INDIA: India’s Crackdown on the Press

CJR: Fatima Khan, an independent journalist from New Delhi, says press freedom is diminishing in India—but she has hope for Gen Z.

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INDIA: India’s Media Giants Join Fight Against Modi’s Privacy Law

The New York Times: News organizations owned by two billionaires close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi say the legislation could make investigative reporting nearly impossible.

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JAPAN: NHK executive vice president elected as ABU president 

NHK World: NHK’s Executive Vice President Yamana Hiroo has been elected as the next president of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, or ABU.

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NEPAL: Nepal detains journalists to warn rest of free press

Nepali Times: Not since the monarchy days has Nepal’s media witnessed a systematic attack like the one this week

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NORTH KOREA: VOA begins 24/7 broadcasting to North Korea

NK Tech Lab: Voice of America has resumed Korean-language programs for North Korea with a bold strategy of 24-hour broadcasting, but given everything we know about the audience in North Korea, will anyone be listening during the day?

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PAKISTAN: Radio Pakistan Multan Trains Emerging Broadcasters In Modern Radio Formats

UrduPoint: The two-day workshop brought together university interns, presenters, announcers, DJs and newscasters, with trainers sharing professional experience and urging responsible communication amid growing competition from social media.

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PHILIPPINES: Journalist Philip Lustre Jr. arrested, RSF concerned about new case of legal intimidation against the press

RSF: With several GMA Network journalists also facing defamation lawsuits, RSF urges Philippine authorities to end the weaponisation of the legal system to target the press.

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SOUTH KOREA: KBS Wins Top Prizes in Screen Children and Audio Podcast Categories at 2026 ABU Prizes

KBS: KBS won the top prize in two categories at the 2026 ABU Prizes, organized by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), during a ceremony in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on November 1, 2026 (local time). “TV Kindergarten – Sea Turtles, Fly High!” won in the Screen Children category, while “The Anatomy of Academic Madness – Driven by Anxiety” took the top prize in the Audio Podcast category.

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TAIWAN & SPAIN: USC takes its research on the future of public media to Taiwan (Spanish) 

The Galician Post: The Novos Medios research group team participated in the 13th Biennial Conference on Public Media, where they addressed challenges such as artificial intelligence, digital regulation, and the recovery of public trust.

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THAILAND: Public divided over Thai PBS funding change – poll

Thai PBS: A plurality of Thai PBS viewers oppose changing the public broadcaster’s funding model, from ring-fenced ‘sin taxes’ to the annual parliamentary budget process, fearing political interference, according to a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA Poll).

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THAILAND: Thai PBS is offering a full range of content to appeal to Thai teens, encouraging learning and opening up new perspectives for the younger generation, starting this November. (Press release – Thai)

Thai PBS: Thai PBS is launching a new lineup of programs throughout November 2026, covering a wide range of content including science, music, society, art, and documentaries. The aim is to create a learning space, broaden perspectives, reflect the diversity of people, and cater to the interests of the younger generation.

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THAILAND: Thailand’s ‘sin tax’ has long been a media-funding model to follow – but can it survive? 

Monocle: If Thai public broadcasting replaces its funding with government budget allocations, it might have to diversify its income (and perhaps take a leaf out of PBS’s thick-bound book of financial sources).

AUSTRALIA: Digital Originals backs the next wave of Australian screen talent (Press release) 

SBS: SBS, National Indigenous Television (NITV) and Screen Australia have unveiled nine projects shortlisted for the first round of the 2026 Digital Originals initiative, continuing a seven-year partnership that has helped emerging Australian creatives bring distinctive, risk-taking stories to screen and build lasting careers in the industry.

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AUSTRALIA: High Court to consider whether under-16s social media ban is unconstitutional

ABC: The High Court will consider whether the federal government’s under-16s social media ban has gone too far in seeking to protect children from online harms.

