AFGHANISTAN: Taliban Close Women’s Radio Station for Airing Music

VOA: The Taliban have closed a local women’s radio station in the northeastern province of Badakhshan for broadcasting music. Media watchdogs considered the move an attempt to bar women from working in media in the province.

---

BANGLADESH: Press freedom group condemns Shams’s detention

The Financial Express: The Media Freedom Coalition, an international partnership of countries advocating for media freedom, has condemned the detention of Prothom Alo journalist Samsuzzaman Shams and other recent incidents of ‘violence and intimidation of journalists’.

---

CAMBODIA: ICIJ Cambodian media partner has no hope of reopening after forced government closure

ICIJ: Press freedom activists say Cambodia’s authoritarian leader Hun Sen’s silencing of the Voice of Democracy has had a chilling effect ahead of national elections in July.

---

CHINA: Chinese blogger Ruan Xiaohuan sentenced to 7 years in prison

CPJ: Chinese authorities must immediately and unconditionally release blogger Ruan Xiaohuan and cease jailing journalists on trumped-up anti-state charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

---

CHINA: Majority of foreign press harassed in China anti-lockdown rallies

The Mainichi: A majority of foreign journalists who responded to a recent survey by a press group in China said they or their Chinese colleagues experienced harassment, obstruction or some form of intimidation when covering protests last year against the now-abandoned “zero-COVID” policy.

---

HONG KONG: Safety Concerns Rise as Journalists Report Being Followed in Hong Kong

VOA: Concerns over media safety in Hong Kong heightened in the past week as reports emerged of journalists being followed.

---

HONG KONG: The national security trial of Jimmy Lai, a symbol of press freedom, will begin in six months

RSJ: On 25 September 2023, six months from now, British national Jimmy Lai, a symbol of press freedom in Hong Kong, will be tried under national security charges for which he faces a life sentence. Lai, Apple Daily founder and RSF Press Freedom Prize laureate, has over the past three decades been an outspoken advocate for the right to information in the territory.

---

INDIA: Suspension of Punjab journalists’ social media accounts undermines press freedom, says Editors Guild

Scroll.in: The Editors Guild of India on Monday said that the “arbitrary suspension” of the social media accounts of several journalists and media organisations in Punjab undermined press freedom.

---

INDIA: With raids, arrests and hostile takeovers, India press freedom continues to decline

NPR: “I have resigned,” the journalist declared in a YouTube video last November. “You won’t hear me on NDTV anymore saying, ‘Hello, I’m Ravish Kumar.'” And with that, the longtime face of New Delhi Television, one of India’s oldest news broadcasting channels, stepped down.

---

NORTH KOREA: North Korea executes people for sharing S Korean media: Report

Al Jazeera: North Korea executes people for sharing South Korean media, religious activities and drugs as the country stifles its citizens’ human rights and freedom, according to a report by its rival South Korea.

---

PAKISTAN: Pakistan’s recent Wikipedia ban sparks controversy over blasphemy laws and freedom of speech

Global Voices: The ban is “disproportionate, unconstitutional, and quite ridiculous

---

REGIONAL: IFJ report calls for greater fact-checking support to combat misinformation (Press Release)

IFJ: A new report released today by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls for greater support and recognition for fact-checking efforts in Asia amid rising misinformation online and in social media.

AUSTRALIA: ABC prepares for redundancies as wage deal looms

The Sydney Morning Herald: Australia’s national broadcaster is preparing to slash jobs for the second time in three years as it progresses with a company-wide restructure and tries to offset the costs of a proposed new wage agreement that would increase salaries by 11 per cent.

---

AUSTRALIA: Australia bans TikTok on government devices

DW: Australia said on Tuesday that it will ban TikTok on all government devices due to national security concerns.

---

AUSTRALIA: Government confirms $1.5m micro-publishers push

Financial Review: The Albanese government will tip $1.5 million into micro-news publishers through a new industry group representing digital and hyper-local community websites.

---

FIJI: Behind The News: Media freedom’s big win (Opinion)

The Fiji Times: For many years, Fiji’s media operated under imperious rule and struggled under restrictive laws and climate overwhelmed by fear.

