DRC: DRC Orders CANAL+ Not To Broadcast Rwandan Channels

Taarifa: Tension between Kinshasa and Kigali has taken a new dimension as DRC orders CANAL+ to remove all Rwandan channels from decorders dedicated to broadcast in DRC. 

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ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia Clamps Down On Social Media Amid Protests

Capital News: Facebook, Telegram and TikTok has been restricted in Ethiopia amid protests over the split of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewhado Church.

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GHANA: Journalist Association Moves For Passage Of Broadcasting Bill

The Heritage Times: In commemorating World Radio Day, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has pushed for Parliament to pass the Broadcasting Bill.

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GHANA: Radio now partial, biased, unrepresentative of the people – Ex-UN radio boss

Ghana Web

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IVORY COAST: Pay TV operators forced to number local channels as on DTT (French)

Agence Ecofin: Some people complain of finding local channels too far in the numbering of their pay-TV providers. In Côte d’Ivoire, the audiovisual regulator has given pay-TV operators until the end of 2023 to adopt the same numbering as local DTT.

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NIGERIA: Buhari Approves 67 New Broadcasting Licences

This Day: President Muhammadu Buhari has approved 67 new broadcast licences to increase the total number of broadcast licenses granted by the administration from 2015 to date to 473.

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NIGERIA: ‘Like going to the war front’: Nigerian journalists offer tips for covering 2023 elections

CPJ: In the early hours of February 1, unknown gunmen set fire to an office of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission and a police station in the country’s southeastern Anambra state.

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NIGERIA: NBC Seeks More Airtime For Children Programmes

Voice of Nigeria: The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has urged broadcasting stations to devote 10 per cent of their daily airtime to children programmes to promote morality in them.

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SENEGAL: Walf TV channel suspended for seven days (French) 

RFI: In Senegal, black screen on the Walf TV channel. The signal was cut on Friday evening February 10 and for seven days by the National Audiovisual Regulatory Council (CNRA).

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SIERRA LEONE: PROMOTING WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP THROUGH RADIO

Caritas: In some areas of the world, radios play an essential role in promoting development and raising awareness on a wide range of issues, from health to human rights. 

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SOMALIA: Somali Journalist Freed in Surprise Move Hours After Conviction

VOA News: A Somali journalist said he had been freed from jail Monday just hours after a court handed down a two-month sentence on security charges, a case widely criticized by rights campaigners and media advocacy groups.

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SOUTH AFRICA: Civil society seeks legal advice over delays in approving SABC Board

SABC YouTube: Concerns have been raised about the delay in the appointment of a new board at the South African Public Broadcaster. Civil Society organizations, namely, the Save Our SABC (SOS) and Media Monitoring Africa say the revelation by the Minister of Communications Khumbudzo Ntshavheni to designate the SABC CEO as the accounting authority with Board powers is unlawful and they are taking legal advice on the matter.

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SOUTH AFRICA: Radio in South Africa turns 100 – and collides with podcasting and streaming

The Conversation: This year marks 100 years since radio was introduced in South Africa, through “the first experimental broadcast at the Railway Headquarters in Johannesburg” on 18 December 1923.

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TANZANIA: Media Services Act amendments to be tabled  today

Daily News: THE suspended bill of the amendments of Media Services Act of 2016 will be tabled in the National Assembly for the first reading today, the Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology Nape Nnauye revealed on Thursday.

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TUNISIA: A sustainable regulatory authority will support a free media

ARTICLE 19: ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned about the future of the Independent High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HAICA), which is vital for promoting media pluralism and independence and freedom of expression, and which oversees broadcasting governance in Tunisia. 

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UGANDA: Can podcast journalism help Uganda FM radios? (3 Feb)

Monitor: If you have listened to Uganda’s private FM radio stations, you may have noticed that there is hardly any journalism, save for hourly news bulletins gleaned from daily newspapers, and evening talk-shows (not the sponsored ones!) that occasionally focus on issues of the day or week and feature news makers, analysts (aka talking heads) and authorities.

