CHINA: China: amid protests, RSF and 48 NGOs urge the regime to respect human rights, including press freedom

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and a coalition of 48 human rights NGOs urge the Chinese government to respect human rights, including freedom of the press, especially in the context of the current protests against the regime’s zero-Covid policy.

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HONG KONG: Trial of Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai delayed after British lawyer denied visa extension

The Guardian: Democracy activist and founder of Apple Daily tabloid newspaper potentially faces life in prison over charges of conspiring to collude with foreign forces.

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INDIA: Despite misogynistic abuse & difficulties, I am an unapologetic journalist

IFJ: Abuse in the workplace continues for journalists and media workers in India, with women journalists facing sexism and harassment. Senior journalist Indrani Sarkar describes her experiences navigating India’s media industry, and the struggles she has had to endure to exist as a critical and independent journalist.

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INDIA: “What we have today in India is truly the ‘dark age’ of journalism. Our media ecosystem has been gutted and destroyed” (1 December)

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: As billionaire Gautam Adani takes over Indian TV channel NDTV, senior news anchor Ravish Kumar tendered his resignation with this speech.

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INDONESIA: Indonesia: New criminal code erodes freedom of press, expression

IFJ: The Indonesian government has passed a controversial new Criminal Code that seriously violates international human rights standards and will effectively curtail freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

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MYANMAR: How the Coup Split Myanmar’s Media Landscape (Analysis)

The Irrawaddy: The military takeover last year fractured Myanmar’s media into three distinct groups. Needless to say, one group supports the regime while another – the country’s once mainstream but now exiled independent media that is still reporting on the country – principally opposes military rule.

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MYANMAR: Myanmar women journalists in exile: living their lives “as quietly as possible”

Free Press Unlimited: Since the start of the coup on February 1, 2021, Myanmar has seen an alarming increase in the repression of critical voices and dissent. The Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) has been restricting freedom of expression and independent voices in the media through drastic means. Licenses of major independent media houses were revoked, media outlets were raided and journalists were arrested brutally in broad daylight. Most independent media in Myanmar have been forced to shut down, while their staff are being searched by security forces across the country.

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MYANMAR: Myanmar Sentences VOA Contributor to Additional 7 Years in Prison

VOA News: A Myanmar journalist who contributes to the Voice of America (VOA) has been sentenced to an additional seven years in prison.

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PAKISTAN & KENYA: Pakistan’s Top Court Scrutinizes Probe of Journalist’s Killing in Kenya

VOA News: Pakistan’s Supreme Court Tuesday began scrutinizing an apparently lackluster government investigation into what the top court said was “the brutal killing” of a highly regarded investigative journalist while in self-exile in Kenya.

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PHILIPPINES: No separating press freedom and human rights, say threatened journalists

Rappler

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SOUTH KOREA: Korea Communications Commission “Audio-Visual Media Service Act to be released as soon as possible” (Korean)

Mediaus: The Korea Communications Commission […] announced that it would disclose the ‘Audio-Visual Media Service Act’ (tentative name), which subsumes OTT (Online Video Service) into the media law system, as soon as possible. 

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SOUTH KOREA: Mandatory programming of sign language broadcasting increased by 2%… “Striking” (Korean)

Mediaus: The Korea Communications Commission […] passed a notice amendment bill to expand the mandatory broadcasting ratio for the disabled. The ratio of compulsory sign language broadcasting was raised from 5% to 7%. However, in the case of the three terrestrial broadcasters, more than 7% of sign language interpretations are already provided, raising questions about the effectiveness of the system improvement. 

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TAIWAN: Behind the Scenes: Taiwan’s 1st Live TV Election Show in English (Watch) 

Taiwan Plus: What does it take to produce a two-hour election special for live TV? Join the TaiwanPlus news team for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of Decision 2022. 

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THAILAND: Thai PBS Podcast Collaborated with the Thai Blind Foundation organized a workshop “Voice to open the world” for the blind (Press release – Thai)

Thai PBS: Thai PBS Podcast in collaboration with the Thai Blind Foundation organize training activities for being a jockey and broadcaster for the blind in the project “Sound opens the world” introduces techniques for using sound and storytelling. Enhance the potential to continue to be a content producer through various forms of media.

