHANISTAN: Taliban bans women from calling up radio stations in Khost province
Radioinfo Asia: The Taliban have banned girls from making phone calls to radio stations and television channels in Southeast Khost Province.
AFGHANISTAN: Taliban to ban women from working in TV if they do not cover their faces
The Independent: The Taliban will ban women media workers in Kabul if they fail to adhere to a “modest dress code” which includes face veils, said an independent media body that operates in Afghanistan.
BANGLADESH: I’m concerned by allegations that justice system being used to harass journos in Bangladesh: Volker Türk
Prothom Alo: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has expressed his concerns over allegations that the justice system is being used to harass human rights advocates, journalists and civil society leaders in Bangladesh.
CAMBODIA: Cambodia’s pioneering post-Khmer Rouge era Phnom Penh Post newspaper will stop print publication
Editor & Publisher: The Phnom Penh Post, a newspaper founded in 1992 as Cambodia sought to re-establish stability and democracy after decades of war and unrest, said Friday that it will stop publishing in print this month, the latest blow to the country’s dwindling independent media.
CHINA: China ends a 30 year tradition: premier’s annual press conference
Business Recorder: China has scrapped one of the most widely-followed events on its economic and policy calendar, the premier’s post-parliament news conference, a move seen by some observers as a sign of the country’s increasingly inward focus and centralised control.
CHINA: State TV airs China’s first AI-developed cartoon series
South China Morning Post: State broadcaster China Media Group has started airing the country’s first cartoon series made with the help of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) services, including text-to-video tools similar to OpenAI’s Sora, as the government calls on state-owned firms to pilot the use of AI in their businesses.
HONG KONG: CPJ calls on Hong Kong to scrap proposed law that could further criminalize critical reporting
CPJ: The Hong Kong government must immediately halt plans to introduce new national security legislation that could strangle the city’s news industry by introducing new offenses including “acts of seditious intention” and “theft of state secrets,”
HONG KONG: Domain Takeover Ends Apple Daily Tenure as Pro-Democracy News Site
VOA: The last print run for Hong Kong’s iconic Apple Daily newspaper came on June 24, 2021.
HKFP: The “broad and vague” terms in Hong Kong’s proposed domestic security law may further curtail free speech and press freedom in the city, foreign governments and overseas legal groups have warned.
Variety: The corridor talk at next week’s FICCI-Frames conference in Mumbai, often Indian media’s top confab, is for once less likely to focus on ‘what if?’ and more on ‘what next?’
INDIA: Media freedom in India compromised as billionaire press barons tighten grip
Business Mirror: An exodus of star anchors. Fawning coverage of India’s political leaders. Newsroom censoring of reporters who ask the government tough questions on the economy, public policy and conflict.
INDIA: Nita Ambani is now the most powerful woman in Indian media
CNN: Just a few months ago, Nita Ambani stepped away from frontline business to focus on philanthropy. Now, the wife of Asia’s richest man is back with the biggest job in the ferociously competitive world of India media.
INDONESIA: Indonesia to Require Digital Platforms to Pay for Media Content, President Says
The Diplomat: On Tuesday, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced that he had signed a regulation requiring digital platforms to pay media outlets that provide them with content.
INDONESIA: Meta Decision on Australian Media Potentially Hinders Jokowi’s Publisher Rights Plan
Tempo: The decision by Meta to stop paying Australian news publishers for content on Facebook could potentially hinder President Joko Widodo or Jokowi’s plan to support Indonesian media. Meta Platforms’ decision set up a fresh battle with Canberra which had led the world with a law that forces internet giants to strike licensing deals.
JAPAN: Editorial: Will governing board head of Japan’s NHK leave without reflection on controversy?
The Mainichi: The chairman of NHK’s Board of Governors, Shunzo Morishita, is set to retire at the end of this month after serving out his term. He bears a heavy responsibility for failing to grasp the mission of journalism and damaging the public and viewers’ trust in the public broadcaster.
