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...


The Toll of Covering Police Brutality as a Black Journalist

WNYC Studios: “The Takeaway spoke to three journalists thinking about all that and more. Farai Chideya is a journalist and author of several books including “The Episodic Career.” Karen Attiah is the global opinions editor at The Washington Post. Quincy Walters is a general assignment reporter for WBUR.”

What we're watching...


SBS Radio celebrates its 45 year anniversary

Global Headlines


Click on the tab menu below to reveal the latest regional stories.

ALGERIA: Instead of combatting Covid-19, Algeria’s authorities crack down on journalists

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) deplores the fact that, instead of combatting the spread of Covid-19 in what is North Africa worst hit country, the Algerian authorities are exploiting the pandemic to harass independent journalists and media and to gag press freedom.


CAMEROON: Cameroon army confirms TV anchor’s death in detention

Deutsche Welle: Samuel Wazizi disappeared, from TV screens and from daily life, when police came for him on August 2, 2019 and handed him to the military. His death in detention came to light this week.


CAMEROON: Hobbled by Separatist Conflict: Media Freedom in Cameroon

VOA: This VOA report analyses the challenges faced by journalists in Cameroon who are caught between the government and the Separatist Movement when it comes to executing their mandate of reporting freely without fear. 


DJIBOUTI: Djibouti arrests two journalists, one of them RSF’s correspondent

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the arrests of two Djiboutian journalists working for La Voix de Djibouti (LVD), their small Horn of African country’s only independent media outlet, and calls for their unconditional release. One of them is also RSF’s Djibouti correspondent.


ETHIOPIA: Journalist’s detention sparks concerns over Ethiopia’s new hate speech law

IPI: The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, today called on the authorities in Ethiopia to stop the legal harassment of journalist Yayesew Shimelis and to guarantee freedom of expression and press freedom in the country.


GAMBIA: The Media and COVID-19 in West Africa: The Case of Gambia (Report)

MFWA


NAMIBIA: Media freedom cannot be suspended or diminished by state of emergency- nmt

Namibia Economist: The Namibia Media Trust (NMT) recently said they are appalled by the recurring incidents in which public officials try to prevent media houses from covering events and issues of national concern.


NIGERIA: COVID-19: Editors Guild urges FG to inject money into media industry

Vanguard: The Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, has called on the Federal Government to inject funds into the media industry to enable players cope with the debilitating effects of coronavirus.


SIERRA LEONE: Dr Sylvia Blyden to appear in court today charged with ten counts of seditious libel

Sierra Leone Telegraph: Sierra Leone’s former minister of social welfare, and journalist – Dr Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, who was arrested on the 1st of May 2020 by heavily armed police who broke into her home, after criticising the president for his approach in handling the coronavirus pandemic, as well as commenting on twitter about the appalling conditions a political opponent of the president – Palo Conteh is being kept in prison, will today appear in court.


SOUTH AFRICA: CWU to engage SABC over increasing positive COVID-19 cases

SABC News: The Communication Workers Union (CWU) says it will engage with the SABC about the increased number of positive COVID-19 cases at the public broadcaster.


SOUTH AFRICA: Maroleng challenges his axing, SABC says it’s yet to receive summons

SABC News: The SABC says it has not received a summons from the broadcaster’s former COO, Chris Maroleng. Maroleng is challenging his dismissal from the corporation.


UGANDA: Journalists to be tested for coronavirus

Daily Monitor: The Ministry of Health says it is going to test all journalists who are covering Covid-19 related activities to ensure that they are safe and not transmitting the virus.


ZIMBABWE: Zim reintroduces radio lessons

The Herald: School lessons will be broadcast on radio and television, as well as being published online to reach everyone over the next six months, Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education Mrs Thumisang Thabela said yesterday.


REGIONAL: Legacy Media in Crisis, Boom for Digital Media— COVID-19 & Media Sustainability in West Africa

MFWA


REGIONAL: Safety of Journalists and COVID-19 in West Africa: Francophone Experts Advocate Greater Collaboration

MFWA: The world today is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic and West Africa is no exception. In the fight against this pandemic, the media plays a crucial role. 