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ZIMBABWE: UN experts urge President of Zimbabwe to reject bill restricting civic space

OHCHR: UN experts today urged Zimbabwe’s President to reject enacting a bill that would severely restrict civic space and the right to freedom of association in the country.

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REGIONAL: Deadly Start to Year in Africa With Threats, Killings of Critics

VOA: A rash of killings across Africa has renewed focus on the risks facing those working to expose wrongdoing.

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REGIONAL: Network disruptions: How Gov’ts in West Africa violated internet rights in 2022

MFWA: In 2022, five African countries were plunged into spells of cyber disruptions that affected the lives and livelihoods of at least 30 million of the continent’s people.

AFGHANISTAN: Access to VOA and RFE/RL websites restricted in Afghanistan

CPJ: The websites of both outlets are inaccessible on three of Afghanistan’s privately owned telecommunications providers—Afghan Wireless, Roshan, and Etisalat Afghanistan—but remain accessible to users of the state-owned telecom company Salam, according to a report by VOA, a statement by RFE/RL, and two journalists inside the country who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

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AFGHANISTAN: Dozens of Radio Channels Stop Broadcasting in Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan

VOA: Economic hardship and media restrictions stemming from the 2021 return to power of Afghanistan’s Taliban have reportedly forced approximately 34% of radio stations to shutter operations in the country, rendering hundreds of men and women jobless.

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AFGHANISTAN: French-Afghan journalist Mortaza Behboudi must be released immediately

EFJ: Mortaza Behboudi, a French-Afghan journalist living in France, was arrested on 7 January in Kabul, two days after arriving in Afghanistan, as he was about to collect his press accreditation. 

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AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijani journalists fight new media registry

Eurasianet: Media outlets and journalists may or may not technically be required to register, but there are clear consequences for those who don’t.

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BANGLADESH: Hasan asks Betar to air peace-inspiring programs

Dhaka Tribune: Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Monday asked the officials of Bangladesh Betar to write and air programs being inspired with peace and humanity focusing on this year’s theme of the World Radio Day ‘Radio and Peace’.

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BANGLADESH: IPI condemns continued government harassment of journalist Rozina Islam

IPI: IPI calls on Bangladeshi government to drop charges against prominent anti-corruption journalist.

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CAMBODIA: Cambodia’s Hun Sen shuts down independent media outlet Voice of Democracy

BBC: Cambodia’s leader Hun Sen has shut down one of the country’s last independent media outlets – just months before the country’s election.

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CAMBODIA: Comment by UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk after shutdown of independent media outlet in Cambodia (Editorial) 

OHCHR: I am alarmed that the licence for the independent media outlet Voice of Democracy has today been revoked.

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HONG KONG: ‘Don’t give up’: After fleeing overseas, Hong Kong journalists fight on

CPJ: When Hong Kong journalist Matthew Leung covered a small protest in the northern English city of Manchester last October, little did he know it would become one of the biggest stories in his career—and unleash a diplomatic storm between China and Britain.

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INDIA: BBC India offices searched by income tax officials

BBC: BBC offices in India have been searched as part of an investigation by income tax authorities.

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INDIA: How India’s attempt to block BBC documentary on Modi backfired

Al Jazeera: Govt efforts to ban the BBC documentary drew more attention to it and showed the inefficacy of such measures.

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INDIA: India’s Proud Tradition of a Free Press Is at Risk (Editorial)

The New York Times: The misuse of their powers to intimidate, censor, silence or punish independent news media is an alarming hallmark of populist and authoritarian leaders.

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JAPAN & UKRAINE: Japan gives Ukraine portable broadcasting equipment

NHK: Japan has provided Ukraine with portable broadcasting equipment. Ukraine’s main television tower in Kyiv was destroyed in a Russian attack last March.

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KASHMIR: Kashmir Registers Highest Number of Internet Restrictions Globally

VOA News: Residents in Indian-administered Kashmir experienced more internet shutdowns and restrictions than any other region in 2022, including Iran and Russia, a new report found.