JAPAN: TV Japan to Discontinue Broadcasts March 31, Will Launch Streaming Service
Rafu Shimpo: TV Japan, the paid television service that has brought 24-hour Japanese-language programming to North America for more than 30 years, has announced it will cease broadcasting on March 31 and will transition to an online streaming service.
MYANMAR: IPI condemns torturing and killing of journalist in military custody
IPI: IPI calls for a swift, transparent investigation.
NEPAL: Press in crisis in Nepal as media revenues dip
Dhaka Tribune: Bhupa Raj Khadka, A journalist with thirty years of media experience opened a store in Bhaktapur, a suburb of the capital Kathmandu, Nepal.
PAKISTAN: Pakistan has jailed one of its last independent journalists
The Spectator: In a cosy Persian restaurant in an Islamabad strip mall, a young man approached Asad Ali Toor for a selfie. ‘I watch your show, I admire your work, thank you for what you do,’ he told the journalist.
PHILIPPINES: CPJ, partners offer new leads in murder case of Philippine journalist Gerry Ortega
CPJ: The “A Safer World for the Truth” initiative—a coalition of three international press freedom organisations—met with the Philippine Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to provide new and actionable information that could lead to the arrest of the alleged mastermind behind the 2011 murder of radio journalist Gerry Ortega.
SOUTH KOREA: Hollywood’s Streaming Malaise Infects South Korea, Asia’s TV Capital
Bloomberg: After years of pumping out hit shows, South Korea’s biggest media companies are cutting back and consolidating to survive a global pullback in entertainment.
VIETNAM: Vietnam tightens grip on social media influencers
DW: Vietnam authorities arrested a popular YouTuber last week. But why is the Vietnamese government cracking down on independent voices?
AUSTRALIA & PACIFIC: ABC hosted the inaugural Pacific Australia Media Leaders Meeting in Ultimo, Sydney, Australia (Press release)
ABC: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Managing Director David Anderson and Pacific Isands News Association (PINA) President and National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) Papua New Guinea Managing Director Kora Nou hosted 27 CEOs, managing directors and editors from media houses in 12 countries across the Pacific.
AUSTRALIA: If Meta’s intransigence isn’t enough, AI poses an even greater threat to journalism (Opinion)
The Guardian: While Facebook has refused to renew its Australian media deals, robots scraping news sites for content could upend the industry entirely.
AUSTRALIA: Israel-Gaza dominates complaints but Ombudsman finds ABC coverage ‘professional’ (Press release)
ABC: 6,539 complaint issues relating to matters published or broadcast on the ABC were raised with the Ombudsman’s Office in 2023. This reflects a 5-year high with 51% of all issues related to the Israel-Gaza war and 11% concerning the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
AUSTRALIA: Meta on collision course with Australian government after announcing end to journalism funding deals
The Guardian: Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, has set itself on a collision course with the Albanese government after announcing it will stop paying Australian publishers for news, and plans to shut down its news tab in Australia and the United States.
AUSTRALIA: Onerous demands and threats: Inside Facebook’s secret media deals
Australian Financial Review: A secret deal between Facebook and Network Ten included onerous requirements for the broadcaster to share some 18,000 videos to the social media platform and threats to tear up the $14 million contract if the technology giant was forced to the negotiating table by the government.
AUSTRALIA: SBS announces new development fund to discover Australia’s biggest and riskiest new factual hit (Press release)
SBS: SBS is searching for its most daring, unflinchingly fearless and boundary-smashing factual format yet, issuing a call out for impactful ideas for new documentary series unlike anything seen on Australian screens before, with up to $50,000 in development funding on offer.
AUSTRALIA: TikTok, Apple News and Instagram should be included in news media bargaining code, Greens say
The Guardian: TikTok, Apple News and Instagram should be included in deals under the news media bargaining code to reflect the change in where Australians are consuming their news online, the Greens say.
AUSTRALIA & PAPUA NEW GUINEA: ABC’s development arm supports new PNG health program (Press release)
ABC: ABC International Development (ABCID) is supporting a Papua New Guinean (PNG) national health promotion campaign to tackle vaccination misinformation and boost public trust in vaccinations.