---

FIJI: Big win for democracy and media freedom: FMA

FBC: The Fijian Media Association has welcomed cabinet’s decision to table a bill in Parliament to repeal the Media Industry Development Act 2010.

---

FIJI: Seruiratu calls on journos to aid them

The Fiji Times: Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu is calling on journalists to assist them in executing their role to keep government in check.

---

NEW ZEALAND: ‘Calm in crisis’ Koroi Hawkins steps up as RNZ Pacific’s first Melanesian editor

Asia Pacific Report: Highly respected and convivial Koroi Hawkins has become RNZ Pacific’s first Melanesian editor after arriving in New Zealand in 2014 and says he is “truly humbled” after nearly a decade at RNZ.

---

NEW ZEALAND: Journalism may seem under siege, but it’s not all doom and gloom (Opinion)

Stuff: Type “is journalism dying” into a search engine, and you’ll get about 27 million hits. This week, it wasn’t death by a thousand cuts we saw, but a mighty sword-swing from MediaWorks as it took off the head of its much-vaunted offspring in one whump.

---

NEW ZEALAND: Power outage – TVNZ’s top boss quits after a year

RNZ: TVNZ’s chief executive Simon Power has resigned and will leave in June after just 15 months in the role – during which a new public media entity to replace TVNZ was scrapped. He’s the second media boss in a month to quit after his MediaWorks counterpart Cam Wallace left in March. 

---

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: PNG’s Masiu denies ‘control of media’ but calls for ‘accountability’

Asia Pacific Report: Communication Minister Timothy Masiu has hit back at recent reports termed as “inaccurate” over the control of media in Papua New Guinea from his ministerial statement in Parliament. He said it was not true that the government was trying to control the media by setting up a Media Council.

---

VANUATU: ‘I feel vindicated’ – Vanuatu Daily Post in landmark work permit win

RNZ: Vanuatu’s Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Trading Post Ltd, the owner of Daily Post newspaper, BUZZ FM96 and other media properties, in a case against the government’s refusal to renew the company’s former media director’s work permit.

ALBANIA: Director-General condemns killing of television employee Pal Kola in Albania

UNESCO: UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has condemned the killing of Pal Kola, a security guard at Albania’s leading national television broadcaster, Top Channel, in the capital Tirana on 27 March.

---

ALBANIA: Tirana mayor called out for endangering safety of media owners

Euractiv: Erion Veliaj, the mayor of Albania’s capital Tirana has been criticised by international media organisations for revealing the alleged identities of those behind two popular media platforms, weeks before he is set to face the public vote in local elections.

---

AUSTRIA: ORF in March 2023: 35.3 percent market share for broadcasting group (Press release – German)

ORF: In March 2023, the ORF broadcasting group achieved a market share of 35.3 percent and a daily reach of 3.787 million, above all with “Dancing Stars”, football, Formula 1, fictional highlights such as “Der Schwarm” and the information programs that continue to be well used Viewers, that corresponds to 50.2 percent of the TV population.

---

AUSTRIA: Serious challenges mounting for public broadcaster ORF

IPI: Austria’s public broadcaster is facing its most existential crisis since a successful referendum against political meddling in the mid-1960s established the ORF as an independent radio and TV broadcaster in the mold of the BBC. 

---

BELGIUM: What does VRT do to combat disinformation? (Press release – Dutch)

VRT: More than a buzzword, disinformation is today a major challenge for every Flemish person – both the media user and the media maker. 

---

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Attacks, Pressures, on Bosnia’s Media Increased 40 Per Cent, Report Says

Balkan Insight: The latest annual report by the Bosnian Journalists’ Association reveals a sharp rise in recorded pressures and attacks on journalists and media in 2022.

---

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Immediate action needed to improve the media situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

IFEX: Media groups have put forth recommendations on a number of concerning issues, such as the problems plaguing the public broadcast service, the proposed criminalisation of defamation and journalists’ safety.