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MALAYSIA: KKD, RTM to discuss dedicated free sports channel

New Straits Times: The Communications and Digital Ministry (KKD) and Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) are in discussion to create a dedicated free sports channel by the second quarter of this year.

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MALAYSIA: The broadcast times of the five regional radio stations operated by RTM are coordinated (Malay) 

Utusan Malaysia: Five regional radio station channels under the operation of Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) will have their broadcast times adjusted starting today.

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MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE: Investigative journalists should exploit big data

New Straits Times: INVESTIGATIVE journalism involves in-depth reporting of serious crimes. It exposes fraud, abuse of power and misuse of public funds practised on a large scale using elaborate schemes, usually with state sanction, commonly referred to as “institutional corruption”.

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MALDIVES: Two journalists assaulted by police during protest coverage

IFJ: Maldivian journalists Hassan Shaheed and Ahmed Misbaah were assaulted by police on February 6 while reporting on a protest against the sentencing of former president, Abdulla Yameen, near the People’s Majlis (Parliament House) in Malé. 

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MYANMAR: Two years after military coup, international community must support Myanmar’s independent media

IPI: Media resilience is high, even as journalists face enormous risks to doing their work.

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PAKISTAN: Info Secretary vows to take Radio Pakistan to new heights of development

Radio Pakistan: Federal Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Shahera Shahid has expressed commitment to take the state broadcaster to new heights of development through digital transformation, modernization of equipment and capacity enhancement of human resource.

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PAKISTAN: Wikipedia Unblocked In Pakistan

RFE/RL: Wikipedia was accessible in Pakistan on February 7, days after the country’s media regulator had blocked the free online encyclopedia. 

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THAILAND: Thai Journalists Wary of Proposed Media Ethics Act

VOA News:  Lawmakers in Thailand debated a media ethics bill on Tuesday that some say will address the spread of “fake news” and others warn could be used to obstruct the work of journalists.

AUSTRALIA: ABC board director resigns following pressure from chair Ita Buttrose (Paywall) 

SMH: An ABC director has resigned from her position on the board over a lengthy dispute about an alleged conflict of interest, forcing the federal government to replace two positions at the national broadcaster in a matter of months.

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AUSTRALIA: ABC breached impartiality guidelines in report presenting NT meeting as ‘racist’, ombudsman finds

The Guardian: ABC News breached its editorial guidelines of accuracy and impartiality in a radio report about a community meeting in Alice Springs, the ABC ombudsman has found in her first report.

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AUSTRALIA: After 55 years of informing primary school children, Behind The News launches BTN High for older students

ABC: For the first time in the 55-year history of the ABC’s national kids’ news program, Behind The News is creating content exclusively for secondary school students. ABC Backstory asked BTN presenter Amelia Moseley about how BTN High came about.

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AUSTRALIA: Diversity & Inclusion Annual Report 2021-2022 (Report)

ABC: The ABC published its Diversity & Inclusion Annual Report 2021-2022 on Thursday, 9 February 2023. 

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AUSTRALIA: ABC and SBS look to emerging voices to hit public broadcasting ‘sweet spot’ in 2023

If: Finding stories with heart and humour from fresh voices will be a key commissioning focus for Australia’s public broadcasters in 2023 as they seek to emphasise their point of difference in an evolving marketplace.

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FIJI: Amrit says Patel will take a 40% pay cut from the former FBC CEO’s contract

Fiji Village: Tarun Patel’s position is Acting CEO of FBC until the CEO’s position is advertised within a 3 to 6 months period and anyone can apply for the role.

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FIJI: Hopes for the return of press freedom in Fiji

ABC Pacific: Veteran Fijian journalist, Netani Rika, and his wife were resting in their living room when suddenly a Molotov cocktail went crashing through their living room window. 

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FIJI: PM unveils rebrand for broadcaster

FBC: Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka yesterday announced a rebranded FBC, with a new logo and slogan to depict the new dawn for the oldest media company in the country.

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NEW ZEALAND: ‘Let them watch Netflix’ – what can be salvaged from the wreckage of the failed TVNZ-RNZ merger?

