Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.
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EGYPT: Egypt urged to free jailed journalists
IPI: Resolution unanimously passed by IPI General Assembly.
KENYA: Kenyan school students attack journalists, set fire to their car
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns a physical attack on Kenyan TV journalists by school students at their principal’s request and reminds the Kenyan authorities of the need to make the younger generation aware of journalists’ rights.
LIBERIA: Liberia has blocked social media as protesters demand the return of missing millions
Quartz: Thousands of Liberians descended on the capital Monrovia today [7 June] to protest the corruption that has bedeviled president George Weah’s administration. The government’s response: blocking social media outlets.
Nyasa Times: Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) has suspended radio phone-in programmes, warning the organisation would not hesitate to invoke regulatory sanctions to any broadcaster that deliberately breaches the law.
NIGERIA: Nigeria shuts down private TV, radio stations tied to opposition
Via News24: Nigeria’s broadcasting authority shut down private radio and television stations owned by a key opposition figure who hours earlier said his media operations were being targeted in a crackdown.
NIGERIA: Two Nigerian Broadcasters Shut Down Indefinitely
All Africa: Modibbo Kawu, director-general of the National Broadcasting Commission, says two stations belonging to Daar Communications have had their licences suspended because they failed to abide by the broadcasting code.
RWANDA: What’s it like to be a journalist in Rwanda? This is what they told us (Opinion)
The Conversation
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC Chief Audit Executive survives assassination attempt
SABC: The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has learnt with shock, the news of the attempted assassination of its Chief Audit Executive, Thami Zikode.
SOUTH AFRICA: “We will not be intimidated” : SABC Board Chair
SABC: SABC Board Chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini has reacted to the assassination attempt against its Chief Audit Executive, Thami Zikode, by saying the public broadcaster will not be intimidated in its clean-up campaign.
SUDAN: Crackdown on protests, clampdown on media (Watch)
Al Jazeera: Sudan security forces rampage through protest sites and a media blackout is enforced. Plus, British poverty-porn media.
ZAMBIA: The Zambian reporter fighting climate change in Africa (Watch)
Deutsche Welle: She may only be 21 years old but already Beatrice Phiri is tackling one of the biggest issues facing Africa today: climate change. DW follows her activities in Lusaka.
GENERAL: The 77 Percent – How can media change perceptions about Africa? (Watch)
Deutsche Welle: Corruption, famine, violence, civil war – these are narratives that make it out of Africa and onto the world stage. How can African journalists convey the full picture to an international audience?
CAMBODIA: Holding a Media Summit Without Media Freedom
HRW: Holding an Asian media meeting in Cambodia makes a mockery of freedom of expression and press freedom, Human Rights Watch said today.
CHINA: “China’s Pursuit of a New World Media Order” (Report)
RSF: In a report titled “China’s Pursuit of a New World Media Order”, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) investigates Beijing’s strategy to control information beyond its borders, a project that poses a threat to press freedom throughout the world.
CHINA: What international coverage of Tiananmen got wrong (Opinion)
CJR: Yes, China censors information about Tiananmen. But quizzing pedestrians is facile at best, and unethical at worst.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong: Clashes after massive protest against extradition law
Al Jazeera: Chinese state media says ‘foreign forces’ trying to hurt Beijing by creating chaos after mass rally ends in violence.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong protest scrubbed from mainland China’s media (Watch)
France24: Major media outlets made no mention of it and social media was censored – mainland China, unsurprisingly, made every effort to silence any mention of Hong Kong’s biggest protest in a decade.
HONG KONG: Journalists harassed covering city-wide protests in Hong Kong
IFJ: As over a million people took to the streets of Hong Kong to protest the government’s controversial extradition bill on June 9, a number of journalists were blocked and barred from covering the protests.
INDIA: India has lots of newspapers and lots of readers and one big journalism problem
CJR
INDIA: India mirrors world as TV withstands mobile internet charge
Rapid TV News: Consumers in India are watching their televisions for an average of 144 minutes every day, preferring TV to any other medium, according to a new study of media habits from Zenith.
INDIA: Police arrest journalists for airing ‘defamatory content’ against Uttar Pradesh chief minister
CPJ: Yesterday, Uttar Pradesh police arrested Shukla, the editor of privately owned TV news broadcaster Nation Live, and Singh, the head of the station, and charged them with attempting to incite violence and for defaming the state’s chief minister.
