Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.
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COTE D’IVOIRE: Ivorian Government Withdraws Controversial Press Bill after MFWA Petition
MFWA: The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its national partner organisations in West Africa have welcomed the decision of the Ivorian government to withdraw the controversial press bill, sections of which sought to criminalise speech.
EGYPT: Egypt targets bloggers, social media users in new draft law
MEMO: Social media users, blogs and personal website which have more than 5,000 followers will be governed in the same way media outlets are in Egypt, if a new draft law is brought into effect.
LIBERIA: President Weah Submits Bill to Repeal Laws Against Free Speech to Legislature
Via All Africa: President George Manneh Weah has re-submitted to the National Legislature a Bill with modifications, to repeal some sections of the Penal Law of Liberia in an effort to decriminalize free speech and create an unfettered media environment.
NIGERIA: Scrutinising the media after 19 years of democracy
The Guardian Nigeria: Nineteen years of unbroken democracy gives the impression that Nigeria is making progress with civilian governance.
NIGERIA: Telecoms operators deploy 52,000km fibre optic cable to bridge access gap
The Guardian Nigeria: The NCC EVC revealed that the commission was committed to improve Nigeria’s broadband penetration, which currently stands at 22 per cent to 30 per cent by the end of the year.
AFEX: Fifteen leading human rights organisations that seek to promote freedom of expression rights in Africa have called on the President to Somaliland, a self-declared state in Somalia to put an end to the recent crackdown on press freedom rights in the country.
SOUTH AFRICA: Independence and impartiality is the new black at SABC News
The Media Online: It’s not just viewers who are raving about SABC News’ new editorial positioning and updated identity, but journalists and producers working within the public broadcaster too.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC TV finally going HD
Channel24: After a delay of years the SABC is finally switching its TV channels to high definition (HD) with the South African public broadcaster upgrading the broadcast quality of its channels.
SUDAN: Sudanese authorities prevent distribution of Al-Jarida Newspaper
CPJ: Sudanese authorities should allow the privately owned Al-Jarida newspaper to be distributed freely and cease its ongoing campaign against critical journalists in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
ZAMBIA: Journalists attacked during elections
IFJ: Seven journalists from four media houses – The Mast, News Diggers, Radio Phoenix and Prime Television – were attacked, beaten and threatened by suspected United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres around midnight on Tuesday, 5 June, while heading to the vote counting centre of the Chilanga by- elections.
GENERAL: Constricting Cyberspace: African Governments Target Social Media Users in New Laws
AFEX: Increasingly, governments across the African continent are intentionally adopting laws and policies aimed at limiting citizens’ rights online.
GENERAL: On digital rights, States and citizens stake opposing claims: May in Africa
IFEX: A legal victory on one hand, with criminal defamation declared unconstitutional by Lesotho High Court, but Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania pass regulations that clamp down on the freedom of expression of online users.
BANGLADESH: Social media to come under surveillance
The Independent (Bangladesh): The National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC), which tracks mobile and fixed-line phone calls to identify and locate suspected criminals, will purchase the ‘Social Media Monitoring System (open source intelligence) and Related Service’ for controlling telecom operators in the country.
CHINA: China denies visas to Australian journalists due to ‘frosty’ diplomatic relations
The Guardian: Group had been due to leave on Thursday with Bob Carr’s Australia-China thinktank.
CHINA: The movie theatre will be the next target for China to dig deeper roots in Africa
Quartz: Some observers of China’s global rise conclude that its influence is limited to military and economic capabilities. For example, it’s set to overtake the US as the world’s largest economy before 2030. There is one area in which China lags behind. That’s the use of “soft power”…But China’s influence could be changing, as suggested by recent developments in media and film, specifically in Africa.
INDIA: DD News to migrate to Pebble Beach Systems’ playout platform
Television Post: Public broadcaster Doordarshan has selected leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist Pebble Beach Systems’ Marina automation system for its flagship 24-hour news channel DD News.
MALAYSIA: High Court dismisses judicial review bid by Mkini to challenge fake news law
The Star Online: The High Court here has dismissed an application for leave for a judicial review by Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd challenging the Anti-Fake News Act 2018 as unconstitutional, null and void and has no effect.