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AUSTRALIA: Liberal senator admits mistake after grilling ABC execs about Gaza journalist’s ‘Hamas’ ID (Column) 

The Guardian: Sarah Henderson has admitted that she wrongly accused a late Palestinian journalist, Roshdi Sarraj, who filed video for the ABC from Gaza, of holding “a Hamas ID card” in a fiery Senate estimates hearing this week.

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AUSTRALIA: SBS, ABC reject antisemitism envoy proposal for external ombudsman on Middle East 

SBS: Jillian Segal has previously accused SBS and the ABC of a lack of impartiality which the broadcasters reject.

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FIJI: New parliament broadcasting system to connect more fijians to parliamentary activities

Fijivillage: More Fijians, including those living in remote communities, will now be able to follow parliamentary activities without having to travel to Suva, following the launch of Parliament’s new mobile broadcasting system.

BELGIUM: Broadcast unions call on VRT to follow Dutch example and withdraw from Eurovision Song Contest

VRT: The socialist and Christian trade unions at Flemish public broadcaster VRT are calling on the VRT management not to wait for further industrial action but to follow the Dutch example and not to take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. 

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BELGIUM: Jean-Paul Philippot (RTBF): “Tipik did not meet our ambitions” (Interview – French) 

Télépro: After 24 years at the helm of RTBF, the head of Belgium’s French-language public broadcaster (66 years old) will step down at the end of October. Before his departure, we wanted to take stock of his tenure. Part two: his media record.

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BELGIUM: VRT unions plan new actions after “yet another round of cuts” (Dutch) 

Nieuwsblad: The trade unions at VRT will file a strike notice later on Thursday, the unions announced on Thursday at the start of the #TeamVRT campaign. Under this banner, the three trade unions, together with non-unionized staff members, will henceforth join forces to fight against the announced budget cuts at the public broadcaster.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: How Czechs rallied to defend independent media and what threatens them (Ukrainian) 

European Pravda: It is quite unusual to pass laws at half past four in the morning, especially on a Saturday. Yet that was precisely what happened at 4:30 a.m. on 24 October, when the governing coalition in Czechia held an urgent discussion and voted in the first reading on a bill that would change the funding arrangements for public broadcasters: Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo).

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Journalism through the eyes of three generations. ČT Edition publishes the book Being a Journalist (Press release – Czech) 

ČT: The professional beginnings, key moments of a career and the personal value of working in the media are described in the new book Being a Journalist , published by Edice ČT.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Public service media must belong to the people: solidarity with Czechia (Statement) 

EFJ: We, the undersigned organisations, express our strong solidarity with our colleagues in Czechia: the Syndicate of Journalists of the Czech Republic (Syndikát novinářů České republiky – SNČR), the employees of Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo), and all Czech citizens who are standing up for independent public service media.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Television on television: Czech Television, together with teachers, helps children understand the media (Press release – Czech) 

ČT: Their own reports help children learn how the media work with information and think about the content they watch every day.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: The CEO of Czech Television will begin negotiations in Parliament with the Prime Minister (Press release – Czech) 

ČT: Czech Television Director General Hynek Chudárek will today begin negotiations on the government’s amendment to the Czech Television Act.

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DENMARK: Danes can now access news even when the network is busy (Press release – Danish) 

DR: When mobile connections are weak, or many people are searching for information at the same time, it can be difficult to open and use regular websites. That’s why DR is now launching dr.dk/lavdata : a lightweight version of dr.dk, where heavy images, video and graphics have been removed, so the content requires less data to download.

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DENMARK: DR’s content director: We must raise ambitions and accelerate innovation to create greater value for the Danes and Denmark (Press release – Danish) 

DR: The intention is to create a simple and understandable organization that brings together the content area into one team that works towards one goal: to create greater value for the Danes and Denmark.

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ESTONIA: Estonian media urge European Commission to intervene over Meta’s terms 

UA: The Estonian Association of Media Companies has called on politicians and regulators, including the European Commission, to intervene over Meta’s new business terms of use. According to the association, they could allow the American technology corporation to use news content without publishers’ separate consent and without payment, ERR News reports.