INDIA: Prasar Bharati wants to switch off AIR short-wave service, India’s voice around the world
The Print: Prasar Bharati’s decision might hurt India’s reach, but public broadcaster justifies move, saying ‘short-wave transmissions hardly have any impact anymore on global opinion-making’.
KAZAKHSTAN: A school of bitter experience: how Kazakhstan’s media regulations restrict journalist freedom
Open Democracy: The Kazakh state is increasingly bringing the work of independent journalists under control. A new media law places further restrictions on journalistic freedom.
MALAYSIA: Malaysia hailed for improved press freedom as world democracies flail
Malaysiakini: An international democracy watchdog warns that press freedom across the world is under threat, but has raised Malaysia as an example of a country bucking that worrying trend.
MYANMAR: Unyielding Attacks on Free Speech in Myanmar Signal a Transition in Peril
Freedom House: The pardon of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo should not be mistaken as evidence authorities are easing restrictions on free speech.
SOUTH KOREA: Investigative journalists should develop ‘a video state of mind’ (Interview)
ICIJ: [Interview with] Yongjin Kim, editor-in-chief and chief executive of the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism. KCIJ is a Seoul-based nonprofit investigative reporting organization and runs Newstapa, a news website that presents watchdog journalism in multimedia form.
Medianama: The Sri Lankan Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to amend to the country’s Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code to take action against people spreading fake news, including statements that impact national security and incite violence between communities, Sri Lankan newspaper Daily FT reported.
TAIWAN: Press freedom in Taiwan best in East Asia
Taipei Times: Taiwan has the highest level of press freedom in East Asia, even though China seeks to influence its media narratives, according to the US government-funded Freedom House.
VIETNAM: Vietnam blogger jailed for six years for Facebook posts calling for peaceful protests
The Guardian: European Union criticises imprisonment of Nguyen Ngoc Anh, saying he has right to peaceful freedom of expression.
AUSTRALIA: A Media Watch feature report on police raids targeting News Corp and ABC journalists (Watch)
ABC Media Watch: Why aren’t whistleblower laws working? How can journalists and their sources be better protected? And are national security laws being abused by the government to avoid media scrutiny?
AUSTRALIA: ABC raid: AFP leave Ultimo building with files after hours-long raid over Afghan Files stories
ABC News: Australian Federal Police officers have left the ABC’s Sydney headquarters more than eight hours after a raid began over a series of 2017 stories known as the Afghan Files.
AUSTRALIA: ABC raid: how the AFP’s search warrant played out, one tweet at a time
ABC: John Lyons, executive editor of ABC news and head of the investigations unit, live tweeted the raid on its headquarters.
AUSTRALIA: ABC raid: Outcry as Australian police search public broadcaster
BBC News: A police raid on Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) has drawn fire from broadcasters and rights groups.
AUSTRALIA: Legal options after ABC raided by Australian federal police (Listen)
RNZ: Media commentator Gavin Ellis says the ABC is about to mount a legal challenge against the raid on its Sydney newsroom and News Corp is bringing out its big guns.
AUSTRALIA: Statement by Ita Buttrose, ABC Chair, on the public’s right to know
ABC: On behalf of the ABC, I have registered with the Federal Government my grave concern over this week’s raid by the federal police on the national broadcaster.
AUSTRALIA: What do the raids on the media mean for journalists and their sources?
ABC News: On Wednesday morning, Australian Federal Police officers and computer technicians entered the ABC’s headquarters in Sydney, armed with a warrant to access the national broadcaster’s databases.
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND: Gavin Ellis: Australia deserves better than ABC raids but law offers little protection (Opinion)
RNZ: I wasn’t shocked by this week’s execution of search warrants on Australian journalists. The Australian Federal Police actions simply brought back nasty memories.
NEW ZEALAND: Public media funding policy back to square one? (Listen)
RNZ: Labour came to power promising big boosts to public broadcasting but last week’s Budget offered only stop-gap increases “pending major policy decisions.” Mediawatch asks the minister of broadcasting and digital media when the big calls about media policy will be made.