The Conversation: The government’s decision to abandon the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media (ANZPM) Bill came as no surprise after months of increasingly negative speculation. 

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NEW ZEALAND: Public media policy put out of its misery

RNZ: Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed what pundits have predicted for weeks: the plan for a public media entity has been scrapped – before they even settled on a name for it.

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NEW ZEALAND: RNZ Responds to Government Announcements of the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill (Press release)

RNZ: The Government’s announcement today about the future of the ANZPM Bill has provided clarity around the important role RNZ plays in the public media sector, Board Chair Dr Jim Mather said.

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NEW ZEALAND: We must still reform our public media sector in 2023 (Opinion) 

Stuff: The plug has been pulled on the TVNZ-RNZ merger, so what happens now?

AUSTRIA: Negotiations on ORF future: Minister Raab apparently insists on “discount” (German)

Der Standard: The ORF general director should have presented a concept with massive savings for a leaner but more digital ORF. 

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AUSTRIA: Pensions fuel debate about new ORF funding based on GIS (German)

Der Standard: Three-digit million provisions for pensions in the ORF enrich the debate on austerity measures and “discount” wishes from Media Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) to public broadcasting. 

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BELARUS: Poland to close Belarus border crossing after journalist jailed

Al Jazeera: Poland will close a key border crossing with Belarus until further notice, the Polish interior minister has said, as relations between Warsaw and Minsk sink to new lows.

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ESTONIA: Estonian Public Broadcasting Adds Three Solid State Logic System T S300 Digital Broadcast Consoles

Mix Online: Estonian Public Broadcasting (Eesti Rahvusringhääling or ERR) has started installing three new Solid State Logic System T S300 digital audio broadcast consoles. 

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FRANCE: Cyril Hanouna against public service: we summarize the umpteenth controversy launched by the host

Ouest France: Cyril Hanouna embarked on C8 in a diatribe against the public audiovisual service, denouncing the budget allocated to it. It sparked a flurry of reactions. We summarize the new controversy launched by Vincent Bolloré’s favorite host.

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FRANCE: France Télévisions and Radio France: one more step towards a high-risk merger (French)

Télérama: According to a confidential document to which “Télérama” had access, France Télévisions and Radio France are studying new mergers for their channels. An explosive project, which could see France Bleu and France 3 accelerate their convergences, and the TV, radio and web antennas of Franceinfo move to an “act II”.

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GERMANY: ZDF is once again supporting producers (Press release – German)

ZDF: DF is a reliable partner for producers, even in times of extraordinary cost increases and inflation developments. Therefore, after consultations with the film industry and the producers’ alliance, the broadcaster will take inflation-related price increases into account appropriately when drafting the contract. 

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ITALY: Tgr Rai, record numbers for regional websites (Press release – Italian) 

Rai: Four million pages visited in just one week: the number of users of Rai’s regional websites is growing exponentially. 

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NETHERLANDS: Dutch police detain, forcibly remove journalists covering climate protests

CPJ: Dutch authorities should stop harassing, detaining, and removing journalists from protests, and allow them to cover events of public interest without police interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.

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POLAND: TVP compensation funding revealed

Broadband TV News: The Polish public broadcaster TVP will receive around PLN2.35 billion (€491.6 million) in compensation this year for lost subscription revenues.

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PORTUGAL: Union of Journalists: media sector in Portugal “is not doing well” (Portuguese) 

Publico: The president of the Union of Journalists said this Saturday to Lusa that the media sector in Portugal “is not doing well at the moment” and considered that “sooner rather than later” there will have to be “a global response”.

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RUSSIA: Russia’s Latest Information War Tactic: Spoofing Foreign Media (Paywall) 

Bloomberg: The Russian government is supporting operations that impersonate international media outlets as part of its disinformation campaigns, which have become more sophisticated and active since its invasion of Ukraine, according to a European Union study. 

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SLOVAKIA: Press freedom groups to visit Bratislava for Ján Kuciak murder anniversary

IPI: Between 20 and 21 February 2023, a delegation of international media freedom organisations will conduct a joint mission to Bratislava to mark the five-year anniversary of the killing of Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová.