FIJI: Radio group tops research on Fiji media
The Fiji Times: Local radio conglomerate Communications Fiji Ltd (CFL) has topped the recently released Tebbutt Research 2023 Fiji Media Survey, the company announced at the South Pacific Stock Exchange (SPX) this week.
NEW ZEALAND: Brownlee bans student journalists from Parliament press gallery
The Spinoff: Speaker of the house Gerry Brownlee revoked the press pass for the Aotearoa Student Press Association last week, leaving affected journalists baffled as to why.
NEW ZEALAND: Māori journalists have concerns over uncertain media landscape following Newshub’s demise
The NZ Herald: The Independent Māori Journalists Association, Kawea Te Rongo, is “extremely concerned” about the future of journalism in Aotearoa, particularly the impacts on Māori media following Newshub’s announced closure.
NEW ZEALAND: Newshub second high profile media outlet to close in a year
The Post: It’s been a torrid few years for New Zealand media outlets with a mixture of closures, multinational buyouts and Aussie offloads.
NEW ZEALAND: ‘We can’t just have white people reporting news’: Pacific reaction to Newshub’s closure
PMN: Newshub’s closure prompts questions around diversity and democracy in news media, and lessons we can learn from news media in the Pacific.
REGIONAL: USP to host ‘critical issues’ Pacific media conference to shape future
Asia Pacific Report: The University of the South Pacific will host a major Pacific international media conference in July to address critical issues in the regional news media sector in the aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic and digital disruption.
AUSTRIA: Media economist Dobusch recommends ORF YouTube as a streaming model (German)
Der Standard: The Austrian media scientist, ZDF board member and co-founder of the Momentum Institute Leonhard Dobusch recommends that the ORF and other public broadcasters who are based on Netflix when streaming use YouTube as a model.
AUSTRIA: Salary transparency and ethics rules: explosive material in the ORF Foundation Board (German)
Der Standard: ORF boss Weißmann is expected to present a report on the status quo to the finance committee on Monday. Peter Westenthaler is there for the first time – and he has a lot planned.
CROATIA: Media capture in Croatia: how the State uses funding to control local media
IPI: Unveiling Croatia’s media landscape: amid political influence and the struggle for media independence
FRANCE: France 24 changes its editorial offering: Vanessa Burggraf explains (Listen)
RFI: On Monday 4 March, a new editorial offering and a new look will be launched on French international public service television.
FRANCE: Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture: “It is important to keep a powerful public audiovisual sector” (French)
Radiofrance: Inequalities in access to culture, financing of public broadcasting, budget for live entertainment, MeToo of French cinema… Interview with Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture.
GERMANY: Brandenburg journalists complain about AfD hostility (German)
Deutschlandradio: Trouble over accreditations and denunciations: The AfD’s handling of the media is regularly criticized. In Brandenburg it developed into “open hostility” in the state election year of 2024, says state press conference boss Lassiwe.
GERMANY: Isn’t the broadcasting fee increasing after all? (German)
Sächsische: Saxony’s media minister does not see a majority in the states in favor of more money for ARD and ZDF. The state parliaments may therefore not decide at all.
GREECE: Freedom of press under threat (Watch)
DW: Journalists in Greece reporting on corruption and surveillance scandals fear for their lives.
GREECE: Thousands of Greeks paralyse Athens as rule of law takes centre stage
Euractiv: The discussion over Greece’s rule of law at the EU level started in July 2022, when a wiretapping scandal revealed that the phones of businessmen, journalists, prosecutors, state officers, politicians, government ministers were bugged with notorious Predator spyware.
IRELAND: Govt approves appointment of two new RTÉ Board members
RTÉ: The Government has approved the appointment of two new members of the RTÉ Board. They are film director Neasa Hardiman and business leader Terri Moloney.
IRELAND: Irish Language Advertising set to run on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta for the first time in its 50 year history (Press release)
RTÉ: Having celebrated its 50th year in 2022, Ireland’s national Irish-language radio station, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, is set to mark another significant milestone with the introduction of radio advertising in Irish for the first time.