AUSTRALIA: ABC programs take home 17 AACTA Awards (Press release)

ABC: The ABC was the most awarded network claiming an unrivalled 17 of the nation’s top screen awards, the AACTAs as the industry honoured Australia’s best and brightest screen talent.  

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AUSTRALIA: ABC to combine regional and national news teams in major restructure

Sydney Morning Herald: ABC managing director David Anderson will hire a chief content officer and migrate regional reporters to the news division as part of a major shift in the way the national broadcaster operates and commissions programs. 

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AUSTRALIA: From the Heart of Our Nation, Australia’s best First Nations musicians celebrate NITV anniversary at Uluṟu (Press release)

SBS: The sun setting on Uluru was the backdrop to an evening of powerful performances from Australia’s leading First Nations artists on Monday night. They came together to celebrate 10 years of National Indigenous Television (NITV) being available to all Australians as a free-to-air channel, and part of the SBS network.

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NEW ZEALAND: Media merger meets mounting resistance as clock ticks

RNZ: The prime minister’s hints this week reforms will be pared back in 2023 – and an untidy interview by the broadcasting minister – added to skepticism about the government’s public media plan this week. But while the media have aired angst about editorial independence, trust and costs, the opportunities have barely been addressed – or the consequences of sticking with the status quo.  

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NEW ZEALAND: National’s Nicola Willis says PM has sounded ‘death knell’ for $370m public media merger

RNZ News: National’s deputy leader Nicola Willis says comments by the Prime Minister on cutting expenditure have sounded the “death knell” for a merger of public media outlets Radio New Zealand and TVNZ.

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NEW ZEALAND: Willie Jackson: Here’s why Google and Facebook should pay for NZ media content they publish

Stuff: Media organisations will need to adhere to professional standards to benefit from a new media funding law, Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson says.

AUSTRIA: ORF funding: According to Blimlinger, extended GIS is probably “not possible” (German)

Der Standard: The financing of the ORF after the decision of the Constitutional Court on the streaming gap to be closed from 2024 is still “totally open”.

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Karel Novak to head Czech TV council

Broadband TV News: Karel Novak has been elected the new chairman of the council of the Czech public broadcaster Ceska Televize (CT).

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DENMARK: The new project will make people with diagnoses and disabilities more visible in DR’s productions (Danish)

DR: Based on DR’s diversity pool, a new project from DR B&U has uncovered how to improve visibility and involve people with diagnoses and disabilities in our productions. Here are 10 pieces of good advice for the employees of DR.

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FINLAND: Survey: Yle is Finns’ most trusted media, and it has succeeded in its mission (Finnish)

Yle: 92 percent of the respondents think that Yle has succeeded in its public service mission very well, well or fairly well.

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FRANCE: French regulator told to reconsider RSF’s request for ban on Russian propaganda broadcasts by Eutelsat

RSF: In response to a request by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), France’s Council of State has overruled French broadcasting regulator ARCOM’s assertion that it lacks the legal authority to order Eutelsat, the French satellite operator, to stop transmitting the signals of Russian propaganda media on its satellites.

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FRANCE: The DGSI summons three journalists from Radio France and “Disclose” for suspicion of breach of national defense secrecy (French)

Le Monde: The general directorate of internal security suspects them of having disclosed “information allowing the identification of a member of a special forces unit” in an investigation released in 2018.

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FRANCE: “We MEPs want more Europe on France Télévisions, not less!” (French)

Le Monde: Because “never has the European level been so important”, around thirty MEPs, including Nathalie Loiseau, Manon Aubry and Marie Toussaint, call in a forum in “Le Monde” the president of France Télévisions, Delphine Ernotte, to strengthen the office of its correspondents in Brussels.