MYANMAR: Myanmar bans Radio Free Asia for using the term “Rohingyas”
RSF: The last broadcast of an RFA-produced programme in Myanmar was yesterday evening. It was carried by MRTV, a TV channel owned by Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), which was ordered by the authorities to stop transmitting RFA programmes if they continued to use the word “Rohingyas.”
PAKISTAN: Attack, abduction threaten journalists’ safety in Pakistan
IFJ: Two senior journalists faced attack and abduction within a few hours in Lahore, Pakistan, highlighting the tough situation for the media ahead of the parliamentary elections.
PAKISTAN: Rising Attacks on Pakistani Journalists, Social Media
VOA: Growing assaults against social media activists and journalists in Pakistan have alarmed defenders of free speech and human rights activists before the July 25 general election. There are also increasing allegations the military is also behind some of these incidents to stifle dissent.
PHILIPPINES: NUJP to gov’t: Don’t require media as witness in anti-drug operations
Rappler: The presence of media in anti-illegal drugs raids and apprehensions should be limited to ‘coverage for journalism purposes,’ the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines says in a resolution
SOUTH KOREA: Singapore deports two South Korean media staffers as Trump-Kim summit security tightens
CNBC: Two staff from South Korea’s national broadcaster have been deported from Singapore after they were arrested for trespassing at the home of the North Korean ambassador to the city-state, police said on Sunday.
VIETNAM: U.S., Canada urge delay in vote on Vietnam’s cybersecurity bill
REUTERS: The United States and Canada urged Vietnam on Friday to delay a vote on a proposed cybersecurity law, the U.S. Embassy said, amid widespread concern the law would cause economic harm and stifle online dissent in the communist-ruled country.
GENERAL: Malaysia’s election, Afghan attacks, defiant newspapers: Asia-Pacific in May
IFEX: Malaysia’s ruling party was defeated at the polls after being in power for more than half a century, bomb attacks killed nine Afghan journalists, activists sought greater accountability from Facebook, and a movement was launched to counter the sexism displayed by the Philippine president.
AUSTRALIA: ABC unpacks facts to protect its role
PSNews: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has published a “fact pack” on the role of public broadcasting in a mixed-media market.
AUSTRALIA: ‘You’ve got to play to the base’: Why the ABC is a political football (Opinion)
ABC: The ABC has moved from just being a perennial subject of political dissatisfaction to an election issue in its own right.
AUSTRALIA: Opposition leader Bill Shorten vows to restore ABC funding if elected
ABC: Federal Labor would end a funding freeze on the Australian Broadcasting twitter
FIJI: Election media blackout to ‘protect voters’
The Fiji Times: The 48-hour media blackout provision in the Electoral Act is necessary to protect voters from further campaigning.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Whether or not Papua New Guinea bans Facebook, critics say free speech still under threat
Global Voices: Papua New Guinea’s reported plan to ban Facebook for a month has raised concerns about government suppression of free speech.
GENERAL: Our Pacific Ocean Media Award launched for the Pacific Islands
Samoa Observer:“Our Pacific Ocean Media Award” has been launched in commemoration of World Ocean Day on 8 June, 2018 to both recognise and encourage Pacific island journalists to highlight our Pacific ocean, the largest resource of our Pacific island region.
ALBANIA: Albania’s Private TV Channels Demand Share of Tax Cash
Balkan Insight: The main private television stations in Albania proposed a law that would see them sharing in several million euros of television-set taxes which currently go to the public broadcaster.
AUSTRIA: EFJ calls on Austrian government to protect public service media
EFJ: The EFJ annual meeting, which took place yesterday in Lisbon with affiliates, journalists and trade unionists from around 40 countries, unanimously adopted the resolution “On the situation of Austrian public service media with letter to the Austrian government” calling on the Austrian government to ensure the future of the public service media.
BELARUS: Belarus moves to prosecute ‘fake news,’ control the Internet
CPJ: The Prosecutor General’s Office is drafting a bill on “fake news,” and the lower house of parliament separately is considering amendments to the media law.
FINLAND: Top Finnish media say better training may soften impact of online abuse
IPI: IPI meets with editors and audience managers at leading outlets to understand preventive measures in place
FRANCE: Macron Pushes Bill Aimed at ‘Fake News’ as Critics Warn of Dangers
The New York Times: Taking aim at so-called fake news, France’s Parliament on Thursday is set to begin debating a tough bill aimed at repressing phony news items, one pushed by President Emmanuel Macron amid criticism that it poses a potential threat to press freedom.