IRELAND: Terence O’Rourke set to be named new RTÉ Chair
RTÉ: Former KPMG managing partner Terence O’Rourke looks set to be appointed Chair of RTÉ Board.
IRELAND: ‘Trust broke down’ between Martin and ex-RTÉ Chair, says Taoiseach
RTÉ: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said “trust broke down” between Minister for Media Catherine Martin and former RTÉ Chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh, adding that he does not believe Ms Ní Raghallaigh’s reputation should be tarnished by what has happened.
LITHUANIA: The prepared values of LRT are openness, innovativeness, independence and reliability (Press release – Lithuanian)
LRT: “Like every organization, the public broadcaster has developed its own values and guidelines for all members of the organization to adhere to them.”
MALTA: Four things the book A Death in Malta teaches us about journalism in Europe (Analysis)
The Fix: A gripping account of the key moments in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s life showing the naked truth of journalism in today’s Europe
MOLDOVA: Explainer: Russia’s disinformation activities in Moldova (Insight)
BBC Monitoring: False claims about Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion appeared regularly in Moldova’s pro-Russian traditional media in the second year of the war.
NORTH MACEDONIA: North Macedonia Ends Ban on State Ads in Private Media
Balkan Insight: Reversal of years-long ban on state-funded advertisements in media angers journalists’ unions who say the law change is likely to restore media dependence on politics.
POLAND: Report of the Council of Europe. They suggest serious changes in the Polish media (Polish)
Interia: “The new Polish government must avoid perpetuating the politicisation of public media and regulatory bodies,” warns the Council of Europe. The authors of the new report on the state of the media – the Journalists’ Safety Platform – call for the fastest and comprehensive reform of the public media market on the Vistula River.
POLAND: Spanish journalist Pablo González in custody for two years on charges of spying for Russia
IFJ: Spanish freelance reporter Pablo González is the only journalist imprisoned in an EU member state. On 28 February, it will be two years since he was arrested and held in pre-trial detention in Poland without any evidence of the allegations against him being made public and no trial in sight.
RUSSIA: Russian prison system is slowing killing Ukrainian journalist, Iryna Danilovych, denying her medical care (Statement)
RSF: The state of health of Ukrainian journalist Iryna Danilovych, imprisoned in Russia following her arrest in Crimea in April 2022, is deteriorating. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges the Russian authorities to give her urgent access to medical care and will hold them responsible for her death if she is not treated and released.
Slavko Ćuruvija: Speaking to TV N1, Jelena Ćuruvija Đurica, daughter of murdered journalist Slavko Ćuruvija and honorary president of the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, said that, with the acquittals of those accused of her father’s murder, she was “not the only one defeated”, but rather the judiciary, prosecutor’s office, journalists and citizens also lost.
Slavko Ćuruvija: N1 Programme Director Igor Božić stressed that journalists of this media house have received threatening comments on many previous occasions, but that this one is specific because the person issuing the threat claimed to know where the journalists live.
SLOVAKIA: It’s not looking good. Independent media in Slovakia 2024 is taking a lot of beating (Opinion)
The Fix: Journalists critical of the current pro-Russian Slovak government are facing harassment and attacks; we are starting to see the first cracks
SLOVAKIA: Minister Šimkovičová accuses RTVS of being non-public and tabloid. False claims, the radio station responds (Slovakian)
RTVS: The Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nominee) launched a criticism of Radio and Television (Slovakia), subsequently receiving a response from Mlynská dolina.
SLOVENIA: Operational meeting between Žiža and Arčon on the government agreement (Slovenian)
RTV SLO: The question of Radio and TV Koper was at the centre of the talks, in which the director of the government office for minorities, Rok Petje, also participated. A meeting between the two members of the executive on Thursday
SPAIN: RTVE Equality Observatory The RTVE Equality Observatory organizes the conference ‘Challenges and keys in the management of equality in the company’ (Press release – Spanish)
RTVE: The RTVE Equality Observatory celebrates the day ‘Challenges and keys in the management of equality in the company’ on March 7 , starting at 9:30 a.m. in the Prado del Rey Auditorium (Madrid).