AFGHANISTAN: Families of Killed Media Workers Criticize Afghan Govt

TOLO NEWS: The two Khurshid TV employees killed in a roadside bomb blast in Kabul on Saturday evening – Zamir Amiri and Shafiqullah Zabih – were laid to rest in their hometowns Mir Bacha Kot and Shakardara districts, respectively, in the north of the city on Sunday. Relatives of the media workers said the government has failed to ensure the safety of Afghan citizens.


CHINA: China’s COVID-19 countermeasures include restricting press freedom

CPJ: In the nearly 71 years of Communist Party rule in China, the country’s citizens have enjoyed brief periods of relatively free speech, as during the abortive Hundred Flowers Campaign in 1956-57, or the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when investigative journalists covered local corruption and pollution. When the coronavirus outbreak first began spreading in Wuhan, Hubei province, China’s press enjoyed another brief period of flourishing before authorities cracked down.


CHINA & HONG KONG: China’s ‘security law’ poses clear threat for Hong Kong journalists

IPI: The new security law approved by China’s National People’s Congress poses a serious threat to democracy and press freedom in Hong Kong, said journalists based in the territory.


HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s free media fears being silenced by China’s national security law

Reuters: When a team of producers at Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) heard on May 19 that the publicly funded broadcaster planned to axe one of its most popular weekly shows, they rushed to the building next door to confront the station’s head.


HONG KONG: Satirical show learns the hard way you can’t mock Hong Kong police officers (Paywall)

The Times: For 31 years Headliner, Hong Kong’s popular TV satire, has teased the pompous and the powerful… However, viewers loved the show, and its producers on Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), a state-run channel, always got away with it. Until now.


INDIA: Can Indian media report freely about the COVID-19 crisis?

Deutsche Welle: Journalists critical of the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis are being harassed and arrested, rights groups say. India is now the fifth worst-hit nation worldwide, as authorities further ease restrictions.


INDIA, INDONESIA, MYANMAR: India Joins Indonesia, Myanmar, Other ASEAN Nations in Justifying COVID Media Curbs

The Wire: UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet had earlier said that laws on “fake news” and online media were being used by countries to curb “legitimate speech, especially public debate, criticism of government policy”.


JAPAN: Japan’s broadcaster NHK removes ‘insensitive’ US protests video

Deutsche Welle: An animated video posted by Japan’s public broadcaster was slammed as “an offensive racist commentary” for using caricatures of African Americans to explain the background of the anti-police brutality protests in the US.


NEPAL: Nepalese journalists threatened, attacked and censored over Covid-19 coverage

RSF: After at least 10 journalists have been threatened in connection with their coronavirus reporting in Nepal since late March, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reminds the country’s authorities that they have a constitutional obligation to guarantee total press freedom.


PAKISTAN: In Pakistan, the pandemic exacerbates precarious conditions for journalists (Essay)

Ethical Journalism Network: Oonib Azam, a Karachi-based reporter for The News International, almost had an anxiety attack after a reporting trip in March, earlier this year. The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan’s port city was beginning to climb rapidly, and the provincial government had imposed a lockdown.


PAKISTAN: Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest: Jang/Geo workers’ countrywide protests continue

Gang News:  The countrywide protest by the workers of Geo and Jang Group along with the Pakistan Federal Unions of Journalists, representatives of the civil society and political parties against the illegal arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo/Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and on the curbs on the media, continued on Monday.


PAKISTAN: Protest against illegal arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman continues

The News: Protest outside the offices of Jang and The News on Davis Road continued Sunday, the speakers called for releasing Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and vowed continuing their protest till his freedom.


PHILIPPINES: House tackles ABS-CBN franchise amid break

Inquirer: Amid its scheduled break, the House of Representatives convened on Monday to tackle media giant ABS-CBN’s bid for a 25-year franchise.


PHILIPPINES: Verdict on Rappler, Maria Ressa cyber libel case out June 15

Rappler: Postponed due to the coronavirus lockdown, judgment day for Ressa and former researcher-writer Rey Santos will take place in a court under quarantine restrictions.


SOUTH KOREA: KBS World joins ‘New ID’ to target North American viewers

KBS: From the 19th of KBS World, KBS World channel will be provided through the New K.ID channel and will begin to target North American viewers. KBS World signed a global content partnership with NEW ID, a digital business affiliate of Entertainment Media Group NEW, on the 19th of last month.