---

BULGARIA: Bulgarian president’s office accused of pressuring journalists

Euractiv: The attempt to interfere in the work of the media by the presidential press secretary Kiril Atanasov was registered as a threat by the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), which has registered 94 cases of violations of press and media freedom in Bulgaria.

---

CZECH REPUBLIC: From zero to 1.5 million in three years (Press release – Czech)

Czech TV: During the last year of operation, users downloaded almost one and a half million worksheets from the ČT edu website. These are, in addition to short educational videos, the main content of the educational portal, which Czech Television launched on April 1, 2020 as a digital aid for distance learning.

---

FINLAND: Yle’s finances remained in balance in 2022 (Press release)

Yle: In 2022, Yle’s costs were increased by escalating levels of inflation, rising interest rates and the energy crisis.

---

FRANCE: Ecological transition in the audiovisual sector: “Our exhibition gives us a special role” (French) 

France24: From Friday, producers of series, films and documentaries are required to provide a carbon emission report if they want to obtain aid from the National Center for Cinema and Animated Image.

---

GERMANY: Plan for ARD and ZDF revealed: GEZ contribution will be increased drastically (German) 

Ruhr 24: The total budget of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio is over 10 billion euros for the first time. Nevertheless, the broadcasting contribution should increase significantly.

---

IRELAND: RTÉ RADIO 1 TO CEASE BROADCASTING ON LONG WAVE (Press release) 

RTÉ: RTÉ has today announced that RTÉ Radio 1 will cease broadcasting on Long Wave 252 (LW 252) from Friday 14th April 2023. 

---

ITALY: Artificial intelligence at the service of the public (Press release – Italian) 

Rai: What impact can artificial intelligence have on public service media? How can the values ​​of universality, independence, excellence, diversity, responsibility, innovation, social cohesion typical of a public service be reconciled with artificial intelligence?

---

ITALY: First quarter 2023, excellent ratings for the Company, always the market leader both on television and online (Press release – Italian) 

Rai: Again in the first quarter of 2023, Rai reaffirms its leadership in the television market, with an average share of 40.5% in prime time (+3.2% on the first quarter of 2022) and 39.2% in the 24 hours (+ 3.3% over the previous year).

---

ITALY: Rai by your side against fake news (Press release – Italian) 

Rai: Awareness and a critical spirit are the keys to reading reality. Rai has long been encouraging these tools in the battle against fake news through initiatives aimed at the general public. 

---

NETHERLANDS: Protect civic space against SLAPPs and other legal tactics

Article 19: Legal intimidation and SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) are attempts to intimidate and silence public watchdogs through lengthy and expensive litigation proceedings and by starting meritless lawsuits.

---

SLOVAKIA & UKRAINE: RTVS concluded a cooperation agreement with the National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine (Press release – Slovak)

RTVS: On Tuesday , March 28, RTVS General Director Ľuboš Machaj met with Andriy Taranov, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine UA: PBC . 

---

SLOVENIA: Despite the strike, there will be no major changes in the programs of RTV Slovenia (Press release – Slovenian) 

RTV SLO: RTV Slovenia regrets that the representatives of the journalists’ union were not ready to conclude a strike agreement this time as well. The management of RTV Slovenia will therefore do everything to ensure that viewers, listeners and readers feel the strike as little as possible.

---

SLOVENIA: Journalists’ unions strike at RTV Slovenija (Slovenian)

RTV SLO: The Coordination of Journalists’ Unions of RTV Slovenia decided to intensify the strike activities with a work stoppage because the reasons for canceling the strike have not yet been met. 

---

SPAIN: New protest by public media staff in front of Parliament demanding a “public and plural” CRTVG (Spanish)

Nós Diario: The protests of the corporation’s workers continue, demanding an end to “abuses” and “manipulation”. 

---

SPAIN: RTVE closes the 2022 financial year with a profit of 17.2 million euros (Press release – Spanish)

RTVE: RTVE closes the 2022 financial year with a surplus of 17.2 million euros, being the second consecutive year with positive results. 