BELARUS: Guidelines for foreign journalists covering the upcoming European Games (Guidelines)
IFJ: From 21 to 30 June 2019, the second European Games will take place in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus. The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) published some guidelines for journalists covering the sports event related to accreditations, security measures and safe communications.
BULGARIA: Bulgarian reporter’s defamation conviction sets dangerous precedent
RSF: Rossen Bossev, a reporter for the Bulgarian business weekly Capital Weekly, was fined 500 euros by a Sofia court on 21 May on a charge of defaming former FSC chairman Stoyan Mavrodiev in a TV interview in January 2015.
ESTONIA: Insults must not become accepted part of media landscape, says president
ERR: President Kersti Kaljulaid recently expressed her concerns about political party-controlled media in Estonia, and the scope for attacks on social groups and their lifestyles on such broadcasts.
FINLAND: How Finland fights the fake news trolls (Watch)
BBC News: For the past five years, trolling, threats and harassment have been a part of daily life for Jessikka Aro, a journalist at Finland’s national broadcaster, Yle.
FRANCE: Radio France wants to remove between 270 and 390 posts (French)
Le Monde: The strategic project “Radio France 2022” of President Sibyle Veil involves savings of 60 million euros in a context of reduced state resources.
GERMANY: German draft legislation would enable intelligence agencies to spy on journalists
CPJ: The ministry’s draft legislation would remove protections prohibiting the country’s domestic and foreign intelligence services from hacking journalists’ computers and smartphones during terrorism investigations, according to media reports.
GERMANY: New order and index for ARD and ZDF (German)
MDR
GERMANY: Privacy Media Award for ZDF online offer “App + on” (German)
ZDF: “App + on” provides the most important facts and tips about the Internet and deals above all the social and action-related risks of Internet use.
HUNGARY: Hungarian academics in last stand over prestigious science body
Balkan Insight: A government plan to restructure Hungary’s 200-year-old Academy of Sciences represents a final assault on free thinking, academics say.
HUNGARY: Orban-style ‘media capture’ is spreading across Europe (Opinion)
EU Observer: Imagine a Europe where news media are controlled by cartels of governments and oligarchs. Prime ministers give lucrative advertising contracts to press companies that support them and financially punish those that don’t to the point of extinction.
IRELAND: RTÉ spent €41 million on independent productions in 2018
The Irish Times: One in six TV pitches are commissioned, but spending has only nudged up in recent times.
LATVIA: Saeima plans to change public media board member approval order in Latvia
BNN: Latvia’s Saeima supported in the first reading amendments the Electronic Mass Media Law that clarify requirements for potential public media board member and their selection process, as well as their dismissal order, as reported by Saeima’s press-service.
NETHERLANDS: Dutch public broadcasting faces overhaul, less advertising
Dutch News: The Dutch public broadcasting system is to be overhauled to reduce the amount of advertising and boost regional programming, broadcaster NOS said, quoting cabinet sources.
RUSSIA: Reporter’s Arrest Sets Off Widespread Protests in Russia
The New York Times: The arrest of a respected investigative journalist on dubious drug charges has hit a nerve in Russia, spurring growing protests on Monday and statements from a wide circle of celebrities criticizing abuse by the security services.
RUSSIA: The IFJ welcomes drop of charges against Russian journalist Ivan Golunov (Update)
IFJ: Journalist Ivan Golunov was arrested in Russia on 6th June on drug-dealing accusations, causing a public outcry that prompted the authorities to drop all the charges against him on 11th June.
SERBIA: Serbian Journalism in Free Fall
SEENPM: All eyes are currently resting on Hungary and other media freedom bashers across Europe – but it is actually in Serbia where independent journalism is hitting the skids at an alarming pace.
SERBIA: Serbian Leader ‘Following Orban’ in Controlling Media – Freedom House
Balkan Insight: The latest Freedom House report says Serbian leader Aleksandar Vucic is following the example of Viktor Orban in Hungary, in consolidating media ownership in the hands of cronies and using them to smear opponents.
SPAIN: Platforms and public television: an absent debate in Spain (Opinion)
El Pais: Still today RTVE continues to be a preferred place for producers. But the absence of common strategies has taken its toll.
SWEDEN: Swedish Radio welcomes modernisation of its mission (Blog – Swedish)
Sveriges Radio: The Swedish Radio is positive that the bill presented today by the Government based on the Public Service Committee’s report clearly marks the company’s important role in a modern and digital media landscape. The Swedish Radio’s role as an independent media company with the sound in focus is fully in line with the main content of the bill.