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SWEDEN: SVT’s news offering must reach all generations (Press release – Swedish) 

SVT: Everyone is involved and finances public service. SVT must be easily accessible and have a range that is relevant to young and old alike. We have historically succeeded in this.

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SWITZERLAND: Initiative “200 francs, that’s enough”: Gilles Marchand defends the SSR (French) 

Swiss Info: The Director General of the SSR Gilles Marchand launches the fight against the popular initiative “200 francs, that’s enough” which wants to reduce the amount of the fee. 

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SPAIN: RTVE launches a solidarity campaign with the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria (Press release – Spanish)

RTVE: Radiotelevisión Española launches a campaign to help the thousands of people affected by the two earthquakes that occurred between northern Syria and southeastern Turkey. 

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UK: 100 years of the BBC in Wales: an uneasy start and unclear future

The Conversation: Three months after the BBC’s first transmission from London, public service broadcasting in Wales began at 5.00pm on February 13 1923. 

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UK: Richard Sharp: Pressure grows on BBC chairman after critical report

BBC: Pressure is growing on BBC chairman Richard Sharp after a critical report from MPs into his appointment.

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REGIONAL: BIRN Conference Highlights Importance of Environmental Journalism in Balkans

Balkan Insight: The environmental crisis in the Western Balkan has become more visible in the wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year, as countries struggled to obtain enough energy with rising prices, putting environmental protection in the shade.

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REGIONAL: MAPPING MEDIA FREEDOM 2022 (Report)

MFRR: Media freedom in Europe in 2022 was overshadowed by Russia‘s full-scale in- vasion of Ukraine, which started on 24 February. 

BRAZIL: EBC Brazil: Hélio Doyle to be the new president of the company (Portuguese)

Agencia Brasil: The journalist Hélio Doyle will be the new president of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC). The announcement was made this Thursday (26) by the chief minister of the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic, Paulo Pimenta, through social networks.

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BRAZIL: ‘Mosquitos from the same swamp’: How the digital media landscape birthed the internationalist far-right

CJR: Alt-right social media platforms have helped the global far-right to expand its networks around the world. On January 8th, photographer Pedro Ladeira was at the epicenter.

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BRAZIL: New communication policy includes democratizing the media and strengthening the EBC (Portuguese)

Rede Brasil Atual: Minister stated that he intends to establish a “specific policy” to strengthen independent media, TVs and community radios, in addition to regional and peripheral vehicles.

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BRAZIL: RSF steps up monitoring of media freedom violations in Brazilian Amazon

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is reinforcing its monitoring of press freedom violations in Brazil’s Amazonian region, where journalistic freedom is crucial to combatting climate change. 

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COLOMBIA: Colombia already has 16 peace stations: where are they and how to tune in? (Spanish)

Canal Institucional: RTVC Sistema de Medios Públicos continues to comply with point 6.5 of the 2016 Peace Agreement with the implementation of the peace stations of Radio Nacional de Colombia, four of which came into operation on February 10.

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COLOMBIA: FLIP considers that in Colombia the State is pressuring journalism to carry out its work (Spanish)

Infobae: The trills of President Petro, legal disputes against communicators who uncovered scandals, or in the worst case, the murders against these professionals would be the sample of the attacks that the press is suffering in the country.

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COLOMBIA: World Radio Day: the challenge of Colombian stations that talk about peace in conflict zones (Spanish)

El Colombiano: These types of media are in the Amazon region (Caquetá, Guaviare and Putumayo), in the Orinoquía (Arauca and Meta), and in the Andean zone (Huila, Tolima, Antioquia and Norte de Santander).

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ECUADOR: The public media company has USD 1.9 million in losses (Spanish)

Primicias: There were delays even in the payment of the electricity bill. The current manager of the public media company also found six months of unpaid wages.

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EL SALVADOR: El Salvador: “arbitrary” retention of KBS journalist denounced (Spanish)

DW: The reporter for the Korean Broadcasting System contacted the Association of Journalists of El Salvador to notify them that the police had detained him.

