Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.
As the global Covid-19 pandemic continues and many countries enter a state of lockdown, the need for community solidarity and mutual support has never been greater. But this support requires quality, fact-checked and evidence based news and information.
With this in mind, the Public Media Alliance has compiled an extensive and growing resources featuring recommended tools, advice and sources for journalists and the public alike. The resources can be found via the link below or in the ‘Tools’ section of our website.
The resource will be frequently updated to reflect the changing needs and evolving situation. If you have any recommendations, please let us know.
We also want to hear about your local public media coverage! Email us!
As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, public media are rapidly adapting to best cover the crisis on a local level while also providing for educational needs and vulnerable groups as isolation policies are introduced.
We want to hear from our members about what you are doing to best cover the crisis on a local level. Email us using the link below.
Coronavirus: Resources & best practices
Essential resources for sourcing and reporting news about the coronavirus pandemic
What we're listening to...
Refocusing Public Media In The Digital Age
BFM: Public media, or public broadcasting, is sometimes conflated with government-run media. But the mandate of public media is not simply as a mouthpiece for the state, but to provide a shared space of discussion for the people. Furthermore, Sally-Ann Wilson of the Public Media Alliance argues that in times of crisis, public media stands out as a credible source of news and information. She speaks to us about the principles of public broadcasting, and whether public media organizations are adapting quickly enough in an increasingly digital landscape.
What we're watching...
Hong Kong Security Law: A Threat to Independent Journalism
IPI: In this IPI webinar, a panel of journalists and analysts discuss what Hong Kong’s recently enacted security law means for press freedom and how independent media is adapting to these new challenges.
Global Headlines
Click on the tab menu below to reveal the latest regional stories.
ALGERIA: Trial of Algerian journalist and press freedom icon Khaled Drareni opens in Algiers
France 24: The trial opened Monday of Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni, who has become a figurehead of press freedom in the North African country, with the prosecution calling for a four-year prison term.
GHANA: Ursula Owusu breaks silence after Akufo-Addo’s directive over GBC channels reduction
Ghana Web: Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has said that her ministry and other stakeholder are currently having consultation on the ministry’s decision to shut down some of Ghana Broadcating Coorporation’s Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) channels.
GUINEA BISSAU: Uniformed Men Raid Radio Station, Destroy Equipment
MFWA: The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns in the strongest terms the attack by armed men in police uniform on Radio Capital FM based in Bissau, and call on the authorities in Guinea Bissau to investigate the incident and ensure that the culprits are punished.
MALAWI: MISA Malawi guidelines for journalists in the wake of covid-19 (Guidelines)
MISA Malawi: As the number of Covid-19 cases continue to rise, MISA Malawi would like to inform the membership that the sector is increasingly becoming affected with some journalists testing positive for the virus.
NAMIBIA: Namibian journalists condemn attempts to muzzle them
NBC News: A group of Namibian journalists from an array of media houses have jointly condemned what they term “the constant muzzling of journalists’ freedoms and rights to practice their trade without undue influence”.
NAMIBIA: Third NBC worker contracts Covid-19
The Namibian: A third employee at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
NIGER: Journalist Freed after 47 Days in detention over Facebook Post
MFWA: MFWA welcomes the release of Samira Sabou, the journalist and activist in Niger who was arrested and detained over her Facebook post on alleged corruption in the acquisition of military equipment by Niger’s Ministry of Defense.
NIGERIA: ‘Media houses should use FoI to tackle graft, fake news’
The Guardian (Nigeria): Nine years after the Freedom of Information Act (FoI) was promulgated, stakeholders in the media industry have expressed concern over journalists’ inability to use the act efficiently.
NIGERIA: Nigerians counteract COVID-19 denialism with social media campaigns
Global Voices: COVID-19 denial stems from a yawning distrust in the government.
SIERRA LEONE: Sierra Leone – Why Everyone is Not Celebrating the New Media Law (Opinion)
IPS: Last week, Sierra Leone’s parliament voted to repeal the country’s 55-year-old libel law, which criminalised the publication of information that was deemed defamatory or seditious, and which had been used by successive governments to target and imprison media practitioners and silence dissenting views. But not everyone is convinced it was in the best interest of media freedom.