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ESTONIA: Mirjam Mõttus tests Estonian families’ preparedness for crises (Press release – Estonia) 

ERR: On Monday, November 2, a new 8-part series “What if…” will start on ETV, which will test the crisis preparedness of Estonian families and share simple recommendations to think about.

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FINLAND: Changes within the organization at Yle in the Media unit (Press release – Finnish) 

Yle: The purpose of the changes is a clearer management structure.

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FRANCE: Radio France strengthens its DAB+ coverage with 21 new transmitters across the country (Press release – French) 

Radio France: Radio France strengthens its DAB+ coverage with 21 new transmitters in the territory. An additional 700,000 listeners can now tune in to France Inter, franceinfo, France Culture, France Musique, FIP and Mon petit France Inter on DAB+.

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FRANCE: These are the issues that the audiovisual sector would like to see resolved before the presidential election. (Paywall – French) 

Contexte: The audiovisual sector feels wronged by Matignon and the Élysée, and is worried about the lack of political will from its supervisory ministry on several cases which are well advanced, but not validated, six months before the end of Macron’s second five-year term.

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GERMANY: Bavaria’s new broadcasting law: How the state government intends to control the BR (Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation). (German) 

Sonntagsblatt: The Bavarian state government is planning new rules for Bavarian Broadcasting. Following criticism, the draft has been softened. But how much influence should politics have on public broadcasting journalism?

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GERMANY: Dare to broadcast more! (Opinion – German) 

Neue Musikzeitung: The role and crisis of public broadcasters

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GERMANY: DW reaches record 406 million weekly users worldwide (Press release) 

DW: Nearly half of DW’s users are under 35, while around 80 percent live in countries with restricted press freedom. Digital-first strategy drives growth.

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GERMANY: ZDF Director calls for journalism without lecturing (German) 

PRO: ZDF director Norbert Himmler wants to empower viewers, not educate them. In an interview with “Die Zeit,” he criticizes Jan Böhmermann’s satire and defends public broadcasting.

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HUNGARY: Post-Orban Hungary faces challenge of rebuilding public trust (Paywall – English) 

Le Monde: Civil society, which had been the target of constant denigration campaigns and a particularly repressive legislative arsenal under Viktor Orban, is breathing more freely since the change in power. However, all its stakeholders remain cautious regarding the new government led by Péter Magyar.

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IRELAND: Calls in Kerry for the protection of Irish language journalism amid RTÉ cuts 

The Irish Independent: A Dingle-based councillor has called on the government to ensure that Irish language broadcasting will not be affected by the ongoing cuts at RTÉ.

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IRLAND: Have Your Say on RTÉ’s Future (Press release) 

RTE: RTÉ is developing its next Statement of Strategy and wants to hear the views of people across Ireland – the audience we serve. RTÉ New Direction remains RTÉ’s guiding framework; this next strategy for the period 2028 – 2030 will build on it.

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IRELAND: Irish language TV station marks 30 years with major new launches and a bold new chapter 

Nation Cymru: Irish language television channel TG4 is marking 30 years on air with a series of launches including an enhanced version of its online platform, as the broadcaster looks towards the future.

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IRELAND: RTÉ Director General Sees Eurovision Return Unlikely Until “Very Significant Change” in Gaza 

Eurovoix: The Director General of the Irish public broadcaster RTÉ has stated it is not “going to be easy” for the broadcaster to return to the Eurovision Song Contest.

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IRELAND: Willie O’Reilly: Changing how the TV licence fee is collected would help fix RTÉ’s broken funding model (Opinion) 

The Currency: Today, An Post charges around €15m to ineffectively collect what it can. Instead, collecting the licence fee through the standard electricity bill could ensure all households contributed – and lower the fees significantly.

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LITHUANIA: Žemaitaitis publicly denied allegations about criminal acts by the head of LRT and employees (Lithuanian) 

LRT: The leader of the opposition party “Nemunas Aušra” Remigijus Žemaitaitis has publicly denied previously made statements about possible criminal acts committed by the head of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė and the employees of the public broadcaster.