FRANCE: How Radio France is inventing tomorrow’s radio (French – Audio)
LMFP: Member of French Tech Central and associated with the research of specific technologies, Radio France recently presented its innovations at Viva Technology, which took place in Paris from 24 to 26 May 2018.
FRANCE: France Télévisions: “We will reinvent our channels”, promises Delphine Ernotte (French – Interview)
Le Parisien: A week after the government announcement about the public media reform, the president of France Télévisions revisits the works the changes that public media will undertake. From the removal of France 4 to the regionalisation of France 3.
GERMANY: ZDF selects Eutelsat for Ultra HD showcase
Broadband TV News: German public broadcaster ZDF will show selected Ultra HD (UHD) programmes on Eutelsat’s UHD showcase channel 4K1 on Hotbird (13° East) during trade fair ANGA COM 2018.
ECPMF: Following the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia the MEPs Ana Gomes, Sven Giegold and David Casa went on an ad hoc mission on the rule of law in Malta in November and December 2017. This is the report.
MONTENEGRO: Journalists Protest ‘Govt Pressure’ on Montenegro State TV
Balkan Insight: Media associations say that the proposed dismissal of public broadcaster RTCG’s director and editorial team show a clear intent to influence the independence of the public broadcaster.
MONTENEGRO: Montenegro Public Broadcaster Sacks Director
TOL: The EU and the U.S. join local journalists, activists in condemning the move, seen as an attempt by ruling party to stifle editorial independence.
SLOVAKIA: Country Profile (Report)
CEU: Slovaks consume news more frequently and in bigger amounts than ever before. They have access to a plethora of publications, news portals, radio and television stations. However, much of that is in the hands of a few powerful financial corporations, closely linked with political groups.
SLOVENIA: Threats against Slovenian journalists
CoE: Following media reports claiming that Hungarian media companies have provided financial support to Slovenian media outlets related with the Slovenian ruling party, journalists Blaž Petkovič, from daily newspaper Večer, and Eugenija Carl, from the public broadcaster RTV Slovenia, have been targeted by intimidating emails sent by Škandal24, a media outlet co-founded by the SDS party.
SPAIN: At the bottom among European public television channels for the credibility of information (Spanish)
VerTele: An investigation by the Pew Research Center reveals the problems of credibility and the audience’s distance from Spanish radio and television. Spain is also the country in Europe where citizens turn less to public TV to get information.
SPAIN: News executives appointed by the PP in TVE turn to court to avoid their dismissal (Spanish)
VerTele: Julio Somoano (former news director of TVE and currently Director and presenter of El Debate de La 1), José Gilgado (Daily News Director) and Elena Sánchez (Deputy Director of Los Desayunos) have filed a lawsuit in the courts alleging that their current employment situation does not comply with the law.
SPAIN: RTVE shows its news and debates on trends in production, distribution and consumption in its first showcase (Spanish)
RTVE: RTVE is holding a showcase on Monday and Tuesday in Madrid to present its main programming news and analyze trends in the fields of production, distribution and consumption of audiovisual content.
SWITZERLAND: Study links shrinking local media landscape and lower voter turnout
Swiss Info: There is a direct connection between the steady disappearance of local newspapers in Switzerland and lower participation in communal votes, according to a study released on Tuesday.
SWITZERLAND: Virtual reality: an RTV series on Swiss painters (French)
LMFP: How to discover the painter Vallotton in the age of the smartphone and 3D? By bringing the first with the second, of course! This is the challenge of “Hors-Cadre” and RTSCulture: a multidisciplinary team, bringing together specialists in art, sound and multimedia, increasing the reality of the paintings. Together, they created a new type of RTS audiovisual object.
UK: Broadcasters agree £125m Freeview deal to combat Netflix threat
Financial Times: BBC, ITV and Channel 4 collaborate in response to changing viewer habits
UK: Female pundits set for star roles as BBC and ITV battle for World Cup ratings
The Guardian: The BBC team will be more familiar from regular Match of the Day duties, but where both channels will be breaking new ground is in their use of female commentators, presenters and pundits.
UK: PSBs call for protection against tech giants
Broadband TV News: The BBC and Channel 4 have made a joint speech to British parliamentarians calling for an update to the rules surrounding the prominence of public service broadcasters in the digital age.