SOUTH AFRICA: CWU considers taking SABC to Labour Court over retrenchments
SABC News: The Communications Workers Union (CWU) says it is considering heading to the Labour Court to challenge the looming retrenchments at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC: CEO’s Open Letter Says: “No Going Back On Cost-Cutting Drive”
Broadcast Media Africa: Mr Madola Mxakwe, the chief executive officer of the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has written an open letter that acknowledges the past mistakes of the South African public broadcaster. The open letter also confirmed that the continuing devastating impact of Covid-19’s on the organisation’s operations.
SOUTH AFRICA: Scopa to request auditor-general to audit SABC contracts
SABC News: Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) says it has resolved to ask the auditor-general to perform a special audit on expansions and deviations on all contracts with a life span of 10 years or more at the SABC.
ZAMBIA: Zambian Cabinet Approves Media Bill
MISA: The Zambian government has approved the Zambia Council for Journalists Bill, 2020. Speaking in a statement after the 17th cabinet meeting (continuation) held at state House, Chief government spokesperson Dora Siliya says cabinet has approved in principle the introduction of the Zambia Council for Journalists Bill, 2020 to parliament which will provide for the establishment of a self-regulatory body for journalists.
GENERAL: How we’re using artificial intelligence to scale up global fact-checking
Africa Check: Andrew Dudfield from UK fact-checking charity Full Fact explains how a team of fact-checking organisations is developing artificial intelligence tools to increase the speed and impact of fact-checking.
CHINA: Chinese journalist Lu Yuyu describes abuse and mistreatment over 4 years in prison
CPJ: Covering protests in China is a difficult and dangerous task, as Lu Yuyu, the founder of the blog Not News, knows firsthand. Lu ran the outlet with his partner, Li Tingyu, with the goal of evading censorship and publishing information about protests throughout the country.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong press freedom enters threatening new era
IPI: Journalists and analysts discuss implications of China’s security law on press freedom.
HONG KONG: How Beijing’s National Security Crackdown Transformed Hong Kong in a Single Month
TIME
INDIA: How BBC grabbed eyeballs in India during the on-going pandemic
Financial Express: BBC recorded 179 million unique viewers on BBC.com during the pandemic while adding 18 million homes to its broadcasting kitty from India.
JAMMU & KASHMIR: Jammu and Kashmir authorities detain journalist and editor Qazi Shibli
CPJ: Jammu and Kashmir police have detained Qazi Shibli, editor of news website The Kashmiriyat. Shibli was detained at the Shergarh police station in Srinagar yesterday after questioning by the police’s cybercrime division, according to news reports and a member of Shibli’s family who spoke to CPJ.
JAPAN: Japan’s NHK to reduce satellite TV and radio channels
Nikkei Asian Review: NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, will consolidate its number of satellite television channels from four to two or less and radio stations from two to one, Nikkei has learned. It will also cut spending in those businesses to the 600 billion yen ($5.6 billion) level from 720 billion yen.
MALAYSIA: Malaysiakini contempt case will have chilling repercussions on media freedom
The Malaysia Insight: We, the undersigned, express our deep concern over the contempt proceedings against online news outlet Malaysiakini and its editor-in-chief Steven Gan. The case stands to undermine press freedom and runs counter to widely accepted international human rights standards on freedom of expression.
MALDIVES: PSM launches ‘Zero Rubber’ campaign
PSM News: Public Service Media (PSM) has launched a campaign to reduce single-use plastic at work. The initiative titled Sunn Rabaru (Zero Rubber) was launched in efforts to reduce waste and embrace sustainable practices.
PAKISTAN: Abductions, Censorship and Layoffs: Pakistani Critics Are Under Siege (Paywall)
The New York Times: Recent abductions of a journalist and an activist have underscored Pakistan’s worsening rights conditions as the country’s security forces pressure the news media and human rights groups.
PHILIPPINES: ABS-CBN news chief: ‘The war vs truth is at its fiercest’
Rappler: ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs chief Ging Reyes said this on Sunday, August 2, as she spoke to graduates of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Mass Communication in a virtual ceremony.