---

SWITZERLAND: SRG supports ideas competition “myidea-Challenge” (Press release – German) 

SRG SSR: The finalists of the ideas competition “myidea-Challenge” – a project of the Swiss Center for Entrepreneurial Thinking and Action (szUDH) – have been chosen. SRG contributes to the program with the topic “Critical thinking and recognizing fake news”.

---

UK: BBC and Evening Standard win right to identify man in ‘dirty money’ trial

Press Gazette: The “highly successful businessman” referred to the Bloomberg v ZXC case to try to prove his right to anonymity.

---

UK: BBC launches review into social media guidance for freelancers (Press release)

BBC: The BBC has today confirmed the appointment of TV executive John Hardie to review how its social media guidance applies to freelancers. The review, which was announced by BBC Director-General Tim Davie earlier this month, will start immediately.

---

UK: Teens on screens: Life online for children and young adults revealed (Press release)

Ofcom: Children are gravitating to ‘dramatic’ online videos which appear designed to maximise stimulation but require minimal effort and focus according to Ofcom’s annual study into children’s relationship with media and the online world.

---

UK: TikTok fined £12.7m for misusing children’s data

BBC: TikTok has been fined £12.7m by the UK’s data watchdog for failing to protect the privacy of children.

---

UKRAINE: New Rules Limit Media’s Ability to Cover Ukraine War

VOA: Regulations from Ukraine covering media access to the front lines of the war have drawn criticism from reporters and media advocates who say the rules are not proportionate with the dangers for war correspondents.

---

REGIONAL: EU Council lawyers confirm legal basis of Media Freedom Act

Euractiv: The legal basis of the European Media Freedom Act (MFA) has been upheld by the influential EU Council legal service, weakening a push by some to unpack chunks of the regulation into a directive. 

---

REGIONAL: Hate Speech and Disinformation Fuel Digital Rights Abuses in Balkans

Balkan Insight: BIRN’s latest annual report shows how political tensions, culture wars and Russian propaganda have intensified digital human rights abuses in the Balkans.

ARGENTINA: Argentina trains journalists to cover hostile areas (Spanish)

Info Defensa: The participants experienced the simulation of a country marked by years of conflict suffering the confrontation of two factions.

---

ARGENTINA: The first Code of Ethics of the Argentine radiophony was presented (Spanish – Press release)

Argentina.gob.ar: The president of Radio y Televisión Argentina (RTA), Rosario Lufrano, led the presentation of the Code of Ethics of Radio Nacional, the first of its kind in Argentine radio, which added to the one that Public Television put into effect in 2021, places the public media at the forefront of a commitment to audiences in search of better quality media that contribute to the deepening of democracy.

---

BOLIVIA: Journalists denounce human rights violations before the IACHR (Spanish)

PR Noticias: Various irregularities committed against human rights and freedom of expression were denounced by various associations that represent journalists and the media in Bolivia, before representatives of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

---

BRAZIL: More serious attacks on journalists doubled in 2022 (Portuguese)

Abraji: Attacks against journalists grew by 23% in 2022, reaching 557 episodes. In 41.6% of cases, there is at least one member of the Bolsonaro family involved.

---

COLOMBIA: Raquel Sofia Amaya: the new name in the rattle of the RTVC management

Cambio: The actress, director and producer Raquel Sofía Amaya began to dream of being the manager of RTVC. In fact, the mother of President Gustavo Petro made a video supporting her name. Who is Amaya?

---

COLOMBIA: RTVC is still without a manager, Jennifer Steffens’ resume did not pass (Spanish)

Infobae: The appointment of the actress and director Jennifer Steffens as general manager of the RTVC Public Media System was announced by the national government in January 2023, but three months after the announcement, it was learned that Jennifer’s resume did not pass the filters of the entities in charge of processing the appointment, for which reason RTVC continues without a general manager.

---

COSTA RICA: ‘Scumbag press’: Costa Rica’s president employs populist rhetoric and uses institutions against journalism

LatAm Journalism Review: Often considered a haven of stability and democratic vigor in Central America, Costa Rica is not immune to contemporary forms of populism. 