UK: An update on the BBC’s plans for Generative AI (Gen AI) and how we plan to use AI tools responsibly (Editorial)
BBC: Today I wanted to give you an update on what we’ve been doing – including the outline of a number of Gen AI test pilots that we’re currently working on and details of new guidance that we’re providing on the use of AI.
UK: Journalists call for foreign media access to Gaza in open letter
BBC: More than 50 journalists have sent an open letter calling on Israel and Egypt to provide “free and unfettered access to Gaza for all foreign media”.
UK: Murdoch’s TalkTV to close down television channel and go online only
iNews: Rupert Murdoch’s TalkTV is to close as a linear traditional broadcast TV channel and move online only after two years marred by poor ratings.
UK: New technology to show why images and video are genuine launches on BBC News (Press release)
BBC: BBC News has introduced a new ‘content credentials’ feature, which confirms where an image or video has come from and how its authenticity has been verified. It also uses new technology to embed this information within the image or video itself – helping to counter disinformation when the content is shared outside the BBC.
UK: RSF calls for full transparency in investigation into alleged police surveillance of journalists
RSF: A London tribunal investigating the alleged surveillance of two journalists in Northern Ireland has heard shocking allegations that police set a trap for the journalists in order to unmask their sources.
UK: The TV licence fee scandal: why are 1,000 people a week being casually criminalised?
The Guardian: TV Licensing’s prosecutions have targeted some shockingly vulnerable people. One man’s licence ran out while he was in hospital for 11 weeks, and despite renewing it as soon as he was discharged, he was prosecuted six days later.
UKRAINE: IPI calls on International Criminal Court to investigate attacks on Ukrainian media (Statement)
IPI: Submission requests review of 72 cases as potential war crimes amid Russia’s war of aggression
REGIONAL: Anti-SLAPP law gets final seal of approval from EU Parliament
Euractiv: The European Parliament approved with an overwhelming majority a law protecting journalists and human rights advocates from abusive legal proceedings designed to stifle freedom of speech, marking the end of a six-year push to get the law across the line.
REGIONAL: EMFA: ‘It will be crucial for states to take this legal framework seriously’ (Interview)
Civicus: CIVICUS speaks with Renate Schroeder, Director of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), about the European Media Freedom Act, the first integrated legislation that protects freedom of expression and media independence and pluralism in the European Union.
REGIONAL: Google sued for $2.3bn by European media groups over digital ad losses
The Guardian: Lawsuit filed by publishers including Axel Springer allege Google ‘abused its dominant position’ in digital ad-tech
REGIONAL: New EU rules to defend critical voices from judicial intimidation (Press release)
European Parliament: MEPs confirmed on Tuesday their determination to protect journalists, activists and academics and their organisations against abusive lawsuits aimed at silencing them.
REGIONAL: Security challenges loom as EU Parliament prepares TikTok campaign for elections
Euractiv: The European Parliament’s plan to use TikTok in campaigning for the June EU elections, despite prior cybersecurity bans, raises questions about its secure implementation as specifics regarding the Parliament’s approach remain undisclosed.
REGIONAL: With 100 days to go to EU elections, RSF proposes 12-point New Deal for Right to Information
RSF: How can the European Union safeguard our right to reliable news and information in the face of growing disinformation, and technology such as generative artificial intelligence with an unprecedented ability to manipulate content?
ARGENTINA: Argentina govt suspends state news agency Telam
France24: Argentina’s government on Monday suspended the Telam state news agency in the wake of an announcement by President Javier Milei that he would shut down what he called a mouthpiece of “propaganda” for previous leftist administrations.
ARGENTINA: Milei could activate an “Entel plan” to liquidate public media without paying compensation (Spanish)
La Política: Instead of paying compensation, which they estimate is close to $100 million, the government would seek to create a residual entity until the employees retire.