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THE NETHERLANDS: Dutch broadcaster pulls out of Eurovision over Israel ‘sensitivities’

RFI: The Netherlands will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, its public broadcaster NPO said Tuesday, citing “sensitivities” over Israel’s participation.

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THE NETHERLANDS:  NPO presses Eurovision Song Contest pause button: no Dutch participation (Press release – Dutch) 

NPO: Following consultation with the Dutch Broadcasting Authority, the NPO has decided today to press the pause button on preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest. As a result, participation in the upcoming edition is cancelled.

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THE NETHERLANDS: Speed ​​skating became a multi-million dollar sport thanks to public broadcasting, but that combination is under pressure. (Dutch) 

De Standard: Long-track speed skating will once again be broadcast on NOS in the coming years. However, viewership is declining, viewers are getting older, and the public broadcaster has less and less to spend. This endangers the ecosystem. “Two more generations and then it’s over.”

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NORWAY: 106 employees receive severance packages at NRK (Norwegian) 

Aftenposten: NRK has granted 106 applications for severance packages. A total of 183 employees applied, but 51 were rejected due to concerns about critical core competencies, the channel writes.

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POLAND: TVP Polonia without an offer for the Polish diaspora – the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) critically assesses the broadcaster’s mission (Press release – Polish) 

Polish Government: Instead of materials dedicated to the current issues facing Poles living abroad, TVP SA in liquidation will instead offer reruns of programs from other channels, popular series, and sports broadcasts. This is the public broadcaster’s offering to the Polish diaspora and Poles abroad.

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RUSSIA: Russian society being ‘systematically crushed’ says Novaya Gazeta as newspaper announces closure

The Guardian: Independent outlet, whose former editor Dmitry Muratov won Nobel prize, cites intolerable pressure from authorities

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SERBIA: Serbia’s Public Broadcaster RTS Faces Uncertainty as Director-General Resigns

Balkan Insight: Speculation is mounting over who will run Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS after its director-general Manja Grcic acceded to Student List demands and resigned on Wednesday evening.

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SERBIA: Serbian students are demanding the resignation of the heads of public broadcasting after their victory in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. (French) 

Informat.ro: The Serbian student movement, winner of Sunday’s parliamentary elections, called on Tuesday for the resignation of the public broadcasting management, accusing Serbian Radio and Television (RTS) of bias and of favourably covering the nationalist party led by Aleksandar Vučić.

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SERBIA: “We concealed problems”: Serbian public broadcaster apologizes for years of partisanship under Vučić (Dutch) 

VRT: In Serbia, the regional public broadcaster RTV has apologized for partisanship under President Aleksandar Vučić. His right-populist party was in power for 14 years but recently lost the elections. “The public broadcaster has failed to fulfill its function for years.”

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SLOVENIA: Call to the government: The referendum on the RTV fee does not provide legitimacy for its abolition (Slovenian) 

RTV SLO: Following the official outcome of the referendum on the RTV fee, journalistic and other organizations and individuals called on the government and the Ministry of Culture to abandon proposals to eliminate stable funding for the institution. They also warned RTV to strengthen public trust.

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SPAIN: The afternoon TVE was born: what the first hours of television in Spain were like (Spanish) 

RTVE: On October 28, 1956 , at six in the evening, television was introduced into Spanish homes for the first time. That Sunday, TVE had just begun its regular broadcasts from a small house at number 77 Paseo de la Habana , in Madrid, where the first studio and transmitter were located.

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SPAIN: The president of RTVE condemns the latest attack by the Madrid PP against Silvia Intxaurrondo and public television: “Unacceptable” (Spanish) 

El Diario: The president of RTVE, José Pablo López, considers the latest attack from the Madrid branch of the People’s Party (PP) “unacceptable” and “shameful.” This time, the Madrid PP used an image of Silvia Intxaurrondo to cite the public broadcaster as an example of the “control over the use of public media” exercised, according to them, by Pedro Sánchez’s “authoritarian” government.