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GUYANA: Press association slams limitations on media access to energy conference (Paywall)

Stabroek News: The Guyana Press Association (GPA) yesterday bemoaned the attempt by the organisers of the Guyana Energy Conference to restrict the media’s free access to delegates and other participants of the event scheduled from today to February 17, 2023.

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HAITI: Haitian journalist snatched as kidnapping scourge continues

ABC News: Suspected gangs have kidnapped another Haitian journalist as colleagues demanded his release, a government office announced Wednesday.

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MEXICO: In a week, four journalists are attacked (Spanish) 

Chiapas Paralelo: In Mexico, according to figures from Article 19, every 14 hours there is an attack against a person who practices journalism.

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PARAGUAY: A total of 20 cases of violence against journalists, among them, there was a murder in 2022 (Spanish)

La Tribuna: A total of 20 cases of violence against journalists and social communicators, including one murder, were registered in 2022, in addition to 3 cases of violence against the media, according to data collected by the Bureau for the Safety of Journalists. of Paraguay (MSP).

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VENEZUELA: The radio, a traditional medium mortally wounded in Venezuela (Spanish) 

Swissinfo: In the last 20 years, at least 285 radio stations have been closed in Venezuela on the instructions of the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) which alleges, according to those affected, administrative irregularities that defenders of freedom of expression qualify as arbitrary.  

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REGIONAL: Literature and journalism from Spain and Latin America, united in a forum

El Periodico Extremadura: The relations between literature and journalism will concentrate a good part of the activities programmed at the International Festival of Literature in Spanish (FILE) which, from March 3 to 12 and in various Extremaduran cities , will bring together 90 participants, including writers, journalists , essayists and poets, among other cultural agents.

IRAN: In Iran, NPR sees anger and desperation. Its government tells us nothing is wrong

Wyoming Public Media

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IRAQ: Iraq jails YouTuber, TikToker over ‘indecent’ videos

Bangkok Post: In January Iraqi government formed a committee to scan social networks for content deemed “immoral” or “low-brow”.

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ISRAEL: Isaac Herzog comes out in support of public broadcasting amid shutdown plans

The Jerusalem Post: Herzog expressed the importance of public broadcasting, especially with upcoming political anniversaries.

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PALESTINE: MADA: 59 VIOLATIONS AGAINST MEDIA FREEDOM IN JANUARY 2023

MADA Center: January 2023 has witnessed a rise in the number of violations committed against media freedom in Palestine. During January, MADA documented a total of 59 violations, 44 of which were committed by the occupation authorities while 8 were committed by various Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and 7 were committed by social media companies.

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TURKEY: Support media freedom in aftermath of devastating earthquakes

ARTICLE 19: In the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes with the epicentre in the province of Kahramanmaraş in Turkey on Monday 6 February 2023, MFRR partners have received multiple reports of press and media freedom violations, including the detention of journalists and media workers, investigations for incitement to hatred in society, limitations on access to impacted areas, as well as throttling of bandwidth for the social media platform Twitter.

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TURKEY & SYRIA: Media coverage of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria (Opinion)

Poynter: Harrowing video and excellent explanatory journalism helped the world try to comprehend the earthquakes and aftershocks.

CANADA: Canada has a role helping overcome information poverty (Opinion – Paywall)

The Hill Times: Information poverty is when people don’t have access to reliable, trustworthy, and accurate information that can help them make informed decisions about their everyday lives.

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CANADA: CBC won’t abandon TV, radio audiences as it charts digital path over next decades, says president

CBC News: Expert says with digital-only CBC decades away, public broadcaster should focus on traditional platforms.

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CANADA: EMERGING INDIGENOUS CREATORS: LEARN THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF WORKING IN THE CREATIVE MEDIA INDUSTRY THROUGH CBC NEW INDIGENOUS VOICES (Opportunity)

CBC: CBC New Indigenous Voices is a full-time, 14-week training program for up to 10 Indigenous creators to learn the essential elements of working in the film, TV and digital media industries. Emerging Indigenous creators looking to explore career opportunities and gain hands-on experience are encouraged to apply.