ARGENTINA: Public TV, National Radio and Conicet, the next objectives to be eliminated by Javier Milei (Spanish)
Página 12: As he had already anticipated, and after fulfilling his promise to close the Noticias Télam agency, President Javier Milei is going for more : now he has hinted at his intentions to “tear down” CONICET and privatize Public TV and National Radio.
ARGENTINA: The new director of the Argentine National Radio fires more than 100 workers (Spanish)
Infobae: The new director of the National Radio of Argentina, Héctor Cavallero, appointed by the Government of Javier Milei, has taken one of his first measures at the head of this medium, which is none other than the dismissal of more than 100 journalists, producers and employees administrative workers whose contracts ended between February and March of this year.
BRAZIL: How one Brazilian radio station is creating a space for Indigenous storytelling
IJNet: There is one radio station today, however, dedicated to broadcasting songs, news, interviews and shows made for and by Indigenous people in Brazil: Yandê Radio, the country’s first Indigenous online radio station.
CHILE: UN Committee receives recommendations to improve freedom of expression in Chile (Spanish)
Infobae: The Coalition for Strengthening Freedom of Expression (Cofle) of Chile delivered this Monday to the United Nations Human Rights Committee its concerns and recommendations regarding freedom of expression, violence against journalists, information pluralism and media creation.
COSTA RICA: Costa Rica, the ‘sanctuary’ for journalists and media outlets persecuted or threatened in the region (Spanish)
Diario de Cuba: The number of exiled journalists has grown significantly, after the authoritarian wave that swept through Central America between 2022 and 2023.
ECUADOR: Journalism in Ecuador: between exile, threats and murders in impunity (Spanish)
France24: In less than a year, 11 Ecuadorian journalists have resorted to exile after receiving death threats. Without guarantees of life and state protection, many of these professionals are reconsidering their future, while those who remain in Ecuador demand security.
HONDURAS: Threats against investigative journalism continue (Spanish)
Article 19: ARTICLE 19 rejects the indirect threats against the Honduran media Reportar Sin Miedo and its journalistic team, after publishing the investigation “The new rich people of San Pedro Sula, between the networks of corruption and garbage ” , as well as the intimidation and threats against the media that have disseminated it.
MEXICO: Murders, intimidation and judicial harassment: Mexico is among the most violent countries for journalists (Spanish)
El País: Despite the 19% decrease in attacks, Article 19 recorded 561 attacks against the press last year, one every 16 hours.
MEXICO: This is the message that is heard when dialling the cell phone of the journalists who showed solidarity with the NYT reporter (Spanish)
Infobae: In a united effort to combat violence against the press in Mexico, several women journalists and opinion leaders have launched the #CambiaElNúmero campaign , in response to the public exposure of the telephone number of a correspondent for The New York Times by the President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, during one of his “morning sessions.”
NICARAGUA: From exile, Nicaraguan journalists commemorate his day (Watch – Spanish)
VOA: This March 1st marks National Journalist’s Day in Nicaragua, under a discouraging panorama. The exile of more than 200 reporters and the closure of more than 50 media outlets in the last 5 years has forced many to abandon the profession. Donaldo Hernández informs us.
PUERTO RICO: Noticentro journalists picket in front of WAPA TV for “abuses” by management (Spanish)
Metro: A group of employees from the WAPA TV News Department demonstrated in front of the local station’s facilities to denounce what they classified as an “intolerable situation” due to confrontations with middle management, in addition to denouncing violations of the collective agreement.
REGIONAL: CBU Caribbean Media Awards open for entries
IJNet: Journalists, media practitioners and content creators from the English, Dutch, French and Spanish speaking Caribbean can compete for awards.
RSF: Despite the Iranian government’s attempts to show an attitude of reconciliation with the press in the run-up to the 1 March legislative elections, a sinister reality remains, with 15 journalists in prison ahead of election day and many others still actively pursued by a predatory judiciary.
IRAN: VOA Statement Denouncing Actions by Tehran Revolutionary Court Against VOA Journalists (Statement)
VOA: VOA condemns the recently revealed actions taken in secret by the Tehran Revolutionary Court in 2022 that tried and convicted 44 journalists – including 11 at VOA – in absentia for allegedly producing “propaganda against the government.”
