AFGHANISTAN: Radio Begum: A rare public space for women in Afghanistan

UN: “They don’t come on their own by bus or taxi because it’s very complicated for a woman to move around the city, especially for young women,” station founder Hamida Aman told UN News, explaining the laws preventing them from doing so.

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BANGLADESH: Govt aims to promote global standard in journalism: Info Minister

BSS News: Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan has said the government aims to support develop an international standard journalism in the country.

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BANGLADESH: IMS launches comprehensive media support programme

IMS: International Media Support (IMS) has launched its comprehensive media development programmes in Bangladesh.

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HONG KONG & MALAYSIA: RTHK and Malaysia sign MoU to enhance collaboration

Radioinfo Asia: Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications to enhance media collaboration and foster cultural exchange.

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JAPAN & IRAN: NHK WORLD-JAPAN Radio initiates 24-Hour shortwave transmissions following developments in Iran

Prensario Internacional: The Japanese public broadcaster has implemented emergency broadcast measures to ensure the delivery of critical information to Japanese nationals and travelers in the region through its international radio service.

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JAPAN & IRAN: Tokyo ‘strongly demands’ release of Japanese national held in Iran since Jan. 20

The Japan Times: Tokyo on Wednesday “strongly demanded” Iran release a Japanese national detained in Tehran days earlier, a top government spokesman said, as the U.S. continues to weigh the possibility of war against the Middle Eastern country.

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MALAYSIA: Construction of Bintulu RTM complex resumes after new contractor appointed

FMT: Construction of the Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) complex in Bintulu, previously categorised as a sick project, has resumed after a retendering exercise, says deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching.

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PHILIPPINES & CHINA: Chinese Embassy attacks Philippine outlet online over pro-Beijing propaganda investigation

CPJ: China’s Embassy in the Philippines should cease its online attacks and intimidation against the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) after the outlet published a report into China-aligned influence networks operating in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

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SINGAPORE: CNA is now available to more than 180 million homes and connected devices worldwide following strategic expansion into Europe (Press release)

Mediacorp: Powered by strategic partnerships with leading television and technology providers across Europe and North America, CNA has successfully doubled its global footprint to more than 180 million homes and connected devices worldwide from two years ago, when it first began the rollout of its Free-Ad Supported Television (FAST) channel – now known as CNA Originals – into the Western hemisphere.

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SOUTH KOREA: Catenoid Completes Upgrade of KBS Disaster Surveillance CCTV Platform

Venture Square: Catenoid (CEO Hyung-seok Kim), a domestic VTaaS (Video Technology as a Service) company, announced the successful completion of an upgrade to the KBS disaster surveillance CCTV integrated platform. This project focused on evolving the existing simple CCTV control system into a smart platform that integrates disaster information and weather data.

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SOUTH KOREA: Seoul High Court Upholds Cancellation of MBC Sanctions

Chosun Daily: A court ruling that sanctions imposed on an MBC radio current affairs program for alleged biased broadcasting were illegal was upheld in the appellate court.

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TAIWAN: Rti launches program training Taiwan’s next generation of global communicators

Rti: To strengthen the presence and impact of Taiwanese youth in the international communication sphere, Radio Taiwan International (Rti) has launched “Young Voice 100.” The program aims to cultivate young communication professionals equipped with media literacy, vocal expression skills, and a global communication perspective.

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THAILAND: State Audit Office launches first-ever audit of Thai PBS after three straight years of losses (26 February) 

The Nation: Thailand’s State Audit Office has formed a special team to scrutinise Thai PBS’s budget use for the first time, following complaints over transparency and value for money. Financial reports show the public broadcaster recorded deficits in 2022-2024.

AUSTRALIA: ABC Radio Australia is now available on DAB+ in Australia (Press release) 

ABC: ABC Radio Australia is now available on digital radio in Australian capital cities, the Gold Coast and Launceston, bringing digital radio listeners the best in Pacific news, music, sport and culture for the first time.

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AUSTRALIA: Age verification for R-rated games and websites raises privacy concerns

ABC: Australia’s new online safety codes requiring age verification for R-rated games and websites may compromise user privacy, experts say.

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AUSTRALIA: Statement on the appointment of Dr Nicholas Pappas AM as SBS Chair (Press release)

SBS: The SBS Board and Executive have welcomed the appointment of Dr Nicholas Pappas AM as Chair of the SBS Board, following the announcement today by the Minister for Communications and Sport, The Hon Anika Wells MP. Dr Pappas AM has served as a Non-Executive Director of the SBS Board since December 2024.