THAILAND: The Thai government tries new ways to curb online critics (Paywall)

The Economist


TIMOR-LESTE: Ramos-Horta slams criminal libel plan – threat to rights in Timor-Leste

Asia Pacific Report: Former East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta says it is not opportune for the government to be debating the possible criminalisation of defamation, with the risk of jeopardizing citizens’ rights. Instead, he says, the Timor-Leste government should concentrate on issues like the economy.


REGIONAL: Press Freedom Under COVID-19 Lockdown in Asia

IPS News: Governments have made the media “a scapegoat” across Asia, targeting journalists who are simply reporting on the failures or shortcomings of their leadership during the coronavirus pandemic, press freedom experts have warned.

AUSTRALIA: ABC to cut 250 jobs to meet $41m budget shortfall from Coalition funding cuts

The Guardian: The ABC expects to cut 250 staff across news, entertainment and regional divisions to meet a $41m annual budget shortfall. The managing director, David Anderson, has told staff the cuts are unavoidable because the government booked a saving of $84m over the current triennium, or $41m per annum to the end of the 2022 financial year.


AUSTRALIA: Australia: War on journalism still raging a year after police raids

Via IFEX: One year on from police raids of the home and offices of journalists, there has been unsatisfactory progress on press freedom in Australia, says the union and industry advocate for Australia’s journalists. The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance says the raids, in retaliation for news stories that were true, revealed the depths the government would stoop to in order to suppress the public’s right to know.


AUSTRALIA: Changing the ABC’s pronunciation guidance on Indigenous words

ABC: While it may surprise those who write in to complain about elocution, the ABC does maintain a pronunciation database. The key it uses, which is particular to the ABC, currently makes a few assumptions.


AUSTRALIA: How a group of volunteers pioneered an in-language revolution for Australia’s migrants

SBS: SBS marks 45 years since first hitting the airwaves on Tuesday. Here, we speak to those who pioneered the broadcaster’s early output and those who continue its legacy today.


AUSTRALIA: Let’s reclaim our freedom and decriminalise journalism (Opinion)

Sydney Morning Herald: Thursday marks 12 months since Australian Federal Police raided the home of a News Corporation journalist, Annika Smethurst. One day later, the AFP also raided the Sydney offices of the ABC. Only last week, Smethurst learned she will not be charged for writing the news story that prompted the raid. Two ABC journalists are still waiting to learn their fate.


AUSTRALIA: News Corp kills ink (Watch)

ABC News: News Corp to stop printing more than 100 regional titles. The move to digital will cost hundreds of jobs and leave communities without a physical newspaper.


NEW ZEALAND: First ever Pacific focused sport show coming to NZ TV

RNZ: Samoan-born New Zealand actor, writer and director, Oscar Kightley, will front the first-ever Pacific focused sport show on New Zealand television. The show, Pacific Brothers, produced by Kava Bowl Media in conjunction with SKY TV, looks to take a deeper dive into the Pacific world of both past and present athletes across the globe.


NEW ZEALAND: The end of history (Listen)

RNZ: When Bauer Media shut down on 1 April, it wiped out just about every documentary photography job in the country. Now concerns are being raised over how New Zealand’s visual history will be documented for future generations.


SAMOA: No entry: Samoa’s new parliament has no place for the press

The Guardian: Samoa’s multi-million dollar parliament house, funded by the Australian government, was built without a press gallery, despite pleas from local media for a space to effectively cover proceedings. 


VANUATU: More journalists stopped from taking photos at Vanuatu airport

RNZ: Vanuatu journalists remained banned from taking photos at public areas at Bauerfield International airport in Port Vila. Since Covid-19 restrictions were put in place, journalists had been banned from taking photos at the airport when ni-Vanuatu were being repatriated.


VANUATU: Vanuatu media group condemns ‘intimidation’ of woman journalist

Asia Pacific Report: Vanuatu’s media advocacy group Media Association blong Vanuatu (MAV) has condemned what it calls intimidation of a local journalist by airport security and local police. 


REGIONAL: Pacific media react with relief over proposed sale reprieve for AAP

Asia Pacific Report: News that Australian Associated Press has been saved is being welcomed by media outlets in socially and culturally complex Pacific countries such as Papua New Guinea where dramatic and important stories often emerge.