SOUTH KOREA: KBS 2019 Annual Report – a Challenging Year of Innovative Transformation into the Nation’s Most Trusted and Influential Public Service Media (Statement)
KBS: A challenging year of positive progress for KBS has been set out in the organization’s latest Annual Report.
SOUTH KOREA: KBS disaster broadcasting, focusing on maximizing the reach of accurate information (Korean)
KBS: In the midst of heavy rains in the central region, KBS, the leading broadcaster of disaster broadcasting, continues a new type of disaster broadcasting focused on three-dimensional delivery of disaster information and strengthening locality.
RSF: The Sri Lankan government should end the targeted arrests, intimidation and threats against the lives and physical security of lawyers, activists, human rights defenders and journalists, 10 international human rights organizations said today.
TAIWAN: Culture ministry suspends plans for global video platform on PTS
RTI: The culture ministry has suspended a plan to launch an English-language international video platform for the Public Television Service (PTS). That’s amidst controversy and the resignation of three top PTS executives over the project.
THAILAND: FB told to apologise for ‘mistranslation’
The Bangkok Post: The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry has sent an urgent letter to Facebook in Singapore and Thailand, demanding the social media giant take responsibility over a mistranslated headline from English into Thai about the live broadcasting ceremony to celebrate the King’s birthday seen on several media Facebook pages on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) has started the process of collecting evidence for an investigation into the matter following a complaint made by Thai PBS TV station on Wednesday.
AUSTRALIA: ABC, SBS exclusion from tech giants’ payments a ‘government’ decision
The Brisbane Times: Competition tsar Rod Sims has said he did not provide the Morrison government with advice on whether public broadcasters, ABC and SBS, should be remunerated by Google and Facebook because the matter was too complicated.
AUSTRALIA: ‘A fair go’: Australia to make Facebook, Google pay for news in world first
RNZ: Australia will force US tech giants Facebook and Alphabet’s Google to pay media outlets for news content in a landmark move to protect independent journalism that will be watched around the world.
AUSTRALIA: Defamation hopes (Watch)
ABC Media Watch: Reforms of Australia’s arcane defamation laws could be a ‘game changer’ for press freedom.
AUSTRALIA: Legal changes needed to support public interest journalism (Opinion)
The Sydney Morning Herald: The disruption to the mainstream media industry over the past decade has been immense, with heritage media companies increasingly challenged by the expansion of new online sources of information.
AUSTRALIA: Online abuse (Watch)
ABC Media Watch: Violent threats, sexualised harassment, and misogynistic hate. The online abuse female journalists cop for doing their job. So, how do you stop it?
AUSTRALIA: Public interest journalism wins in defamation reforms (Statement)
MEAA: MEAA welcomes the proposed reforms to the uniform defamation regime announced by the Council of Attorneys-General yesterday, saying they represent important progress to bring the laws into the 21st century.
FIJI: High court dismisses FLP’s application on further documents
FBC News: The Suva High court has ordered the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation to serve an affidavit regarding the audited financial statement for year 2009 in relation to a 2017 matter.
NEW ZEALAND: Research looks at media’s ‘unprecedented’ response to the March 15 attacks
RNZ: The New Zealand media’s “unprecedented” refusal to name or focus attention on the killer behind the March 15 mosque shootings may have paved the way for gun control legislation, according to new research from Otago University.
NEW ZEALAND: Brown Voices Matter – But Not To TVNZ
Scoop: The Board of Television New Zealand and its senior management determined last week that the Māori Party would not be able to participate in any of the political debates being broadcast on the state-owned TV channel.
NEW ZEALAND: Christchurch paper under fire for Chinese consulate ads
RNZ: The latest advertising campaign by the Chinese Consulate in a prominent Christchurch newspaper is being called propaganda. The Consulate ad’s have been appearing regularly in the Christchurch Star and push the Chinese Government’s stance on Hong Kong protests, Covid-19 and treatment of Uyghur Muslims.