GENERAL: Public and commercial broadcasters divided over revised audiovisual directive
Digital TV Europe: Public and commercial broadcasters are divided over the merits of the final political agreement on the EU’s revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive, with public broadcaster organization the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) welcoming the result of the final review and commercial broadcaster group the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT) slamming it as “a missed opportunity”.
GENERAL: Struggling public media in Europe are under attack from right-wing politicians
Poynter
REGIONAL: Across Western Europe, public news media are widely used and trusted sources of news
Pew Research Centre: Public news media play a prominent role in Western Europe. In seven Western European countries surveyed, the top main source for news is a public news organization – such as the BBC in the UK, Sveriges Television/Radio (SVT/Radio) in Sweden or ARD in Germany – rather than a private one.
ARGENTINA: The national government seeks to save $ 1 billion with cuts in public media (Spanish)
La Voz: The national government plans to save 1,000 million pesos in Radio and Television Argentina (RTA) in 2018, according to Hernán Lombardi, head of the Federal System of Media and Public Content, as confirmed to La Voz .
COLOMBIA: Inter-American Court of Human Rights orders Colombia to investigate journalist’s murder
CRJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed an historic ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that ordered the Colombian government to uphold its responsibility to investigate the 1998 murder of radio journalist Nelson Carvajal Carvajal.
NiemanLab: La Pulla is run out of El Espectador, Colombia’s oldest newspaper. But to remain independent, the team fundraises for its own salaries, equipment, and expenses.
BRAZIL: Artificial intelligence as tool to fight fake news, social bots in Brazil’s election
IJNET: Stilingue was created to monitor social media posts and the media in Portuguese using artificial intelligence (AI). During the elections, marketing and advertising companies will use Stilingue technology to promote candidates and to help manage politicians’ reputations.
CUBA: In sign of toughter policy shift, Trump appoints Cuba ‘hardliner’ to lead radio and TV Marti
Politico: President Donald Trump appointed Miami’s former mayor and self-described Cuba “hardliner” Tomás Regalado to run Radio and TV Martí, a sign that tougher U.S. policies could be in store for the island regime and its Latin American allies.
GUYANA: RSF urges Guyanese Parliament to amend drafted Cybercrime Bill
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges the Guyanese Parliament to amend its drafted Cybercrime Bill, which could have a damaging effect on press freedom.
JAMAICA: Could Jamaica’s Data Protection Act shield politicians from journalistic scrutiny?
Global Voices: In the wake of the European Union’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation, Jamaicans are debating the implications of two new laws governing the collection and protection of personal data.
MEXICO: Mexican authorities arrest second person in the murder of journalist Javier Valdez
Knight Center: The Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Attention of Crimes Committed against Freedom of Expression (Feadle) of Mexico, with the help of Federal Police, carried out an arrest warrant against Juan Francisco “N,” known as “Quillo,” “for his probable participation in the murder of journalist Javier Valdez Cárdenas, on May 15, 2017,” according to the Attorney General’s Office (PGR, for its acronym in Spanish).
MEXICO: Senate recognizes contribution of public media to democracy (Spanish)
El Universal: The award-winning media organisations were Canal Once, Notimex, IMER, Canal 22 and Canal de Congreso.
GENERAL: Caribbean Diaspora Journalist wins top honors at Caribbean media awards gala
SFLCN: Award-winning broadcast journalist and television host Marlie Hall, a proud Haitian-American, recognized fellow Caribbean Diaspora journalist Kristin Braswell with top honours at the elegant Caribbean Tourism Industry Awards gala, staged last night (June 7) by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) at the Wyndham New Yorker during Caribbean Week New York.
GENERAL: Windrush victims say government response is a ‘shambles’
The Guardian: Eight weeks after the government promised to resolve the Windrush scandal, numerous victims of the debacle say the government has broken repeated pledges to fix their problems swiftly.
ISRAEL: Eurovision May Give Israel’s Public Broadcaster Lease on Life
Haaretz: Government considers delaying law splitting Kan into two because it would jeopardize its membership in the music competition’s sponsoring organization
TURKEY: IPI Feature: Inside Turkey’s pro-government press
IPI: In exclusive interviews, journalists share the realities of working for Turkey’s many government-influenced media.