AUSTRIA: ORF boss Wrabetz sees “no mood” to abolish the GIS fee (German)

Der Standard: How does the population’s high level of trust in ORF and its reporting fit in with the rejection of GIS, especially since the first months of the Corona crisis, according to a recent Gallup survey?


BOSNIA: OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media condemned Physical Attack on Bosnian Journalist

Sarajevo Times: The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, and Kathleen Kavalec, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, strongly condemned the physical attack and threats against RTV Zenica journalist Sinan Gluhić.


FINLAND: UJF provides financial support and guidance for journalists in need

IFJ: During the Covid-19 crisis, the Union of Journalists in Finland has concentrated on supporting members with advice on how to manage during the crisis and to apply for support from the various sources available to them.


FRANCE: Audiovisual: no law, but emergency measures (French)

Le Figaro: The Covid-19 has made a new victim in France. The audiovisual law wanted by Emmanuel Macron, started by Françoise Nyssen and written by his successor Franck Riester, will probably not see the light of day. 


FRANCE: Making police unidentifiable in the media, the proposed French bill would seriously restrict press freedom

RSF: The proposed law would make it very hard for journalists to cover many public events, which often involve a police presence, and would restrict the information about police behaviour available to the public.


FRANCE: Racism in the media: How George Floyd’s death sparked a reckoning

France 24: The press reacts to demands for changes to the police system and in particular, the controversial call to defund the police. Here in France, the government has announced changes to policing, but some papers argue it doesn’t go far enough. Finally, George Floyd’s death has also sparked a reckoning in the media world – with the editors of foodie magazine Bon Appétit and women’s website Refinery29 resigning.


GEORGIA: Media Advocacy Coalition: Adjara TV Continues to Persecute Journalists

Media Advocacy Coalition: Coalition for Media Advocacy, uniting over ten local media watchdogs, responded to the dismissal of Shorena Glonti, former head of Adjara TV newsroom, maintaining that outspoken journalists expressing dissenting opinions are persecuted by the new management of the regional public broadcaster. 


GERMANY: 70 years of ARD (German)

Deutschlandfunk: 70 years ago, the public service broadcasters merged into the ARD. Since then, the ARD stations have shaped the country with their news and entertainment programs. But there are always discussions about their mission and the costs.


GERMANY: Press freedom — we will not stop reporting (Opinion) 

Deutsche Welle: DW reporters often face police aggression in African countries or Russia. But being under police fire in the motherland of modern democracy is a novelty, says DW Editor-in-Chief Manuela Kasper-Claridge.


GERMANY: Who is talking about racism? (Opinion – German)

Deutschlandfunk: Talk shows discuss racism – but not always with people who are affected by it.


HUNGARY & US: Hungary’s Government Asks U.S. Media To Apologize For Critical Reports

NPR: Hungary’s government has asked American news outlets to apologize for what it calls “baseless” critical coverage of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s coronavirus emergency powers. Granting Orbán special powers was the latest in a series of steps by Hungary’s government that have stripped the country of its democracy, critics say.


ITALY: Pivotal moment for Italy to abolish prison sentences for criminal defamation

IPI: On Tuesday, 9 June 2020, the Italian Constitutional Court will hold a public hearing into the legitimacy of laws that allow for jail sentences for journalists convicted of defamation.


KOSOVO: Kosovo: Coronavirus and the media

European Journalism Observatory: The outbreak of coronavirus in Kosovo made less of an impact on the media there than in many other parts of Europe. Though the government declared a public health emergency in mid-March and the country went into total lockdown for seven weeks, it resisted pressure from President Hashim Thaci to declare a formal State of Emergency. This meant that no measures restricting media freedom were imposed.


NETHERLANDS: New plan allows cooperation between Dutch public broadcaster and video services (Paywall)

Telecompaper: Dutch public broadcaster NPO can now, under a new plan that went into effect on 1 June, work with video services such as Videoland, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on the production of (expensive) series. 


POLAND: Polish broadcaster TVP to release spectrum for 5G in 8 regions (Paywall)

Telecompaper: Poland’s public broadcaster TVP announced that it will modify the frequencies used for re-transmission of its TV channels over the DVB-T standard in eight regions, reports Telko.in. 