ISRAEL: KAN Confirms Changes to Previously Rejected Eurovision Songs
Eurovoix: The Israeli public broadcaster has released a statement outlining that changes are being made to its songs that were previously rejected by the EBU.
ISRAEL: Public Broadcaster Kan Removes Segment Labelling Israeli Berlinale Winner’s Speech Antisemitic
Haaretz: Israeli film director Yuval Avraham’s acceptance speech, which referenced oppressed Palestinians in the West Bank, was labeled ‘antisemitic’ by public broadcaster Kan. Avraham has ‘received countless threats, death-wishes and curses’ since its publication, his lawyers say
ISRAEL & GERMANY: CPJ urges protection for Israeli journalist threatened with death after accepting film award
CPJ: Israeli authorities must ensure necessary protections for Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and his family, who were repeatedly threatened following criticism from high-level Israeli and German government officials.
Duvar: A Turkish court sentenced Erdem Gül, journalist and mayor of Istanbul’s Adalar District Municipality, to five years in prison for “knowingly and willingly aiding a terrorist organization,” in the Syria-bound intel trucks case.
TURKEY: Turkey’s media watchdog intends to monitor broadcasts on YouTube, others
Turkish Minute: Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), which monitors broadcasts on national television and radio stations, is also intending to scrutinize broadcasts on YouTube and other social media sites, according a press statement from the council on Tuesday.
TURKEY: Turkish opposition leader slams state media for unfair broadcast
Rudaw: The leader of Turkey’s largest opposition party on Tuesday slammed the country’s state media for the disproportionate screen time it allotted to the ruling party’s candidates in comparison to his own, ahead of local elections next month.
CANADA: A tough road ahead for journalism
National Observer: Earlier this month, The New Yorker ran an incredibly sobering feature by staff writer Clare Malone under the attention-grabbing, though perhaps slightly hyperbolic, headline: Is the Media Prepared for an Extinction-Level Event?
CANADA: Canada to crack down on foreign investment in digital media sector
Reuters: Canada will crack down on foreign investment in the interactive digital media sector to stop state-sponsored actors from endangering national security, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said on Friday.
CANADA: CBC/Radio-Canada excluded from list of entities required to cut spending by 3.3 (French)
Radio-Canada: Canada’s public broadcaster will not be subject to the spending reduction requirements imposed on other federal departments and agencies, despite claims by its executives that they have been asked to reduce the budget for the next financial year.
CANADA: CBC/Radio-Canada reaches agreement in principle for more than 4,400 employees (French)
Radio-Canada: The Canadian Media Guild (CMG) has announced that it has reached a tentative agreement with CBC/Radio-Canada. The union said in a press release that the agreement has been recommended by its bargaining committee and that details are currently being shared with its more than 4,400 members.
CANADA: Draft Canada law would force social media companies to quickly remove harmful content
Reuters: The bill says major social media companies must quickly remove content that sexually victimizes a child as well as intimate content communicated without consent.
CANADA: Federal government pledges $58.8M to continue local journalism program to 2027
CBC: Program funds 400 local reporting jobs across Canada
CANADA: How audience data is shaping Canadian journalism
The Conversation: With media conglomerates slashing jobs, programs and publications and growing news avoidance and perceived issues of trust in journalism, finding ways to catch, engage and retain an audience has become a matter of survival for those in the news business.
US: AI Chatbots Provide False Information About November Elections
VOA: Americans planning on voting for president in November shouldn’t trust popular artificial intelligence-powered chatbots for even the most basic information about the election, a study released this week by a team of journalists and academic researchers said.
US: Digital Media Outlets Sue OpenAI for Copyright Infringement
The New York Times: Raw Story, AlterNet and The Intercept sued for copyright infringement over the way the ChatGPT creator trains its technology.