---

ECUADOR: Letter Bombs Are Latest Threat Directed at Ecuador’s Media

VOA News: Organisations that document violations against media and advocate for a safer environment say they are troubled by attacks.

---

HAITI: Kidnapped radio broadcaster released in Haiti (Spanish)

IAPA: An executive and radio host kidnapped in the middle of this month in Haiti, was released last Saturday the 25th after spending eight days in captivity.

---

MEXICO: Voices Against Indifference: ARTICLE 19 Annual Report 2022 (Spanish)

Article 19: ARTICLE 19 presented  Voices Against Indifference, its most recent annual report on violence against the press, freedom of expression, access to information and respect for human rights in Mexico, which reveals the weak condition of freedom of expression in Mexico.

---

PERU: Congress promotes projects that limit the work of the media (Spanish)

Infobae: The work of the congressmen consists of proposing initiatives that ensure respect for the rights of citizens stipulated in the Political Constitution of Peru ; however, from this jurisdiction projects have been launched that put freedom of expression and freedom of the press at risk.

---

REGIONAL: Despite Western bans, Putin’s propaganda flourishes in Spanish on TV and social media

Reuters: RT and Sputnik are still operating in Latin America, where the Kremlin is also using influencers to spread its message about Russia’s invasion.

IRAN & UK: BBC Persian Radio shuts down after 82 years of broadcasting

RadioInfo: After 82 years of operation, the final program of BBC Persian (Farsi) Radio was broadcast on Sunday, March 26. The Farsi radio service was launched as part of the BBC’s Empire Service on December 29, 1940, with support from the Foreign Office during World War II.

---

ISRAEL: Netanyahu’s media strategy: a prime minister with two votes (Listen – German)

Deutschlandfunk: Tens of thousands have demonstrated in Israel against Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reforms. The prime minister reacts to the media with two voices: while he is reassuring abroad, he is engaging in polemics at home.

---

LEBANON: Concerns over media freedom in Lebanon as journalists face investigation

LBC International: Once again, the issue of restricting media freedom has resurfaced in Lebanon. This time, journalists Lara Bitar and Jean Kassir are being targeted.

---

SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia’s digital dream: Silicon Valley for the Middle East

Middle East Eye: Riyadh needs more data centres and infrastructure if it is to become the multi-billion dollar web giant of the Gulf. Saudi Arabia is spending billions of dollars, and hopes to attract billions more, to become the digital hub of the Middle East, investing in data centres, metaverses and fibre optic cables.

---

SYRIA: Syrian journalists tell own stories of earthquake disaster

Enab Baladi: Media professionals played an important role in transmitting the sound and image, and even the breath of the souls who were groaning under the rubble in the earthquake, which was described as the “disaster of the century.” Some of them have become rescuers and a platform for appeals in the region, which saw 2,274 deaths and 12,400 injuries in the earthquake.

---

TURKEY: Access to information must be embedded in the earthquake response

ARTICLE 19: The response of the Turkish authorities to the devastating earthquakes of 6 February and their aftermath shows little or no understanding of the importance of transparency and free flow of information in relief, reconstruction, and rehabilitation efforts.

CANADA: CBC, Netflix and APTN Greenlight New Arctic Comedy Series (Press release) 

CBC/Radio-Canada: Inuit co-creators Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril are set to Executive Produce with Miranda de Pencier.

---

CANADA: Corporations and government have a duty to support made-in-Canada journalism, Toronto Star owner says

Toronto Star: Torstar owner Jordan Bitove delivers impassioned plea to support journalism against Big Tech, arguing it is essential to democracy. “This is about levelling the playing field.”

---

CANADA: Meta uses unacceptable blackmail threat to oppose Canadian bill C-18

RSF: Meta is threatening to cut off news media access to its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, if Bill C-18 is passed.

---

CANADA: The Online News Act and its impact on Canada’s ethnic media landscape

New Canadian Media: The federal government’s Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, could lead some social media platforms to block Canadian access to news if passed. 

---

USA: Georgia Senate approves $32.4B budget proposal with cuts to higher ed, GPB funding

GPB: The Georgia Senate passed its version of next year’s $32.4 billion state budget Thursday that includes less money for teachers in higher education and slashes 26% of Georgia Public Broadcasting’s state funding.