NEW ZEALAND: Politicians, journalists rated NZ’s least trusted figures
RNZ: Trust in politicians remains low, with only 22 percent of New Zealanders giving them the thumbs up in recent polls.
TONGA: Construction of TBC new building completed
TBC: The Tonga Broadcasting Commission marked the completion of its new building and the official handover of keys and Maintenance Manual from the government of Japan to the Minister of MEIDECC to which the project is under.
REGIONAL: PJR warns growing risks and hostile laws ‘silencing’ Melanesian media
Pacific Media Watch: Hostile media environments in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and West Papua pose growing challenges to the Melanesian region’s democracies, says Pacific Journalism Review in its latest edition. The New Zealand-based research journal warns that laws and cultural restrictions are providing barriers to open information and are silencing journalists.
ALBANIA: Albania Courts Seize TV Stations Owned by Govt Critic
Balkan Insight: Prosecutors on Monday said they had seized the assets of media owner Ylli Ndroqi, including two TV stations, on suspicion that they were the proceeds of drugs trading – but his lawyer suspected political motives behind the move.
AUSTRIA: One year until the general election on ORF (German)
Der Standard: On Monday, ORF boss Alexander Wrabetz began leading the foundation boards from 3 p.m. onwards for future management of the ORF. Pretty much a year before the board of trustees appoints the next ORF general.
AUSTRIA, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND: Industry outraged: Public broadcasters to close research institute IRT
Broadband TV News: IRT, the joint technology research institute of the public broadcasters of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, is to be shut down.
BELARUS: Oppressive climate for reporters in run-up to Belarus election
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) sounds the alarm about the oppressive climate for media freedom in Belarus just days ahead of its presidential election on 9 August and condemns the systematic arrests of journalists covering demonstrations during the campaign – harassment that the prosecutor-general is refusing to investigate.
ESTONIA: ERR News celebrates tenth birthday
ERR: ERR News, the English-language portal of Estonia’s public broadcaster, this week celebrates ten years since its foundation.
FRANCE: 125 personalities launch an appeal to save France Ô (French)
Le Monde: The disappearance of the overseas channel is scheduled for August 9 in order to allow France Televisions to achieve part of the savings claimed by the government.
FRANCE: France 4 gets a reprieve, France Ô will close (French)
Le Monde: The government has decided on the future of these two channels of the public group France Televisions.
GERMANY: Journalists Insulted and Harassed by Demonstrators in Berlin
COE: Several journalists and press photographers were insulted and harassed by demonstrators participating in the demonstration against the Covid-19 pandemic protection measures on Saturday, 1 August 2020, in Berlin. A team from public television station ZDF had to interrupt its reporting under pressure from the demonstrators, as shown in the footage shot by journalist Dunja Hayali.
GERMANY: The ZDF company wants to make the return to the TV commercials palatable (German)
Horizont: Because of the corona crisis, many companies have cut their marketing budgets significantly – this also affects TV corporations, who usually pay for the slots in their advertising blocks at a particularly high price.
GERMANY: ZDF extends support for production companies (German)
ZDF: The ZDF extends its commitment to contribute 50 percent to additional costs for filming interruptions due to the corona crisis until mid-September 2020. The measure was originally limited to the end of July 2020.
HUNGARY: Death by a thousand cuts: Press freedom in Viktor Orban’s Hungary (Watch)
Al Jazeera: One of Hungary’s most credible and adversarial news outlets – Index.hu – loses its editor.
HUNGARY: Index Resignations ‘Blow to Media Freedom’ in Hungary
VOA: Independent journalism has been in steady decline in Hungary since Viktor Orbán was elected prime minister in 2010. Media ownership is concentrated among allies of the ruling party, including via the KESMA conglomerate formed in 2018 that accounts for 40% of all news outlets. In December, only nominees from the ruling party were elected to the state Media Council, journalists say they have difficulty accessing information, and analysis of distribution of state advertising shows bias to pro-government outlets.
LATVIA: Levits supports Latvian public media exiting ad market
LSM: President Egils Levits, during a meeting with the National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) on July 30, expressed his support for the exit of public service media from the advertising market, Latvian Radio reported.