US: How A Handful of Court Cases Could Give the Government More Power Over Social Media (Report)
Nieman Report: Between Montana’s TikTok ban and the Supreme Court’s consideration of whether to allow public officials to block private citizens and control content-moderation practices, the information landscape could be changing — for the worse
US: How Black women get their political news matters for this election
Nieman Lab: A new study investigates the ways Black women use social media, TV news, and other sources to engage with politics.
US: How the Media Industry Keeps Losing the Future (Opinion)
The New York Times: Roger Fidler tried his best, but the excellent business of journalism is gone for good. Can the idea of “news” survive in a digital world?
US: Indictment of Florida journalist raises troubling questions
Columbia Journalism Review
US: The space for dissent in conservative media is about to get even smaller
Columbia Journalism Review: Florida governor Ron DeSantis has been harsh in his assessment of the right-wing media’s kid-gloves treatment of former president Donald Trump.
Poynter: Only five American newsroom unions have held indefinite strikes in the past two decades
US: US Journalist Held in Civil Contempt for Refusing to Divulge Source
VOA: A federal judge held veteran investigative reporter Catherine Herridge in civil contempt on Thursday for refusing to divulge her source for a series of Fox News stories about a Chinese American scientist who was investigated by the FBI but never charged.
US: What happened when the Chicago Sun-Times freed the news
Nieman Lab: After a $61 million acquisition by public media, Chicago-Sun Times readers get free content and the newsroom has grown. But no one’s taking a victory lap for local news yet.
8 solutions for mitigating gender bias in GenAI-assisted news
IJNet: Biases baked into generative AI (GenAI) quiet, distort and silence the voices of underrepresented groups, especially women and women of color. An important first step for newsrooms to tackle gender and racial biases in GenAI is therefore to diagnose what the biases are and how deeply they affect coverage.
Belle de Jong: “We have to be radical in our criticism and our scrutinising.” (Interview – Opinion)
TellTale: A conversation with a fellow journalist. […] She spoke to me about what drives her work, her visions for the future of media, and why it’s important to remember that journalists are people too.
Four biases that leave under-represented groups out of GenAI-assisted journalism
Journalim.co.uk: If generative AI is left unchecked, the news industry of tomorrow will lack (even more so) the perspectives of women, ethnic minorities and people from the global south
How the media industry keeps losing the future
The New York Times: Roger Fidler tried his best, but the excellent business of journalism is gone for good. Can the idea of “news” survive in a digital world?
The Atlantic: The social contract of trust between experts and society is in danger of dissolving. We need to start putting it back together.
Instagram’s uneasy rise as a news site
The New York Times: In this year’s presidential election, more people are turning to Instagram for news, even as the platform tries de-emphasizing “political content.”
Journalism is in freefall. These writers aren’t giving up: ‘We can go out swinging’
The Guardian: With layoffs ramping up across the media industry, reporters are trying a new model: co-operative newsrooms of their own
Journalism Needs Leaders Who Know How to Run a Business (Opinion)
Nieman Reports: These are the five crucial skills for the next generation of media leaders in the era of community-centric journalism.
‘Let us into Gaza’: 55 UK and US foreign reporters urge Israel and Egypt to lift news blockade
Press Gazette: More than 55 foreign correspondents have issued a plea for access to Gaza through Israel and Egypt, saying it would help them bolster the efforts of local journalists whose safety is at risk.
New resources to help journalists fight elections misinformation
Journalism.co.uk: Use this tracking tipsheet from US-based fact-checkers Newsguard to stay on top of the main trends in misleading voters around the world
Tips for building a reporting calendar
IJNet: From extreme climate events and armed conflicts, to major elections and more, journalists can feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of stories demanding coverage. Even with strong management skills, reporters may regularly find themselves playing catch-up on significant events as they unfold.
The Guardian: On Friday it was announced that the media company Vice would lay off hundreds of workers and halt publishing.
What happens when an industry is saddled with existential dread? (Opinion)
Poynter: Many news workers wonder if they’ll wake up tomorrow with a job. That uncertainty can cause hyperactivity — or outright nihilism.
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Header image: Brasilia TV Tower at sunset – Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil. Credit: diegograndi/istock
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