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GERMANY: Content network funk from ARD and ZDF convinces 14- to 29-year-olds (Press release – German)

ZDF: Since its launch six years ago, the content network funk has been reaching more and more young people with relevant and reliable content. In order to meet the needs of the young target group even better, funk is increasingly relying on innovative methods (e.g. Artificial intelligence).

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GERMANY: German public broadcasters plans to deploy 5G-NR from 2027/28 (Paywall)

Telecompaper: German public broadcasters plan to gradually introduce 5G NR (new radio) broadcast from 2027/2028 as a supplement to DVB-T2, with the aim of a complete switch to the new mode, according to a report by the Federal Network Agency on perspectives for the use of 470-694 MHz frequency bands after 2030.

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GERMANY: Warning strike on ZDF (German) 

ZDF: Since the early morning, the VRFF, Verdi and DJV unions have been striking ZDF broadcasting operations without prior notice. As a result, the “ZDF morning magazine” could not be broadcast. The editions of the “heute” programs are also affected. Like ARD, ZDF broadcast an alternative program instead.  

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HUNGARY: From spying to a criminal probe: Hungarian media baron says Orbán has upped silencing campaign

Politico: Zoltán Varga, one of Hungary’s last independent media moguls, tells POLITICO Viktor Orbán has taken his tactics to a ‘new level.’

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HUNGARY: Hungarian students accuse public broadcaster of ignoring their protests (Spanish)

Swissinfo: Hundreds of Hungarians, the vast majority of them high school students, gathered today in front of the headquarters of public television Magyar Televizió to ask them to report on the repeated and often massive protests against the bad situation of the teaching staff and government intimidation.

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IRELAND: RTE accuses Oireachtas committee of trying to interfere in editorial independence

Extra.ie: The national broadcaster has accused an Oireachtas committee of attempting to intervene in its editorial independence.

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LATVIA: Media regulator urged not to revoke Dozhd license pending court review

ECPMF: The undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today express serious concern over the decision by Latvia’s National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) to revoke the broadcast license of exiled independent Russian TV station Dozhd, which is based in Riga. Given the clear implications for media freedom, our organisations urge the regulator to refrain from enforcing the revocation until a court has reviewed the decision.

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LITHUANIA: LRT rejects criticism over media freedom under new self-regulation bill

LRT: The European Federation of Journalists has issued a statement “Lithuania: Threats to self-regulation worries journalists organisations”, which in our opinion contains misleading information that LRT’s proposals for amendments to the Law on Public Information, which would revise the system of self-regulation and reform the Public Information Ethics Commission, would be a step back for media freedom by allegedly opening greater opportunities for government influence and restricting democratic principles.

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NETHERLANDS: Dutch government will invest in fighting impunity

Free Press Unlimited: Today, a majority of the House of Representatives agreed to the proposal that the Netherlands release funding to take the first steps in creating a task force for solving more murders of journalists. As we have recently seen in the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh and Yama Siawash, there currently is no mechanism in place to solve murders of journalists when the authorities of the country where the murder took place fail to take steps towards justice. 

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NETHERLANDS: Linear TV viewing comes under further pressure – Dutch media regulator (Paywall)

Telecompaper: The number of Dutch people thinking of canceling their TV package is on the increase, according to the Media Monitor 2022 report put out by the Dutch media regulator CvdM, which noted that the growing range of online and on-demand services is making a subscription to linear TV packages less urgent. 

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SERBIA: Two private Serbian TVs go off air to protest poor media freedom

Euractiv: Two private broadcasters in Serbia – N1 Srbija and Nova, known to be highly critical of the authorities – stopped broadcasting for 24 hours on Tuesday, in protest at the poor state of media freedom in the Western Balkan EU candidate country.

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SPAIN: RTVE reinforces its commitment to local information and its territorial structure (Press release – Spanish)

RTVE: In times of polarization of society and an abundance of fake news , the best counterbalance is local and close information. With this idea, the interim president of the RTVE Corporation has welcomed the directors of the Territorial and Production Centers of Radiotelevisión Española, who have met again in person after almost three years of hiatus due to the pandemic. A meeting that has served to put on the table the concerns and challenges facing the territorial structure.