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AUSTRALIA: Three months into Australia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s, has it been a success?

The Guardian: Getting platforms to comply with the restrictions was no small feat. But it’s too early to measure the real-world mental health outcomes.

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NEW ZEALAND: Questions raised over TVNZ’s editorial independence

RNZ: Questions have been raised about TVNZ’s editorial independence after its chair discussed a news story with Broadcasting Minister Paul Goldsmith, media commentator Tim Murphy says.

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NEW ZEALAND: TVNZ sees sharp drop in half-year profit on back of revenue decline

RNZ: TVNZ has posted a sharply lower half-year profit as revenue slumped in a tough advertising market, and on a one-off accounting write-down.

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PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Journalist assaulted by correctional service officers

IFJ: A senior journalist for Papua New Guinean daily The National was allegedly attacked by five correctional service officers in Port Moresby as she attempted to enter the facility to attend a media conference on February 27.

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REGIONAL: Pacific broadcasters unite in Auckland for regional conference

FBC: Media leaders, broadcasters and digital journalists from across the Pacific have gathered in Auckland today for the start of the week-long Pacific Broadcasting Cooperation Limited (PBC) and Pasifika TV Conference.

ALBANIA: EBU Director: RTSH needs reform and modernization, the Government should support it financially. Appreciation for Eni Vasili’s work! 

Balkan Web: The Director of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the network of European public broadcasters, Noel Curran emphasizes the need for reform and modernization of Radio Television of Albania (RTSH), underlining the importance of the role of public television in informing citizens.

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AUSTRIA: Allegations of sexual harassment – ​​ORF director resigns (German) 

SRF: The director of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), Roland Weissmann, resigns with immediate effect.

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BELGIUM: RTBF independence: the CSA College calls for a respectful debate on public broadcasting (French) 

RTBF: In a context of polarization of public life and crisis of confidence in institutions, the CSA underlines the “essential” role of public broadcasting.

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BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Bosnia state TV halts programmes to protest over funding crisis 

Reuters: Bosnia’s state broadcaster BHRT shut down its programmes on Thursday in protest at a funding crisis that it said could close the TV and radio service that was meant to unify the country after years of war.

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CATALONIA: 3Cat and the UOC create a chair to lead innovation in audiovisual media (Press release – Catalan) 

3Cat: Under the title “Narratives, Consumption Habits and Emerging Audiovisual Formats”, it was created to investigate and anticipate the future of audiovisual in a context of profound transformation of the sector.

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CROATIA: Croatian Media Law Adopts EU Standards and AI Content Labelling Rules

Balkan Insight: Government says new law implementing European Media Freedom Act will safeguard press freedom – but opposition claims it fails to address political pressure on journalists.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: “Liquidation.” Macinka cuts money for Czech Radio’s foreign broadcasts (Czech) 

SZ: Ninety years of tradition versus budget cuts. Minister Petr Macinka wants to spend less money on Czech Radio’s foreign broadcasting. According to experts, this could be disastrous for the service.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: MEPs supported the Supreme Audit Office’s authority to supervise public television and radio (Czech) 

iRozhlas: The Supreme Audit Office may gain constitutional authority to audit the finances of Czech Television and Czech Radio. The Senate amendment was supported by the Chamber of Deputies in today’s opening round.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Moravec is leaving CT. He said he can no longer guarantee the independence of editorial work. (Czech) 

iDNES.cz: Presenter Václav Moravec announced his retirement from Czech Television. He had appeared on its screens for over 21 years. At the end of Sunday’s broadcast of the program Otázky Václava Moravec, he said that he could no longer guarantee the independence of editorial work.

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FRANCE: French broadcasters call on EU to require radio in all new vehicles 

RedTech: French public service broadcaster Radio France is teaming up with French private radio broadcast industry group Alliance de la Radio to “call on European decision-makers to make the integration of an FM and DAB+ radio receiver compulsory in all new category M vehicles N and L registered in the European Union.”

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GERMANY: ARD and ZDF are discontinuing three channels (German) 

Die Zeit: The public broadcasters are implementing the requirements of the new Interstate Treaty on Broadcasting and are consolidating their services. tagesschau24, One, and ARD alpha will be discontinued.