MALTA: Norma Saliba’s appointment as Head of PBS increases concern in a problematic media landscape
The Shift News: The Board of Directors at national broadcaster PBS has unanimously voted for Labour sympathiser Norma Saliba to become Head of News, despite a recent report which classified Malta as a “high risk country” on media pluralism.
NORWAY: NRK Sápmi has increased the number of page views per article tenfold (Norweigan)
NRK: NRK Sápmi has taken NRK’s online strategy to heart and put it into practice. Never before have so many people chosen Sami content as now.
POLAND: Poland about to censor privately-owned media, like its Hungarian ally
RSF: The Polish government prepares to censor privately-owned media under the guise of “repolonizing” and “deconcentrating” their ownership. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on Germany, which currently presides over the EU Council and is a key partner of Poland, to honor its commitments regarding the rule of law.
POLAND: TVP secures DTT capacity
Broadband TV News: The Polish public broadcaster TVP has signed a deal with the national transmission company Emitel for distribution of its channels on the country’s third multiplex (MUX-3).
SERBIA: Serbia starves journalists of funding as it ‘tries to silence media’ (Paywall)
The Times: Dozens of Serbian news outlets, journalists and other organisations are under investigation in what critics say is an attempt to silence the last remnants of the country’s free media.
SPAIN: Rosa María Mateo celebrates two years of controversy on RTVE (Spanish)
20 minutos: The sole administrator of RTVE, Rosa María Mateo, served two years this week in a position that was initially going to be provisional but whose validity has been perpetuated by the paralysis of the public contest that should serve to elect the new Board of Directors.
SPAIN: RTVE: 64 years of a corporation “without transparency”
Huffington Post: Judging by the programming movement, anyone would say that RTVE’s “serious internal crisis” began with the appointment of Rosa María Mateo as sole administrator in July 2018.
SWITZERLAND: Media coronavirus coverage relatively good, says study
SwissInfo: Swiss media have covered the coronavirus pandemic relatively well, but many media were “insufficiently critical” in the pre-lockdown phase, says a new study by the University of Zurich.
UK: BBC entertainment chief talks Covid-safe ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ & ‘self-censoring’ ideas
TBI Vision: BBC entertainment chief Kate Phillips has revealed how the public broadcaster is planning to ensure the production of Strictly Come Dancing can go ahead safely later this year, and urged producers not to “self-censor” the types of shows they take to her.
UK: Broadcasters fear proposed ‘duty of care’ rules could have ‘chilling effect’ on news reporting
Press Gazette: Broadcasters have urged Ofcom to exclude news and current affairs programming from proposed new “duty of care” requirements being drawn up after the deaths of two former reality TV show contestants.
UK: PSB Still Valued By Younger Audiences, Says Ofcom Research
IBC: There continues to be a role for public service broadcasters (PSB) in the UK, despite their day-to-day influence and relevance declining among younger audiences, according to new research published by regulator Ofcom.
REGIONAL: Democracy digest: fight for media freedom and lgbt rights as covid-19 spikes
Balkan Insight: The fate of Hungary’s leading independent news site and a “rainbow makeover” of three famous statues in Warsaw take centre stage, in addition to growing concerns over new a wave of COVID-19 cases across Central Europe.
REGIONAL: How will the EU’s Digital Services Act impact journalism?
CPJ: The European Union is reviewing the legal framework for digital information, goods and services. In June, the European Commission launched public consultations about the upcoming Digital Services Act (DSA), an initiative to review and expand rules established 20 years ago in the e-Commerce Directive.
REGIONAL: MFRR report: Europe press freedom hit by Covid-19, attacks on journalists
IPI: The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) coalition launched its first press freedom monitoring report today, highlighting key threats to the exercise of journalism in Europe between March and June 2020.
ARGENTINA: Covid-19: public media launch an awareness campaign
Télam: A new awareness campaign to curb the spread of coronavirus began to be broadcast this Monday in the public media, with an appeal to the need to avoid encounters with family and friends during the pandemic.