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SPAIN: RTVE organizes the first online training course on equality for its entire staff (Press release – Spanish)

RTVE: Nearly 6,500 professionals already have access through the RTVE Institute ‘s training platform to the first online course on equality between women and men.

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SWEDEN: SVT in Gothenburg files on more successful Nordic formats (Swedish)

Nordvision: It would perhaps be reasonable to speak of a real format factory – that’s how successful SVT in Gothenburg has become in developing ideas that can also be used in the other Nordic countries. 

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SWITZERLAND: Henriette Engbersen takes over as Head of Public Value at SRG (German)

SRG SSR: The former UK and Ireland correspondent for SRF and current partner at a consulting firm in Zurich, Henriette Engbersen, is coming to SRG: she will take over the management of the Public Value division in February 2023.

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SWITZERLAND: Improved access for people with sensory disabilities (German)

SRG SSR: The SRG is renewing the agreement for services for people with sensory disabilities with seven associations. This regulates which programs are subtitled and which content is transcribed or signed. The aim is to further expand the services of the SRG and to improve access to its offers for those affected. The agreement comes into effect on January 1, 2023 and is valid until 2027.

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UK: BBC DG: “UK media must collaborate to prosper”

Advanced Television: The BBC Director-General, Tim Davie, has issued a rallying call to ensure the UK media industry can prosper and keep delivering benefits in the decades to come.

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UK: Donelan signals end to Channel 4 privatisation plans

Broadband TV News: Boris Johnson’s controversial plan to privatise Channel 4 looks certain to be abandoned after the culture secretary revealed she was in talks with the broadcaster over a new funding model.

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UK: Future funding of the BBC: Lords committee report

UK Parliament: The BBC is principally funded through a licence fee paid by UK households; the amount is set by the government in a periodic ‘licence fee settlement’. In January 2022, the government announced a licence fee settlement that would apply from April 2022 until March 2028. It also stated that it was considering how the BBC should be funded after this period. In July 2022, the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee published a report examining the future of BBC funding.

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UK: UK media industry must seize control of own destiny

BBC: BBC Director-General Tim Davie set out his vision for what a 2030s media market could look like, in a speech hosted by the Royal Television Society.

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UK: National Security Bill poses alarming threats to journalism and press freedom

RSF: Following the second reading in the House of Lords, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns that unless the National Security Bill is changed, journalists who share leaked official information in the public interest could face imprisonment if they belong to organisations that receive funding from other countries.

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UKRAINE: Ukraine deadliest for journalists as 67 killed worldwide in 2022

Al Jazeera: Russia’s war in Ukraine, chaos in Haiti and rising violence by criminal groups in Mexico have contributed to a rise in the number of journalists killed doing their work in 2022, according to a new report by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

ARGENTINA: In a new attack on the press, Cristina accuses the media of “mafia attitudes” (Spanish)

La Voz: The vice president, convicted of corruption, wrote a letter in which she questions the “hegemonic media.”

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ARGENTINA: Public Television: the average salary exceeds $300,000 and managers earn more than $1 million per month (Spanish)

Clarín: Rosario Lufrano and 13 directors of Radio and Television Argentina earn more than $1 million per month. The Chief of Staff, Juan Manzur, reported how much the 1,071 employees of Public TV receive.

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BRAZIL: CPJ joins letter calling on incoming Brazilian government to address press freedom concerns

CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists joined this week eight civil society groups and press freedom organizations in a letter to the communications working group of the Brazilian transitional government, urging the incoming federal administration to adopt measures to protect press freedom and the safety of journalists.

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CHILE: For a real public TV (Spanish – Opinion)

El Siglo: Televisión Nacional is a Public Audiovisual Communication Channel. However, it is far from following the efficient models of Argentina, the United Kingdom, France, Italy or Spain and it does not even have an original scheme defined in this regard to guarantee genuine efficiency.