RUSSIA: Russian Journalist Jailed for Violating Virus Ban Released 

Voice of America: A Russian journalist whose jailing prompted protests in which police detained demonstrators has been released. Azar was arrested after holding a one-man picket outside police headquarters in Moscow against the jailing on extortion charges of an activist who monitors police corruption. He was jailed for violating a ban on public gatherings during the coronavirus lockdown. 


SPAIN: RTVE ‘Informatiu Balear’ employees: “Proximity information is a right” (Spanish)

Diario de Mallorca: The workers of the Informatiu Balear de RTVE said yesterday in a statement that they were deeply concerned about the change in direction of Televisión Española, which, they point out, “may affect the future of the workforce due to the loss of a plural voice in the audiovisual panorama of the islands. and for the thousands of spectators that await us every day. “


SPAIN: TVE in Catalonia will reduce its news to a 12-minute newsletter to broadcast a contest (Spanish)

El Pais: The staff criticizes that the management wants to promote a table time and that it has not informed the workers. 


SLOVENIA: Growing hostility leads to attacks on RTV journalists in Slovenia 

IPI: The International Press Institute (IPI) has expressed its growing concern about the increasing climate of hostility towards journalists and executives at Slovenia’s public broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVS).


SLOVENIA: Slovenian reporter Eugenija Carl receives threatening letter with white powder

CPJ: On June 1, Carl, a reporter for public broadcaster RTV Slovenia, received an envelope mailed to her work address in the city of Koper, which contained a threatening letter and white powder, she wrote in a Facebook post and told CPJ via email. The anonymous letter called Carl insulting names and said that it hoped for her death, she told CPJ.


SWEDEN: Your right to talk to a journalist is protected by the Constitution (Swedish)

SVT: The right to talk to journalists is constitutionally protected. It is therefore extra scary to hear how the social service in Borlänge still tried to silence a parent couple who wanted to talk to SVT’s journalist.


SWITZERLAND: ‘A new form of journalism to spark your curiosity’ (Opinion)

SWI: Our relaunch marks a new start for SWI swissinfo.ch, the international ten-language platform of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).


SWITZERLAND: Struck in the Corona crisis (German)

Deutschlandfunk: In hardly any other country can the press work as freely and independently as in Switzerland. However, the journalists’ association “Imprint” complains that there have been increasing restrictions in the past few months – these could primarily be related to the Corona crisis.


SWITZERLAND: Swiss public broadcaster to launch new streaming platform Play Suisse in November

Telecompaper: Swiss public broadcaster SRG SSR has announced the launch of the new streaming platform Play Suisse for November. Internally, the project has so far operated under the name Rio. The company has discussed different options for the name of the platform, said Bakel Walden, director of development and offering and head of the SRG Digital Board. 


UK: BBC freelancers sound off about missed furlough pay (Paywall)

The Times: Hundreds of freelancers at the BBC say they cannot get government support during the coronavirus crisis because of the broadcaster’s public service status and the way it pays its workers. 


UK: Channel 4’s Alex Mahon rules out a taxpayer bailout as she navigates a record advertising slump (Interview – Paywall)

The Telegraph: Chief executive is grappling with the Covid-19 fallout, but is confident of the broadcaster’s way ahead.


UK: ‘Hey Beeb’: new BBC digital assistant gets northern male accent

The Guardian: The BBC has given its new digital assistant a male voice to avoid the “problematic associations” of female-voiced rivals such as Amazon’s Alexa, which have faced criticism for reinforcing gender stereotypes.


UK: Younger viewers show increased affection for public service broadcasting

Rapid TV News: Despite the popularity of online streaming services among the UK’s younger generations, the lockdown seems to have heightened their affection and support for public-service broadcasters (PSBs) and free-to-view TV in the country according to research from DTT provider Freeview.


UKRAINE: Ukraine: Union secures financial support and offers training for media workers

IFJ: Ukrainian journalists are facing multiple problems due to the coronavirus pandemic, a situation that is being addressed by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).


REGIONAL: COVID-19: Deadlines for FOI requests extended or suspended across Europe

IFEX: As lockdowns lift and Europe emerges from the immediate Covid-19 health crisis in the coming months, all extensions or suspensions of deadlines for freedom of information (FOI) requests must be reversed, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today. 