UK: BBC ‘confident others will follow’ as New Zealand sets up own local democracy reporters scheme
Press Gazette: The head of the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporter scheme has said he is confident other countries with follow with similar schemes of their own after media organisations in New Zealand launched a version of the project.
UK: Channel 4 announces new VoD advertising technology
Telecompaper: UK public service broadcaster Channel 4 has announced the development of new VoD advertising technology, codenamed ‘Project Agora’.
UK: The future of free television licences for over 75s (Open letter)
BBC: The BBC Chairman and Director General write open letter about some important changes to TV licences for older people.
UK: Up to 90% of Channel 4 staff expected to quit rather than move to Leeds
The Guardian: Generous redundancy payments pushing cost of moving HQ from London above £50m.
UK: BBC confirms plans to make over-75s pay TV licence fee
The Guardian:The BBC has confirmed plans to make most over-75s pay the TV licence fee, arguing that it is the only way to avoid closing channels and making substantial cutbacks.
ARGENTINA: Argentinian Reporters in Action on the Eve of Journalist’s Day
Prensa Latina: With a trending label on Twitter, hundreds of workers in the Argentine press are denouncing this profession is under emergency, and also rejecting the shutdown of several media outlets and media lay-offs.
ARGENTINA: Young Argentinian media outlet bets on membership model and reader participation to end ‘information intoxication’ (Blog)
Knight Center: Digital news website, Red/acción, experiments with paid memberships that will encourage readers to participate more in contributing to future articles.
CHILE & ECUADOR: Chile and Ecuador reach 3-year telecom cooperation deal
Telecompaper: Chile’s Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications has signed a mutual cooperation agreement with Ecuador’s Ministry of Telecommunications and the Information Society to work together in the fields of ICT deployment, service rollout and risk prevention through telecommunications networks.
COLOMBIA: Colombia approves controversial new telecommunications and media law
Colombia Reports: Colombia’s congress has passed a controversial bill revolutionizing Colombia’s telecommunications and media infrastructure.
NICARAGUA: Nicaragua releases dozens of political prisoners under new amnesty law
The Guardian: Fifty prisoners jailed for their role in anti-government protests were released Monday while two journalists were set free Tuesday.
Knight Center: For the first time in one month, Venezuelan journalists forced their way into the building that houses the country’s National Assembly and called on the military to allow the press to cover upcoming sessions.
VENEZUELA: Venezuela’s Supreme Court orders La Patilla to pay US$5m in damages to Cabello
CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists today [June 7] condemned the Venezuelan Supreme Court’s decision to order the independent news site La Patilla to pay US$5 million damages to a former vice-president as part of a civil defamation lawsuit, according to news reports.
GENERAL: May in the Americas: more violence in Mexico, arrests and blockades in Venezuela and Assange’s telenovela (Spanish)
IFEX: Another intense month ends on the American continent. Violence against the media and those who seek to express themselves freely does not cease. In the month in which World Press Freedom Day is celebrated, everything happened in the region.
Knight Center:Latin American journalistic media will have the chance to get up to U.S. $250,000 in funding for their digital products through the Innovation Challenge, a program to promote digital journalism from Google News Initiative (GNI) that was just launched in the region.
BAHRAIN: Bahrain’s threat to crack down on social media users would violate free expression, says PEN America (Press Release)
PEN America: The government of Bahrain’s threat to prosecute people who follow social media accounts the government disapproves of is a blatant attempt to violate freedom of expression and access to information, PEN America said in a statement today.
TURKEY: Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of June 2, 2019
CPJ
TURKEY: Turkey’s Journalists Work Under Threat Of Jail (Listen)
NPR: In Turkey, pressure to control the free press comes in the form of jail time and court proceedings that stretch on and on.
CANADA: CBC/Radio-Canada Announces New Diversity Commitment (Blog)
CBC/Radio-Canada: CBC/Radio-Canada announced a new commitment to diversity for all English and French-language commissioned programs across scripted and factual genres. The public broadcaster made this announcement in the context of its new strategic plan, “Your Stories Taken to Heart,” which prioritizes giving underrepresented Canadians greater opportunities to build their skills, experience and relationships in the industry.