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SWITZERLAND: One building, five studios, countless shows (German) 

SRF: From news summaries to sports coverage: numerous television programs are produced daily in SRF’s news and sports center. But which format comes from which studio? A look behind the scenes reveals how programs are created in a compact space, just a few meters apart.

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SWITZERLAND: SRG will resume broadcasting radio programs analogously via FM from mid-November. (Press release – German) 

SRG SSR: The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG) is responding to the new political framework and granting the wishes of a segment of the population to broadcast its radio programs again via analog FM.

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UK: BBC unveils Global Signals research into the global information landscape to respond to the threat of disinformation (Press release) 

BBC: The findings explore how BBC journalism impacts the online information space both through scale, presence and pace of reporting

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UK: Channel 4 and The Walt Disney Company strike landmark deal to bring Channel 4 to Disney+ (Press release) 

Channel4: Channel 4 and The Walt Disney Company today announced a landmark agreement that will bring Channel 4 to Disney+ in the UK and Ireland from early 2027.  

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UK: UK competition watchdog opens investigation into Meta scraping terms

Press Gazette: CMA examining whether Meta’s proposed terms could “unfairly harm” publishers.

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UKRAINE & FINLAND: Wartime management and new technologies: Suspilne Ukraine shares experience with Finnish broadcaster Yle (Press release) 

Suspilne: During the working meetings, representatives of the two organisations exchanged experience in public service media management, human resources and technological development. The Suspilne Ukraine executives also joined a meeting of Yle’s executive team and learned more about the Finnish broadcaster’s operations and content production.

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REGIONAL: AgoraEU: Why Europe Must Stand Up for Funding Civil Society

EFJ: “Strong culture, free press! Democracy deserves no less!”: These words from EFJ Director Renate Schroeder’s closing remarks were echoed by the many attendants who gathered together earlier today, including over 150 journalists, artists, cultural workers, and civil society representatives to peacefully protest a proposed 30% cut to AgoraEU, the EU’s core programme for culture, media, and fundamental values for the 2028-2034 budget period.

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REGIONAL: European Commission: Improved journalists’ access to public documents needed

EFJ: The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), together with media outlets, journalist associations and press freedom organisations across Europe, has signed an open letter calling on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to increase transparency on EU decision-making by making necessary documents more accessible to media workers.

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REGIONAL: First the Broadcaster: Why Autocrats Target Broadcasting

Correctiv: In the Saxony-Anhalt state election, the AfD secured 43.8 percent of the vote, and their first pledge is to terminate the state broadcasting treaties. Why do authoritarian parties target public service broadcasting first?

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REGIONAL: Tracking media capture and european media freedom act implementation across the EU 

IPI: Annual monitoring of media capture in eight EU member states and how far they meet the standards set by the European Media Freedom Act

ISRAEL: Al Jazeera condemns extension of Israeli ban and calls for its immediate lifting

AL JAZEERA: Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns the Israeli authorities’ decision to extend the ban on its operations in Israel for a further 90 days, including the suspension of its broadcasts, the closure of its offices and the restriction of access to its websites and digital platforms.

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PALESTINE: How Palestinian Journalists and Photojournalists in Gaza Became the Only Witnesses to Their Own War

Blind Magazine: Journalism is Not a Crime is a historic volume honoring the Palestinian journalists who have documented the destruction of Gaza. Spanning from October 7, 2023, through the end of 2025, the book brings together 166 photographs and 70 Instagram posts to create a chronological testimony of war, loss, and survival.

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TURKEY: A 15-year age limit has been implemented on social media. (Turkish) 

Evrensel: The new social media age limit regulation came into effect today. New account creation requests from those under 15 will be rejected, while the deadline for age verification for existing accounts has been set as March 31, 2027.

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TURKEY: Turkey’s media regulator again fines TV stations over journalist’s arrest, fund scandal coverage 

Turkish Minute: Turkey’s broadcasting regulator has again fined Sözcü TV and Koza TV over coverage of journalist Murat Ağırel’s imprisonment and opposition lawmakers’ comments about an investment fund scandal, less than two weeks after penalizing both stations, the ANKA news agency reported Wednesday.