REGIONAL: COVID-19 Crisis: Public Service Media Funding at Risk [Member access]

EBU: This report, published by the European Broadcasting Union, highlights the financial burdens public service media may be suffering soon following the covid-19 crisis. 


REGIONAL: European Union: Fund independent media to protect free speech and diversity of media

Article 19: Organisations are joining forces to call on EU Member States to adopt an ambitious multi-annual Financial Framework to strengthen the media sector.


REGIONAL: Insults, Leaks and Fraud: Digital Violations Thrive amid Pandemic [Report]

Balkan Insight: Digital rights violations proliferated in Central and South-East Europe during the coronavirus pandemic, with over half of them involving propaganda, disinformation or the publication of unverified information, monitoring by BIRN has shown.


REGIONAL: Nordic public service works together for continued independence on digital platforms (Swedish)

Nordvision: In a joint position paper, the seven Nordvision companies are seeking a better balance in the digital market. This includes being able to operate freely on third-party platforms, without interfering with the editorial work of third parties.

ARGENTINA: Presenting a bill to guarantee gender parity in public media (Spanish)

El Diario: The initiative seeks to place special emphasis ‘on driving and decision-making charges’.


ARGENTINA: Towards a new professional and federal pact (Spanish – Editorial) 

FOPEA: On this exceptional Journalist Day, FOPEA considers it necessary to reaffirm the principles and values ​​of professional journalism. Therefore, he asks all colleagues in the country to respect and defend them in their daily practice. This implies not approaching the information in a unidirectional way and with sources from a single sector.


BRAZIL: Brazilian Senate to vote on ‘fake news’ bill

CPJ: Brazil’s Senate should drop proposed legislation seeking to regulate online content and so-called “fake news,” or amend the bill to ensure that free speech is protected, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. 


BRAZIL: Government violates right to information and health with omission of data, warns FENAJ (Portuguese) 

FENAJ: In measures that hinder the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health started to act to hide and make up the numbers of infected and fatal victims of the disease. The National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ) comes to the public to warn of the danger of misinformation, which can lead to mistaken measures by governments and the population, with the consequent increase in the number of infected and dead.


BRAZIL & USA: USA and Brazil: when attacks on the press are encouraged by power (Spanish) 

El Diario: Two countries, two presidents and the same discomfort: the press. Attacks on reporters have multiplied in the US and Brazil, encouraged in some cases by their own leaders, Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, with arrests and physical injuries to journalists and photographers, including professionals from the Efe Agency.


COLOMBIA: Journalism and the media, an essential sector in times of pandemic (Spanish)

FLIP: Timely, truthful, updated and decentralized information is an essential public good to deal with the pandemic with democratic credentials to deal with the crisis and guarantee fundamental rights during isolation. 


ECUADOR: Teleamazonas broadcaster attacked with dynamite in Ecuador

CPJ: At about 5:15 a.m. on May 31, a stick of dynamite exploded at the entrance of the independent  Teleamazonas broadcaster’s office in the coastal city of Guayaquil, shattering glass but causing no injuries, according to news reports.


EL SALVADOR: Journalists confirmed a high number of violations of press freedom during the first year of the Nayib Bukele government (Spanish)

Informa TVX: The Journalists Protection Board, made up of social organizations and human rights defenders, universities and the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman (PDDH), reported on violations of press freedom during the first year of the government of President Nayib Bukele .


HAITI: Haiti-society: ANMH and OPC salute the work of the press on the occasion of the celebration of the Latin American Press Freedom Day, this Sunday (French) 

Haitian Press Network: For its part, the Office for the Protection of the Citizen renewed its solidarity with journalists on the occasion of the Latin American Press Freedom Day, stressing the importance of the work of the press which according to the OPC, deserves to be appreciated and encouraged. 


MEXICO: Mexico comes to Freedom of Expression Day with the media in crisis, under pressure and threats (Spanish) 

Sin Embargo: Since 2000, at least 133 journalists have died in Mexico, 13 of them during the current administration. This Sunday June 7 was celebrated as Freedom of Expression Day. Established in 1951, the day is celebrated to highlight the importance for Mexican democracy of a free and independent press , which is recognized in two articles of the Constitution .