BRAZIL: Brazilian Cartoonists Face Criminal Probes Under Bolsonaro
VOA: Brazil’s decision to seek charges against political cartoonists has been met with derision by experts who say authorities should focus on addressing the issues the artists satirized, including poor policing and a weak pandemic response, instead of trying to silence the media.
COLOMBIA: Colombian vice president files criminal defamation suit against journalist
CPJ: Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez should drop her criminal defamation suit against InSight Crime journalist Jeremy McDermott, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
COSTA RICA: Government limits access to regional media (Spanish)
Diario Extra: The Government of the Republic not only limits the national media, but the regional ones also suffer obstacles and restrictions in the exercise of the press.
JAMAICA: Press association joins call not to implement Data Protection Act as is
Jamaica Observer: The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) is calling on the government to pull back, even at this stage, and revise certain provisions of the Data Protection Act which it describes as “problematic” for journalists.
MEXICO: Mexico: journalist Pablo Morrugares and bodyguard shot dead
Deutsche Welle: A Mexican journalist and his police bodyguard were shot dead in the southern state of Guerrero early on Sunday, police and human rights officials said, adding to the rising death toll of journalists in the country.
NICARAGUA: Despite attacks on press freedom, Nicaragua’s digital media landscape is still flourishing
Global Voices: Press freedom in Nicaragua faces multiple challenges, including political persecution by President Ortega’s administration coupled with a lack of access to public information. Despite these hurdles, at least 24 new media outlets have been created since April 2018 according to a report published by Literal Periodismo Ciudadano.
NICARAGUA: Press groups condemn threats against Nicaragua journalists
StarTribune: International press organizations and the United States government have condemned intimidation and threats against Nicaraguan journalists.
NICARAGUA & US: The US condemned Daniel Ortega’s attempts to intimidate the Nicaraguan independent press (Spanish)
Infobae: The undersecretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs of the United States, ambassador Michael Kozak , condemned on Wednesday the attempts of the regime led by Sandinista Daniel Ortega to intimidate the independent press of this Central American country.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Stuart threatens to sue Kamla, daily newspaper
Trinidad Guardian: With one week before the general election, National Security Minister Stuart Young is threatening legal action against Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the Express Newspaper for what he termed as perpetuating lies and propaganda against his father Richard Young for acting as a broker in a multimillion-dollar transactions.
ISRAEL: Israel’s Netanyahu condemns protests against him, criticises media
Reuters: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck back on Sunday at demonstrations calling for his resignation, accusing protesters of trampling democracy and the Israeli media of encouraging them.
LEBANON: Lebanon: future media law cannot exclude online press
IFJ: A proposed media law currently under discussion in the Lebanese parliament could exclude electronic media from its scope. In anticipation of the debates that will take place this Wednesday, July 29 with civil society and representatives of the profession, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Lebanese Journalists Union (SJL) to demand that the new law cover all media, without exception.
SYRIA: Call for Expression of Interest for Syrian media and CSO’s (Opportunity)
Free Press Unlimited: Free Press Unlimited invites Syrian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and media outlets to submit expressions of interest to participate in our 2020 Small Grant Fund for Syrian CSO-Media Co-Production.
TURKEY: IPI condemns passage of Turkey’s new social media law
IPI: New regulation will increase censorship and threaten media freedom on online platforms
TURKEY: Media in Turkey: a testing site of censorship and control
OBCT: Turkey is currently the largest prison for journalists in the world, with over 80 media workers in detention. As if that were not enough, the Turkish parliament has just passed a law that gives the government more control over social networks. An analysis of the situation of the Turkish media.
TURKEY: Violations of rights in Turkey’s media: Two journalists stood trial a day in July
Bianet: Main opposition CHP former MP Yarkadaş has released his “Violations of Rights in the Media Report” for July. Referring to Sacrifice Feast, he has said, “This feast is a bit bittersweet for journalists because dozens of their colleagues are in prison.”
REGIONAL: Global media watchdog calls for probe into deaths of Saudi, Egyptian journalists
Middle East Eye: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for an independent international investigation into the deaths of two prominent journalists, from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, shortly after their sudden releases from prisons. Egypt’s Mohamed Monir and Saudi Arabia’s Saleh al-Shehi died on 13 July and 19 July respectively, shortly after they were released from prisons.