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COLOMBIA: RTVC informed the Prosecutor’s Office of complaints about alleged sexual harassment (Spanish)

Semana: The RTVC Public Media System reported this Friday, December 9, that it brought to the attention of the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation a series of complaints for alleged sexual harassment that would have occurred in the entity between 2016 and 2020.

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GUATEMALA: Guatemala: IPI reiterates call for release of journalist José Rubén Zamora

IPI: The IPI global press freedom network reiterated its call on Guatemala to immediately release IPI World Press Freedom José Rubén Zamora, who has been jailed since July on money-laundering charges that are widely considered politically motivated. Zamora faces a next hearing in the case on December 8.

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MEXICO: Mexico finishes 2022 with almost twenty journalists murdered, while colleagues and organizations cry out for justice and an end to impunity

LatAm Journalism Review: Mexico will close the year with a record number of journalists murdered. The organization Article 19 for Mexico and Central America has counted 17 press workers killed so far in 2022 in that country. In at least 12 of these crimes, the causes are directly related to the practice of the profession.

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PERU: Journalists suffer attacks while covering the political crisis in the country (Spanish)

IFJ: The National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP) alerts about the violence that is being exercised against the press workers who are covering social conflicts and mobilizations derived from the institutional crisis that broke out in the country after the attempt to closure of Congress by former President Pedro Castillo, his subsequent vacancy and arrest. 

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VENEZUELA: Media desert in Venezuela: why people don’t know what they are doing to them (Spanish)

El Estímulo: IPYS measured the effects of 22 years of censorship in Venezuela in its latest study. In this note, we indicate the results of the report and its social impact

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REGIONAL: Tragic year for the press in Latin America: Organizations in the region call on states to create conditions for violence-free journalism

IFEX: 2022 has been the most violent year for the press in Latin America and the Caribbean for the last two decades; at least 37 journalists have been murdered in connection with their work. In the worsening conditions for the practice of journalism, civil society organizations have identified four worrying trends.

IRAN: RFE/RL sanctioned by government of Iran, denounces designation as supporter of international terrorism

USAGM: Today, the government of Iran added RFE/RL’s Persian-language service, known locally as Radio Farda, to a list of individuals and organizations sanctioned for supporting international terrorism or inciting violence.

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PALESTINE: In The Hague, IPI joins call for ICC to investigate Shireen Abu Akleh killing

IPI: IPI and other stakeholders joined Al Jazeera in submitting a formal request for investigation.

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SYRIA: Journalist killed and another injured in Turkish airstrikes

IFJ: Syrian journalist Issam Abdullah, a reporter from Hawar News Agency (ANHA), was killed while covering Turkish airstrikes on 20 November in northern Syria. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns Abdullah’s murder and demands the Turkish government launch an immediate investigation and stop targeting journalists and civilians.

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REGIONAL: In press freedom index, Middle Eastern countries go from bad to worse

Al-Monitor: The majority of Middle Eastern and North African countries sank further on press freedom in 2022, with the most drastic drops in region observed in Tunisia, Palestine and Lebanon.

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REGIONAL: Misinformation in Iran, World Cup double-standards, and immunity

IFEX: Detained protesters at risk of death penalty in Iran. Double-standards for free expression at Qatar’s World Cup. MBS immunity for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. FBI investigates Shireen Abu Akleh’s case.

CANADA: Gatineau police who arrested journalist breached ethics code, board finds

CBC News: A Quebec police ethics board has found two Gatineau, Que., police officers involved in the 2018 arrest of a Radio-Canada journalist did an incomplete investigation and abused their authority, breaching the province’s police code of ethics.

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CANADA: How to fund journalism in Canada if Google, Facebook won’t

Canadian Dimension: If tech firms don’t want to fund Canadian media and Ottawa won’t keep bailing it out, where will the money come from?

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US: Amanda Bennett sworn in as USAGM CEO (Watch)

USAGM: This Week, USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett was sworn in at a ceremonial investiture event at USAGM headquarters, after her bipartisan confirmation by the U.S. Senate in September to lead the independent federal agency. 