MEXICO: Voice of defiance: the Mexican radio journalist who refused to be silenced

The Guardian: Carmen Arestegui’s battle to stay on the airwaves is the subject of a film highlighting the risks of exposing corruption and crime.


TRINIDAD:  Is ‘Interceptiongate’ next? (Opinion – Paywall) 

Trinidad Express: The proposed amendments to the Interception of Communications Act are unconstitutional without a special majority. There is simply no other way to view them. 


TRINIDAD:  Weak media not good (Opinion – Paywall)

Trinidad Express: “Every politician who has tasted power, and many who counted for little, has gone to war with the media. If they didn’t, that would signal that journalists were not doing their jobs, that they were too busy prostrating to power to do their duty to country.” It is important to examine the recent statement by Dr. Keith Rowley about the “agenda” of the local media and their firm rebuttal. 

IRAN: Iran journalist sentenced for publishing interview criticising government policy

Middle East Monitor: The chief of Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) has reportedly been convicted after publishing an interview with a former Iranian diplomat who criticised Tehran’s “arbitrary” intelligence operations in Europe.


IRAQ: Kurdish journalists repeatedly attacked and excluded from access to official Covid information

IFJ: The Kurdish Journalists Syndicate (KJS) has condemned abuses of media freedom by the government and local authorities in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.


SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Journalists Still in Jail Over Call for Women’s Rights

Voice of America: June 6 marks two years since Nouf Abdulaziz was imprisoned for reporting on women’s rights — an arrest that press freedom advocates say is indicative of how the Saudi government treats the press. Abdulaziz, a blogger and columnist who contributed to newspapers including Al-Sharq, is one of at least four female journalists jailed in 2018 over their reporting and advocating for increased freedoms for women and constitutional reform in Saudi Arabia, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). 


TURKEY: Intl groups call for greater transparency from Turkey’s public ad agency

IPI: Figures show Public Advertising Agency (BIK) is increasingly issuing public ad bans on newspapers. 


TURKEY: Jailed journalist who tested positive for COVID-19 kept in prison in Turkey

SCF: Çetin Çiftçi, a journalist incarcerated in Ankara’s Sincan Prison, reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 and was sent back to the prison on May 27 after he had been taken to a hospital. His family has not heard from him for three weeks.


TURKEY: Turkey detains two opposition journalists on charges of ‘espionage’

Middle East Eye: Turkish police detained two prominent journalists on charges of espionage early on Monday in Ankara, according to media reports, causing an uproar among colleagues and rights organisations. 


TURKEY: Turkey ignores its own record, denouncing press clampdown in US protests

AL-MONITOR: Turkish officials have denounced the crackdown on journalists in the United States, drawing criticism given Ankara’s own record on press freedom.


YEMEN: Photojournalist and AFP contributor Nabil Hasan al-Quaety killed in Yemen

THE JERUSALEM POST: Yemini photojournalist and AFP contributor Nabil Hasan al-Quaety, 34, was shot and killed in Yemen on Tuesday, June 3.


REGIONAL: MENA region battles the infodemic: From fake news to hashtag-washing in the region’s ongoing information wars

IFEX: While the world grapples with a global health pandemic, in the MENA region the spread of misinformation and disinformation seems to be outpacing the spread of the actual disease. Regional Editor Naseem Tarawnah looks at the nature of information disseminated online and civil society’s attempt to combat it.

CANADA: Minister Guilbeault Announces New Appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors

Government of Canada: The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced today the appointments of Sandra Mason and Bill Tam as part-time directors of CBC/Radio-Canada’s Board of Directors. Each will serve a five-year term.


CANADA: News editors crucial to national election campaign coverage (Opinion)

Policy Options: News editors toil away in obscurity inside the nation’s newsrooms, but their choices shape the election coverage that Canadians eventually consume.


CANADA: On George Floyd’s death, journalism and inclusive newsrooms (Editorial)

CBC News: CBC News is committed to making changes to ensure content and leadership better reflect contemporary Canada.


CANADA & US: Canadian journalist Anna Slatz arrested in New York City, still in custody

CPJ: Canadian journalist Anna Slatz, reporter for the independent news website Rebel News, remains in New York custody since being arrested on June 2 evening while covering protests, according to Eitan Gillboord, vice president of operations at Rebel News. 