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GERMANY: ARD and ZDF suddenly have no chance with their constitutional complaint (German) 

LTO: Because the states refused to increase the broadcasting fee, ARD and ZDF appealed to the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. However, according to a new recommendation from the Commission for the Determination of Financial Requirements of the Broadcasting Organizations (KEF), the fee will increase later and by a smaller amount.

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GERMANY: ARD pop radio stations are introducing a regionalized AI service for weather and traffic in their joint evening and night broadcasts. (Press release – German) 

ARD: For the first time, the new AI-powered service will allow participating radio stations to broadcast customized information in their familiar sound for their respective broadcast areas. This will ensure that listeners receive reliable and relevant information from their region, even during off-peak hours.

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GERMANY: Errors in reports by public broadcasters are addressed. (German) 

Deutscher Bundestag: AfD MP Dr. Götz Frömming accused ZDF of failing to produce its own footage for such a report, claiming that a “billion-dollar broadcaster” should be able to do so. Instead, he alleged, the studio director used an “AI-generated video from the internet.” Frömming asserted that this was “not a mistake” but “deliberate fraud.”

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GERMANY: New ARD services for people with disabilities (Press release – German) 

ARD: ARD is further expanding its accessible services for people with disabilities . The focus of the new action plan for the period 2026 to 2028 is the phased expansion of the ARD Mediathek (ARD Media Library).

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GERMANY: “Our conclave was intense”: How ARD & ZDF rearrange their channels

DWDL: ARD and ZDF have agreed, as demanded by politics, on savings on the sphal channels. Three offers will be bundled, three stations will be discontinued in 2026, as ARD chairman Florian Hager and ZDF director Norbert Himmler explain in a double interview with DWDL.de.

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GERMANY: “ZDF goes School” launches second round of the partner school program (Press release – German) 

ZDF: The partner school program includes school visits by ZDF program producers, who strengthen students’ media literacy through workshops and presentations. ZDF partner schools also have the opportunity to engage with ZDF staff during studio and backstage visits to ZDF productions and gain insights into behind-the-scenes operations.

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ICELAND: Great trust in RÚV news (Press release) 

RÚV: RÚV news agency enjoys great trust among the people, according to the latest Maskína survey.

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IRELAND: Digital Regulators Group statement on Government’s Digital & AI Strategy 2030 (Press release) 

Coimisiún na Meán: The DRG particularly welcomes the Government’s commitment to strengthening the DRG, enhancing regulatory coordination, and in particular, ensuring that Ireland’s digital regulators are well‑resourced to meet the challenges presented in the digital space.

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IRELAND: Media Literacy Countering Disinformation, call for submissions (Press release) 

Coimisiún na Meán: Coimisiún na Meán has today (10.03.2026) issued a call for submissions for funding to support Media Literacy and Countering Disinformation projects in 2026.

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LATVIA & BELARUS: Does anything need to be done about Belarusian radio broadcasts along Latvia’s border? 

LSM: One of the consequences of shutting down the Latvian Radio 4 Russian-language channel formerly operated by Latvian Public Media (LSM) appears to be that in parts of Latvia it has been replaced by Belarusian state media.

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LITHUANIA: Venice Commission urges Lithuania to review LRT funding, keep director dismissal majority 

LRT: The Venice Commission has urged Lithuania to review last year’s decision to freeze funding for the public broadcaster LRT for three years and recommended maintaining a qualified majority threshold for dismissing the broadcaster’s director general.

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THE NETHERLANDS: Millions in cuts hit KRO-NCRV: broadcaster cuts programs and 35 jobs (Dutch) 

Broadcast Magazine: The announced multi-million dollar budget cuts at public broadcasting will lead to an expected loss of 35 jobs among KRO-NCRV program producers. This fall, KRO-NCRV will assess the impact of the program cuts and the broader cuts to other parts of the organization.

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THE NETHERLANDS: Regional public broadcasters launch election chatbot KiesKennis (Dutch) 

NU: The application was developed at the initiative of Rijnmond and will be deployed nationwide by eight regional public broadcasters, under the coordination of the Regional Public Broadcasting Foundation (RPO).

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POLAND: Telewizja Polska (TVP3 Warsaw) is educating viewers about online threats. TVP3 Warszawa is launching the Media Lab program, hosted by Jakub Wątor. (Press release – Polish) 

TVP: TVP3 Warszawa is launching an educational project dedicated to consciously navigating the world of media and digital technologies.