TURKEY: Turks looks to alternative media as news landscape shrinks
France24: Medyascope, which was founded in 2015 by leading Turkish journalist Rusen Cakir, does not broadcast through satellite let alone terrestrial TV, but rather via new media like Facebook, YouTube and Periscope
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Female Journalists get a Taster for Automotive Writing with Ford in Dubai
Zawya: Ford Middle East and Africa has welcomed two Saudi female journalists into the world of automotive journalism as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia begins its countdown to the lifting of the ban on women driving.
CANADA: Strengthening Canadian culture in the digital age: CBC/Radio-Canada welcomes review of Canada’s broadcasting and telecommunications legislation (Press Release)
CBC/Radio-Canada: CBC/Radio-Canada welcomes the Government’s review of the Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Radiocommunication Acts.
CANADA: ‘A matter of life and death’ – Sue Gardner on public broadcasting (Opinion)
CBC Radio: Journalism has taken a beating over the last few years. Its reputation, its funding models, even its relevance. […] But digital media thinker Sue Gardner sees a way through the apparent morass: the refortifying of public broadcasting — and it’s a conclusion that surprises even her
CANADA: Who are Canada’s ‘four screen’ Anglophones? (Subscription)
Media in Canada: The report, “Four Screen Anglophones,” looks at how the English-speaking Canadian market utilizes multi-screens.
US: A year after Trump’s zero-budget threat, public broadcasting is…doing okay
NiemanLab: According to this year’s State of the Media Report update from Pew, American public broadcasting is…actually doing pretty okay. In public radio, the average weekly broadcast audiences of the top 20 NPR member stations continue to grow — from 8.7 million in 2015 to 11.2 million last year.
US: NPR’s Policy On Suicide Reporting Is To ‘Be Judicious’ With Details (Opinion)
NPR: With two suicides this week of well-known Americans, “best practices” for reporting such deaths are again relevant. NPR’s reporting has mostly been exemplary, even as it has missed the mark at least twice.
US: To grow its events business, NPR is taking a franchise approach to its shows
DigiDay: NPR is taking a product approach to its events as it looks to grow audiences and sponsorship revenue.
US: Americans think the news industry is “headed in the wrong direction,” but what does that even mean?
NiemanLab: People are increasingly trustful, however, of their own preferred news outlets.
CJR: How do older journalists adapt in an industry that suddenly feels foreign?
F*ke News, Journalism And Disinformation: Fighting Back Is Now Mission Critical
EJO: Journalists are on the frontline of the ‘f*ke news’ wars. As truth becomes a casualty of disinformation campaigns designed to disrupt democracies and pull down the shutters on open societies around the world, journalists must defend freedom of expression and the public’s right to know.
Global Media Forum 2018: Pluralist media ‘needed more than ever’
Deutsche Welle: At the opening of the 11th Global Media Forum, speakers stressed the importance of information and media literacy. EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said she was personally committed to the fight against disinformation.
How can we restore trust in news? Here are 9 takeaways from Knight-supported research
NiemanLab: “Finding strategies for artfully conveying complex information in ways that break down attention and trust-based barriers represents the most important challenge in our politically tumultuous time.”
NiemanLab: The lack of women in leadership in the journalism industry is not an unfamiliar topic. But what are news organizations actually doing about it? And how can other news organizations take on the gender diversity gap, too?
Our new recipe for talking about “public trust” in media
The Membership Puzzle Project: Despite there being a great deal of data around about the public’s poor trust in journalism, it’s unclear what this really means.
Telling character-centered stories of climate change through 360° video
IJNet
Tips for reporting on gender-based violence
IJNet: From #MeToo stories to cases of forced marriages, sexual exploitation and femicide, daily media coverage about violence against women and girls indicates an increased attention to the problem and growing recognition of its scope and extent across societies.
Trump scorns US media, but just try being a journalist in North Korea of Mexico [Opinion]
The Conversation:As I tell my students, the U.S. press system has its faults, including concentration of ownership by huge corporations, which can homogenize national news, and continual cutbacks of resources. But they probably won’t have to worry about being threatened, jailed or killed for doing their jobs.
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All PSM Weekly stories are provided for interest and their relevance to public service media issues, they do not necessarily reflect the views of the Public Media Alliance.
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Header image: Set of NBC Good Morning Namibia. Credits: PMA
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