US: Could a stronger US public media system emerge in the wake of Covid-19?

European Journalism Observatory: In his latest book, Democracy Without Journalism: confronting the misinformation society, media scholar Victor Pickard argues that one solution for the crisis in journalism in the United States could be the creation of a government-supported but independent public broadcaster along the lines of various European models.


US: ‘I’m getting shot’: attacks on journalists surge in US protests

The Guardian: Analysis by Guardian and Bellingcat finds 148 arrests or attacks on media covering George Floyd protests in the US.


US: KPCC is finding a new role as LA’s COVID-19 help desk. Here’s what it’s learned along the way

Nieman Lab: Since early March, our newsroom has received more than 3,300 pandemic-related questions. To date, we have personally answered more than 2,900 of those questions.


US: PBS to Address Race and Racism in America Through Broadcast and Streaming Content

PBS: PBS announced today that it will broadcast a series of films and new specials focused on race in America following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the ensuing protests that erupted across the country. 


US: Police Shove, Make AP Journalists Stop Covering Protest

VOA: New York City police officers surrounded, shoved and yelled expletives at two Associated Press journalists covering protests Tuesday in the latest aggression against members of the media during a week of unrest around the country.


US: RSF joins 114 press freedom groups asking MN officials to prevent further journalist arrests or attacks

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) joined Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, PEN America, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and others to call on Minnesota state and city officials to take immediate, concrete steps to prevent further arrests of or attacks on clearly identifiable journalists.


US: Stations expand Spanish-language content to provide vital information about pandemic (Paywall)

Current: Public media outlets are launching new efforts to provide coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spanish, aiming to reach communities underserved by local news and hit harder by the coronavirus. 


US: Stations share how they’re reaching new audiences during the pandemic (Paywall)

Current: Some public radio stations have been testing strategies to reach audiences that don’t tune into their broadcast channels. 


US: The Story Has Gotten Away from Us (Opinion)

CJR: For the most part, journalism has decided that the coronavirus and the killing of George Floyd, a forty-six-year-old Black man, in Minneapolis, are two distinct stories. That’s fiction. Floyd’s murder, under the knees of a white police officer—and the demonstrations in response—occurred as part of a cascade of events. There is the history of systemic racism in America, police brutality, and protest. There is the spread of covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, and its economic effects.


US: We Crunched the Numbers: Police — Not Protesters — Are Overwhelmingly Responsible for Attacking Journalists

The Intercept: We are witnessing a truly unprecedented attack on press freedom in the United States, with journalists being systematically targeted while covering the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. 

Amid COVID-19, the prognosis for press freedom is dim. Here are 10 symptoms to track

CPJ: The COVID-19 pandemic has sent public health officials scrambling, the global economy into shock, and governments everywhere into crisis. It has also reshaped the way journalists work, not least because many authorities in many countries have cited the contagion as a reason to crack down on the news media.


Crisis and Opportunity: How Independent Media Can Learn from the Pandemic

GIJN: It’s still hard to fathom the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on journalism, even two months into most countries’ lockdowns.


Journalists are needed, now more than ever (Opinion)

BBC: For the world’s media, 2020 – which always had the feeling of a landmark year – has crystallised the intense duality of journalists’ existence.


Labeling State-Controlled Media On Facebook (Blog)

Facebook: We want to help people better understand who’s behind the news they see on Facebook. Several months ago, we announced our plan to label media outlets that are wholly or partially under the editorial control of their government, and today we’re starting to apply labels to those state-controlled media outlets.


Lessons on Reporting COVID-19 from Spain, Italy, and Ecuador

GIJN: At a recent Spanish-language webinar, Periodismo de investigación en tiempos de pandemia, the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) and the Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS) invited journalists from some of the countries most affected by the pandemic to share what they’ve learned during this process.


The role of media and communication as anti-racist protesters take to the streets

London School of Economics: LSE Professor Bart Cammaerts reflects on the role of media and communications in the anti-racism protests going on in the US and elsewhere in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.


VOA Director Statement on Press Freedom (Statement)

VOA: Amanda Bennett, Director of the Voice of America, issued a statement following a recent increase in verbal and physical threats facing members of the media. In her statement, she emphasises the importance of a free press.


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Header Image: Cameraman shooting crowd. Credit: iStock/denizbayram