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SLOVAKIA: STVR management plans to fire its critics: long-time editors and members of the strike committee are threatened with dismissal (Paywall – Slovak) 

DennikN: There has been talk of layoffs from Slovak Television and Radio (STVR) since the end of last year. STVR Director General Martina Flašíková announced that based on the personnelThe broadcaster will lay off approximately 5 percent of its employees following the audit.

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SLOVENIA: Trade unions dissatisfied with RTV Slovenia’s attitude towards external collaborators. RTV rejects the accusations. (Slovenian) 

RTV SLO: The program cannot be based on unpaid work by the authors and constant threats to workers,” the unions Zasuk, Glosa and Sviz are clear. RTV management has firmly rejected the unions’ accusations.

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SPAIN: RTVE commits to raising its minimum funding for audiovisual works directed or created by women to 40% and adds the Equality Observatory to the non-fiction project selection committee (Press release – Spanish) 

RTVE: The Board of Directors has approved both measures to reinforce RTVE’s commitment to real equality in the audiovisual sector.

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UK: BBC to call for permanent charter and end of political appointments to board

The Guardian: Corporation proposes sweeping changes intended to protect its independence and shore up its future.

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UK: In a divided world, local news brings us together (Press release) 

BBC: At the BBC we will keep fighting for local news and storytelling, because every community deserves a voice. 

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UK: Poisoned chalice? The BBC’s struggles to find a successor to Tim Davie

The Guardian: As the director general prepares to stand down, potential candidates have fallen away amid a series of crises.

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UK: S4C urges UK Government to safeguard Welsh language broadcasting in BBC Charter Review 

Nation Cymru: S4C has published its response to the BBC Charter Review consultation, calling for its unique position within the UK media landscape to be safeguarded to secure the long-term future of Welsh language public service media.

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UK: The BBC Charter Review is time for bold choices to secure benefits of public service media for generations (Press release) 

BBC: The BBC warns this Charter Review is the moment to make clear choices to back the organisation and support all that it delivers for the UK

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UK: The BBC World Service must be defended not defunded 

Index of Censorship: Index and other organisations call on the UK government to provide clarity over public broadcaster’s funding at a critical time

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SWITZERLAND: No to the halving initiative – Yes to a strong and regionally anchored SRG (Press release – German) 

SRG SSR: The Swiss electorate has voted in favor of a strong SRG and rejected the initiative to halve its funding. The SRG welcomes this commitment to a diverse, digital, and regionally rooted public service broadcasting model.

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SWITZERLAND: Swiss reject cuts to public broadcasting 

DW: A campaign to lower compulsory fees that fund public broadcasters failed in a referendum vote. Proponents called for more privatization, while victorious opponents said public media underpins democracy.

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SWITZERLAND: Six takeaways from Switzerland’s media licence fee battle 

Swissinfo.ch: The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), the parent company of Swissinfo, has weathered another challenge to its television and radio licence fee.

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REGIONAL: CoE Press Freedom 2025 Report: Journalism in Europe on the Tipping Point

ECPMF: Council of Europe’s Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists published a new report warning that across Europe journalists are working in an increasingly hostile environment, facing legal threats, physical attacks, intimidation and attempts at media capture.

GAZA: Recipe Book (Analysis)

CJR: What the crisis for press freedom in Gaza portends.

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IRAN: Iran’s divided media landscape makes getting information during wartime even harder 

The Conversation: From brutal crackdowns on nationwide protests in January, to Israel and the United States’ recent strikes, Iran has been in the international spotlight for weeks. Reporting on Iran is challenging, both from inside the country and from outside. During periods of unrest and political turmoil, it becomes even harder and more restrictive.

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IRAN: State-Linked Iranian Website Calls for Attacks on Iran International Journalists in Israel 

IranWire: The state-linked website Tabnak has published an article urging the Islamic Republic’s armed forces to target not only the offices but also the private homes of several Iran International television staff members and analysts living in Israel.

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IRAN: War in Iran: journalism in crisis as access to information restricted and reporters work amid bombs 

RSF: Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli offensive on Iran, journalists in the country have been working amid the hostile air strikes while also facing repression from the Iranian regime. Internet access in the country remains limited and information is scarce.

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IRAN & JAPAN: Iran Arrests Japan Public Broadcaster’s Bureau Chief In Tehran

RFE/RL: Iran has arrested the bureau chief of Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK World, and transferred him to Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, two sources have told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.