---

USA: In Call With Russia, Blinken Asks for American Journalist to Be Freed

VOA: Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday urged Russia’s foreign minister to release Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist detained last week on accusations of espionage.

---

USA: PBS proposes hike in station dues and strategic investments for FY24 (Paywall) 

Current: The draft budget to be circulated to member stations projects that PBS’ FY24 budget will break even at $372.2 million.

---

USA: Public radio can help solve the local news crisis — if it will expand staff and coverage

Nieman Lab: Since 2005, more than 2,500 local newspapers, most of them weeklies, have closed, with more closures on the way.

---

USA: Public TV builds footprint on FAST channels in bid to reach younger audiences (Paywall)

Current: Bob Ross and Julia Child are among the stars of yesteryear whom cord-cutters are discovering on ad-supported streaming services.

---

USA: RFE/RL President and CEO Jamie Fly Visits Ukraine, Moldova as RFE/RL Expands Efforts to Counter Russian Disinformation

RFE/RL: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) President and CEO Jamie Fly visited Moldova and Ukraine for meetings with senior officials, civil society groups, and the company’s journalists.

23 women who changed journalism forever (from past and present)

USA Today News: While the fight for gender equality around the globe has made major strides, inequalities still exist in the field of journalism. For example, in India, women make up half of journalism graduates, but only 20% of full-time journalism jobs. Men account for 64% of reporting jobs, while women hold only 36% of those jobs, the Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media found.

---

Broadcast news is at centre of fight over noncompete clauses

Editor and Publisher: Of all the professions, perhaps none is more commonly bound by contracts that define where else an employee can go work than local television news.

---

Engaging audiences in the age of ChatGPT: 4 lessons from the Trust in News conference

Reuters: Here are a few highlights from the event, featuring Philip Chetwynd, Belén López Garrido, Deborah Turness, Henry Adjer and more.

---

Google Search is adding new ‘Perspectives’ and ‘About this author’ features to help users verify info

Tech Crunch: Google is introducing new ways for users to verify information on Search, the company announced on Tuesday. 

---

How AI-generated content could both fuel disinformation and improve fact-checking

Poynter: The artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT is capable of writing almost anything you ask it to coherently, persuasively and without misspellings, which many hoaxes fail to do and still manage to spread.

---

How Recognition of Trauma is Shaping the Way Newsrooms Operate

VOA: As a reporter in the early 1990s, Bruce Shapiro had a “steady diet of difficult stories.” Criminal justice, police violence, interviews with Holocaust survivors and combat veterans.

---

How to use podcasting to amplify credible reporting

IJNet: Well over 400 million people – one in five internet users – are podcast listeners today. Especially in recent years, listenership has surged, and experts predict this growth will only continue. 

---

Media Role in Promoting Healthy Societies Discussed at Democracy Summit

VOA: Global leaders gathered Thursday in The Hague to discuss the state of global media freedom, including challenges from disinformation, attacks from authoritarian governments and the economy.

---

Notes on recognizing AI-generated images (German) 

German-Austrian Digital Media Observatory: Whether Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion or Craiyon – in recent months, the rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have led to the mass sharing of artificially generated images on social networks. 

---

Overcoming divisions: The DW Global Media Forum 2023 – registration open (Opportunity)

DW: The 16th Global Media Forum hosted by DW will take place on June 19 and 20, 2023. The media conference will focus on the importance of journalism in view of the social discrepancies of our time – and how to counter them.

---

Over 1500 prosecutors from over 90 countries attended training on Investigating and Prosecuting Crimes against Journalists

UNESCO: UNESCO and the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) have successfully concluded a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Investigating and Prosecuting Crimes against Journalists, Promoting Freedom of Expression. The course took place from 27 February to 24 March 2023.

---

Why journalists should finally leave Twitter (Opinion)

Poynter: Blue checkers lose their coveted checks Saturday. As a newsroom lawyer, I hope journalists use it as an opportunity to leave the platform for good.