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YEMEN: FAPaJ calls for urgent protection of journalists amid increased threats

IFJ: On the United Nations-designated International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the Federation of Asia Pacific Journalists (FAPaJ), a regional group of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), draws attention to the targeting of journalists in armed conflicts and demands the protection of journalists and media professionals.

CANADA: An update on CBC’s plans to open new world bureaus (Editor’s Blog) 

CBC: International reporting by Canadians, for Canadians, is essential amid shifting global alliances

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CANADA: Calling All Public Libraries: Let’s Team Up on Media Literacy (Press release) 

CBC: CBC is offering a completely free media literacy partnership open to all public libraries across Canada. By pairing your deep community trust and expertise with CBC’s investigative journalism and curated learning materials, together we can empower Canadians to spot misinformation, evaluate online content, and consume media with confidence.

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US: A growing civic-media movement challenges public media to adapt (Opinion) 

Current: If you’ve been considering partnerships with local libraries, film festivals or local indie game studios, it’s time to prioritize that outreach.

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US: Analysis finds changing market for public media station transactions

Current: Universities, school systems and government bodies hold a meaningful share of the country’s public broadcasting licenses. For decades, when one of these institutional licensees decided to exit, the default path was a sale, often to the highest bidder.

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US: Bringing PBS to the badlands 

Montana Free Press: Despite funding obstacles and an industry-wide shift toward streaming, Montana PBS is boosting broadcast to reach the smallest market in the nation.

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US: Donald Trump joins the 2026 Press Freedom Predators List

RSF: To mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on 2 November, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is profiling 33 “press freedom predators” who targeted journalists and media outlets in 2026. What do they have in common? A hatred of press freedom. Their weapons may differ, but their goals are the same: to silence independent voices and trample on the right to information.

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US: Only 32% of Americans have high confidence that news orgs will report midterm election results accurately, survey finds 

Nieman Lab: About six in 10 Americans said they have at least “some” confidence that news organizations will report the upcoming midterm election results accurately, according to a new national survey.

2026 Press Freedom Predators List

RSF: To mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on 2 November, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is profiling 33 “press freedom predators” who targeted journalists and media outlets in 2026. What do they have in common? A hatred of press freedom. 

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AI giants are promising media outlets a button to prevent their content from being scraped. (French) 

RTBF: Artificial intelligence (AI) giants on Friday promised media outlets and other websites a unique way to prevent their content from being scraped to train their models, amid a legal battle with some of the press.

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Independent by Exception: Global Findings of the State Media Monitor 2026 (Report) 

State Media Monitor: The 2026 edition of the State Media Monitor maps 588 active state and public media entries in 168 jurisdictions. Of these, 493, or 83.8 per cent, are controlled or captured by governments, ruling parties or interests tied to the state. The remaining 95, or 16.2 per cent, keep their editorial independence in one of the four independent forms defined by the State Media Matrix.

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International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 

UNESCO: Between 2006 and 2025, over 1,600 journalists have been killed around the world, with close to 6 out of 7 cases of these killings remaining judicially unresolved, according to the UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists.

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Journalists killed: impunity is worsening, according to a UNESCO report (French) 

RTBF: Progress towards ending impunity for the murders of journalists has reversed course in the past two years, according to a new UNESCO report covering the period 2024-2025, published Monday on the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

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Magazines Are Back, and They’re Newsletters

CJR: In early 2024, scores of journalists fled Substack over the company’s refusal to ban Nazi newsletters. Smaller newsletter companies saw an opening.

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Poynter’s MediaWise launches global initiative pairing newsrooms with independent creators

Poynter: Five newsroom-creator partnerships across the globe will help develop a new playbook for effective collaboration, with support from Microsoft.

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Scripps is cutting anchors and adding reporters. Is this the future of local TV news? (Opinion) 

Poynter: Anchorless newscasts offer an early look at what viewers could gain — and lose — as local TV evolves