CANADA: National public broadcasters ABC and CBC announce creative and commercial collaboration
CBC News: At the Banff World Media Festival, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) announced a creative and commercial collaboration that will enhance the reach and impact of their content across both countries.
CANADA: Poll finds 90% of Canadians have fallen for fake news
CBC News: Distrust of social media, Facebook, Twitter higher than concerns about cybercrime.
CANADA: The future of Radio-Canada in the North (Watch – French)
Radio-Canada: CBC/Radio-Canada President-CEO Catherine Tait is in Yellowknife this week to, among other things, present her new Crown Corporation Strategy to community members.
US: Banff: PBS Chief Paula Kerger Talks Trusted Brand, Big Bird and Congressional Budget Fights
The Hollywood Reporter: The CEO of the public broadcaster told the Banff World Media Festival that trust in the PBS brand is key to fundraising and fending off critics.
NPR: We’re enthusiastic to share that NPR is opening applications to its Member stations for the second rotation of the Public Radio Incubation Lab focused on the theme of “Working Better Together to Advance Station Membership and Donations.”
US: Maryland journalists challenge ban on broadcasting criminal court procedures
CJR: For Baltimore-based independent journalist Amelia McDonell-Parry, the Baltimore City courtroom audio captured during Keith Davis Jr.’s previous trials isn’t just a series of recordings. It’s the key to helping audiences understand why Davis, who was shot by Baltimore police in 2015 after he was wrongfully identified as a robbery suspect, is being tried yet again for a murder he says he didn’t commit.
US: WBUR and WGBH have reimagined public radio, so what’s next? (Opinion)
The Boston Globe: The searches to fill top jobs at Boston’s two big public radio stations will be among the most complicated in American media these days. What used to be a fairly straightforward position — keep one FM station on the air with donations from local listeners, underwriters, and grants — has become much more complex as the nature of public media has changed.
US: How France’s national broadcaster bolstered U.S. public radio in its formative years (Paywall)
Current: An essay focusing on the historical collaboration between US and French public radio programmes and producers
CIMA: For years, the road to news media financial sustainability was said to be paved with data—digital news outlets were counseled to collect as many details about their readers as possible.
Facebook Quietly Changes Search Tool Used by Investigators, Abused By Companies
Vice: Facebook’s Graph Search allowed anyone to search a wealth of public data on Facebook in very specific ways, such as searching content for keywords in a particular point in time.
Freedom and the Media: A Downward Spiral (Report)
Freedom House: Latest annual report by Freedom House highlights the growing decline of media freedom worldwide.
Google Made $4.7 Billion From the News Industry in 2018, Study Says
The New York Times: It’s more than the combined ticket sales of the last two “Avengers” movies. It’s more than what virtually any professional sports team is worth.
Journalism’s problem from hell
CJR: Journalists depend on a free and unfettered internet to deliver news in their own communities and around the world. But, increasingly, they find themselves victimized by the same freedom.
Journalists’ organisations on the front line to tackle gender equality and online harassment
EFJ: Around 30 journalists and journalists’ representatives from 20 European countries attended the workshop on “Increasing gender equality and diversity in the workplace” on 28 and 29 May in Istanbul, Turkey.
Online news gradually shifts away from free content and towards pay models
Journalism.co.uk: RISJ report found that 69 per cent of US and European newspapers use some form of paywall – but that figure has only risen by 5.5 per cent in two years.
Student Journalist of the Year 2019 (Opportunity)
BBC Radio 4: We’re looking for the UK’s best student journalist. You might be broadcasting on student radio, writing articles for a student magazine, or creating great online pieces for a student website. Deadline: 31 August 2019
That “$4.7 billion” number for how much money Google makes off the news industry? It’s imaginary
Nieman Lab: It’s based on math reasoning that would be embarrassing from a bright middle schooler.
Planespotting: A Guide to Tracking Aircraft Around the World
GIJN: Tracking aircraft is an increasingly valuable tool in the arsenal of investigators.
World’s Displacement Crises Worsened by Lack of Funds, Political Will or Media Attention
IPS News: The world’s 10 most displacement crises—rendering millions of people homeless– have continued to worsen due either to political neglect, a shortage of funds or lack of media attention, according to a new report released by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
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