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US: Concern as US media hit with wave of layoffs amid rise of disinformation

The Guardian: A wave of layoffs have hit the beleaguered American media industry as several major companies, including CNN, BuzzFeed and Gannett, have laid off hundreds of workers in recent weeks citing economic volatility and uncertainty.

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US: PMVG To Present Public Media Technology Summit In April 2023

TV News Check: The Public Media Venture Group (PMVG) will present a technology-focused Summit on April 13-14, 2023, immediately preceding the 2023 NAB Show Centennial in Las Vegas. Following the success of the 2022 PMVG-Google Public TV NextGen Summit, the Public Media Technology Summit will include sessions on RF, IT and general technology practice and management — particularly as they intersect with ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV, IP-based facilities, cloud-based production, and the related business and service opportunities that support public media’s unique mission.

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US: Social Media Seen as Mostly Good for Democracy Across Many Nations, But U.S. is a Major Outlier

Pew Research Center: Most think social media has made it easier to manipulate and divide people, but also say it informs and raises awareness.

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US: South Dakota Public Broadcasting deletes TikTok accounts following governor’s ban (Paywall)

Current: Gov. Kristi Noem’s executive order prohibits state agencies and employees from downloading or accessing TikTok on state-owned or leased devices. 

10 most read Legal and Policy articles of 2022

EBU: In 2022, the policy landscape shifted dramatically for public service media with the conclusion of the Digital Services Package and launch of the European Media Freedom Act. The EBU’s Legal & Policy team was there, each step of the way, informing Members and advocating for their interests towards the EU Institutions. 

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67 journalists killed so far in 2022: IFJ demands immediate action

Relief Web: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today renewed its call on the international community for concrete action to protect the safety and freedoms of journalists as it recorded a spike in the numbers of journalists killed or imprisoned during 2022.

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“Climate journalism is crucial for a just transition towards a sustainable future”

Free Press Unlimited: Says Ruth Kronenburg, Executive Director Free Press Unlimited, at the 8th annual International Human Rights Conference of ABN AMRO on 9 December 2022. The event was dedicated to the ‘Just Transition’ and the role companies can and need to play. Ruth Kronenburg took part in one of the panels to talk about the role climate journalism plays.

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How publishers are learning to create and distribute news on TikTok

Reuters Institute: TikTok is currently one of the world’s fastest-growing social networks with its addictive algorithm surfacing an endless stream of short, entertaining videos.

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Is this the end of TV? Broadcasters prepare for online-only switch

The Observer: As ITVX launches and the BBC gets ready to stream not beam, will event viewing become a thing of the past?

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Build back better with broadband: Research stories from the front line

ITU: New research highlights how to rebuild with broadband after crisis hits.

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MAKING PROGRESS ON DIVERSITY IN TECHNOLOGY TEAMS AND ACTIVITIES

EBU: How far have we come in our first year as members of BBC’s 50:50 The Equality Project? We targeted eight flagship EBU Technology & Innovation events, aiming to increase active female participation – as panellists, speakers or moderators – to 25%. We used the events from October 2020 to June 2021 as the benchmark. As of June 2022, we had achieved a 2-point increase: from 19 to 21%.

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The “misuse” of the judicial system to attack freedom of expression: trends, challenges and responses (report)

UNESCO: According  to  international  law,  criminal  sanctions  to  expression  should  only  be  applied  very  exceptionally and as a last resort, in the most severe cases, such as those involving incitement to  hatred.  However,  despite  important  advocacy  efforts  for  the  decriminalization  of  speech  offences, journalists worldwide continue to face criminal charges in instances that do not reach that threshold of severity, often in relation to criticism of public officials or institutions. 

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Understanding communities starts with open conversations in the newsroom

Poynter: Organizations join to create a new Dimensions of Difference guide to help journalists understand their biases and better cover their communities

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What can grow in the desert?

Reynolds Journalism Institute: We are awash with studies and white papers about the demise of local newsrooms as a threat to our democracy. But what if, instead of asking what we’ve lost, we ask what can actually grow in these deserts?