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REGIONAL: Gulf States in Wartime: The “Battle” for Information Control (Arabic) 

Daraj: UAE law criminalizes the reposting of misinformation, even if the person is not the original source. Simply forwarding a message via WhatsApp, sharing fake news, or photographing and posting images of security or vital locations can subject individuals to legal penalties.

Canada: CBC/Radio-Canada’s all-news channels, CBC News Network and ICI RDI, now available as add-on subscriptions through Prime Video in Canada (Press release) 

CBC/Radio-Canada: CBC/Radio-Canada today announced that the national public broadcaster’s all-news channels, CBC News Network and ICI RDI, are now available on Prime Video as add-on subscriptions for $4.99/month each, with a 7-day free trial.

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CANADA: Former CBC News host Travis Dhanraj says he was ‘pulled off the air’ for fighting against bias 

CBC News: Dhanraj has filed a human rights complaint against the CBC. 

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CANADA: RTDNF Canada and CBC renew CBC David Suzuki Scholarship for three years (Press release) 

CBC: Named for the world-renowned Canadian environmentalist and science broadcaster, who celebrates his 90th birthday this year, the $5,000 scholarship supports students from racialized communities who are in their final year of a college or university journalism program and who have demonstrated a strong interest in science journalism.

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US: How, who, and why: NPR flips its famous letters to defend the right to be curious (Press release) 

NPR: NPR is standing up for the public’s right to ask hard questions in a national campaign dubbed “For your right to be curious.”

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US: New and former KSPS PBS managers reflect on past, present and future of public media 

The Spokesman – Review: We’re imagining a future where people visit their public broadcasting stations as a way to connect with their neighbors. And I’m talking about like touching the loneliness epidemic, and the lack of third spaces to bring people around the hearth of public discourse.

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US: On Standing Rock, Local News Is Teetering

CJR: “We are like living ghosts,” the editor of the Teton Times said.

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US: The justice system rejects the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle Voice of America (French) 

RFI: The Trump administration’s dismantling of Voice of America has been ruled illegal. A federal court determined on Saturday, March 7, 2026, that the agency responsible for overseeing public media lacked the authority to order such a sweeping reorganization in early 2025.

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US: U.S. Judge says Kari Lake broke law in overseeing Voice of America 

NPR: A federal judge overseeing a raft of legal challenges to the Trump administration’s drive to dismantle the Voice of America ruled Saturday evening that Kari Lake had acted unlawfully in running the network’s parent agency.

Debate on media freedom: “It’s a matter of days until public broadcasting is gone” (German) 

Der Standard: How can journalism and media freedom be protected against populist politics? At “Europe in Discourse,” one key answer was: the media must pay attention to their audience.

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Independence is not a given. Together, we must defend and earn it. (Press release) 

VRT International: PMA CEO Kristian Porter and VRT Director of Public Value Karen Donders wrote a joint statement on growing threats to the independence of (public service) media.

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KBS Launches Preparations for 2026 PBI SEOUL (Press release) 

KBS: KBS has launched preparations for 2026 PBI SEOUL, the annual conference of Public Broadcasters International (PBI). The inaugural meeting of the conference organizing committee was held on March 6 at KBS headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul.

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Media must stop normalizing the far right (Opinion) 

Politico: Every uncritical mention of far-right rhetoric is an editorial decision with political consequences.

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Politicians Are Trying to Control the News (Opinion) 

The New York Times: The shadow of press repression is spreading around the world. In the past decade, the number of journalists detained and imprisoned has soared as governments seek tighter control over the media.

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Press freedom declines in Americas, with US seeing sharpest drop: Report

Al Jazeera: A press freedom index has given the Americas its lowest average ranking since it started recording results six years ago.

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U2 supports CPJ as it launches new EP ‘Days of Ash’

CPJ: Irish rock band U2 has named the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) one of three charitable partners it is supporting as it launches “Days of Ash” — a self-contained collection of five new songs and a poem inspired by the “many extraordinary and courageous people fighting on the front lines of freedom.”

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When experiments become movements: The rise of live journalism in an age of doubt

JournalismUK: Journalists are stepping onto stages and into neighbourhood halls to tell their stories live, raw and unfiltered. 

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YouTube Launches TV Plans: Do Media Companies Now Need to Have It All?

Hello Partner: With the launch of new tiered subscription bundles under YouTube TV, YouTube is edging closer to the very model it once disrupted.