CANADA: CBC/Radio Canada’s trusted status is a key factor during crisis
Media in Canada: CBC’s digital platforms programmatically reach a massive national audience – as well as laser-targeted segments
CBC/Radio-Canada: The Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a research product of CBC/Radio-Canada, today announced the release of its latest OTTs in COVID Report. With Anglophones altering their daily activities during the time of a global pandemic, the report takes a deep dive into how they engage with Over-the-top streaming services (OTTs) providing trend information on Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Crave, Apple TV+ and much more. The MTM Spring 2020 survey is based on 4,000 Canadians.
US: CPB Statement on Funding Decisions by the United States House of Representatives (Statement)
CPB:
US: House Endorses Increased Public Media Funding
Protect my Public Media: This week, the full House of Representatives approved an appropriations package that provides increased federal funding for your local public media stations.
US: NPR, advocacy group call on Congress to give university stations access to PPP (Paywall)
Current: NPR and the University Station Alliance are leading an effort to convince Congress to extend the Paycheck Protection Program to public media stations licensed to universities.
US: PBS programming returns to South Texas after two years without over-the-air service (Paywall)
Current: Broadcasts of PBS programming have returned to the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas as a multicast channel of commercial broadcaster KCWT, a CW affiliate licensed to Entravision.
US: PBS to launch documentary streamer via Prime Video Channels in boost to Amazon
Digital TV Europe: PBS has become the latest US broadcaster to announce the launch of a new OTT service.
US: PBS Recognized With Six Primetime Emmy® Nominations
PBS: PBS programs received six nominations for the 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy® Awards.
US: Seattle Judge Backs Subpoena for BLM Protest Photos
VOA: A Seattle judge’s decision to compel The Seattle Times and four local television stations to turn over unpublished photos and videos from Black Lives Matter protests to the police is raising new questions about news media independence and credibility.
US: US Homeland Security Created Files on Journalists
VOA: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Friday that it has ordered agents to stop compiling and circulating “intelligence reports” on journalists.
A Newsroom at the Edge of Autocracy
The Atlantic: The South China Morning Post is arguably the world’s most important newspaper—for what it tells us about media freedoms as China’s power grows.
A tale of three studies on climate coverage
CJR: Covering the climate crisis requires the ability to look in many different directions at once, and reconcile them…
CMPF Online School for Journalists and Media Practitioners 2020 (Opportunity)
CMPF: We are pleased to announce the 9th edition of the annual School for Journalists and Media Practitioners organised by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Freedom (CMPF), at the European University Institute.
Coronavirus Radio Ideas: How a Facebook Group Inspires Innovation
CMDS @ CEU: The pandemic increased the need for access to accurate information. A recently created Facebook group binds radio stations, listeners and markets together during lockdowns.
Delphine Ernotte and 7 foreign public media executives deny being “state media” (French)
Pure Médias: In a column published this morning on the ” World ” site, several world leaders in public broadcasting, including Delphine Ernotte , president of France Télévisions, recently renewed in her post , recalled the values defended by their channels and alerted amalgamation made by social networks and mainly Facebook between public media and state media.
How much does fake coronavirus news affect people’s real-life health behavior?
Nieman Lab: And what about Trump’s hydroxychloroquine and bleach proclamations?
Lots of visible likes and shares on social lead people to spread more misinformation
Nieman Lab: When people saw that a questionable piece of content had been liked and shared lots of times, they were more likely to share it themselves.
These Are the 10 ‘Most Urgent’ Cases of Threats to Press Freedom Around the World in August 2020
TIME
Verification Handbook: equipping journalists to combat media manipulation (Resource)
EJO: The coronavirus crisis has shown the extent to which disinformation can be a threat to public debate and an informed citizenry. Asma Abidi assesses the contribution made by the latest edition of the Verification Handbook to equipping journalists to distinguish between truth and falsehood and helping them provide the public with trustworthy information.
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Header image: SBS Newsroom
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