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CANADA: The Journey Forward — The National Indigenous Strategy (Blog)

CBC/Radio-Canada: Robert Doane is leading the development of CBC/Radio-Canada’s first National Indigenous Strategy. In this blog, he reflects on the experience of conducting engagement sessions with Indigenous Peoples across Canada in 2022, and shares some topics discussed in these conversations.

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CANADA & CHINA: Conservative MP urges Ottawa to ban Chinese state broadcaster from airwaves

CBC/Radio-Canada: A Conservative MP is renewing calls for the federal government to ban authoritarian state broadcasters, including the China Global Television Network.

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US: Free Speech vs. Disinformation Comes to a Head (Paywall)

The New York Times: The outcome of a case in federal court could help decide whether the First Amendment is a barrier to virtually any government efforts to stifle disinformation.

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US: How a revamped Public Broadcasting Act would help public media fill news deserts (Paywall)

Current: A former CPB board member argues that updating the Act could be a boon for smaller stations.

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US: KSQD seeks expansion with purchase of radio signals (Paywall)

Current: Natural Bridges Media, licensee of community radio station KSQD in Santa Cruz, Calif., will expand its reach with the purchase of two signals.

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US: Latino Public Broadcasting announces its latest round of funding winners

Al Día News: The winners will receive financing to develop their projects. 

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US: Meet The States Using Public Funding to Support Local Journalism

Nieman Reports: In the face of federal inaction, state-level experiments to fund community-based outlets are expanding.

A New Paradigm for Global Journalism: Press Freedom and Public Interest

CJR: What are we fighting for when we fight for press freedom? What positive outcomes for societies and for the global community do we seek to achieve? The answers to these questions may appear obvious, but in fact there is no consensus. This lack of a shared framework or rationale for the defense of press freedom undermines efforts to nurture, sustain and defend independent media around the world.

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Alt text, plain language and more listening: how to address accessibility in news

RISJ: Holden Foreman is the first accessibility engineer at the Washington Post, a role which entails maintaining up-to-date accessibility standards across the Post’s products, as well as researching new opportunities for accessibility, engaging with the paper’s audience about this topic, and educating other staff members on accessibility issues. 

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Around the world in (at least) eight court cases involving Pegasus and the press

CJR: A year ago this week, I wrote in this newsletter about a story that had recently appeared in Calcalist, a business newspaper in Israel. 

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‘Attacks on free media are attacks on our societies’ (Interview)

DW: Frane Maroevic, the new Executive Director of the International Press Institute (IPI), tells DW why appreciating critical voices matters in overcoming divisions, and what the IPI is doing to support freedom of the media.

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Beyond Twitter and Meta: What’s next for social media

American Press Institute

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Diplomatic Network Initiative of the Media Freedom Coalition Launches in Bangladesh

US Embassy in Bangladesh: Diplomats from member countries of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) met on 9 February in Dhaka, Bangladesh to discuss issues related to media freedom. U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Helen LaFave thanked the attending representatives for launching the MFC’s Diplomatic Network Initiative and for their support of press freedom.

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Disrupting Journalism: How Platforms Have Upended the News

CJR: After decades of shrinking revenues, and an increasing expectation among consumers that journalism should be free, the global media industry has reached a crisis point.

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Newsrooms need to do more to protect journalists from online harassment

Nieman Lab: Journalists are often encouraged to be active on social media and engage with their audiences, but their newsroom social media policies do little to protect them when they’re attacked or harassed online, according to a recent study that adds to a growing body of research based on surveys of reporters and editors across North America.

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Press Freedom Community: Prioritize the Defense of Journalism that Serves the Public Interest

Nieman Reports: For 15 years until 2021, I served as the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and in that capacity traveled the world to defend press freedom.

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Public broadcasters collaborate to reclaim online public spaces with creation of “Public Spaces Incubator” (Press release)

CBC/Radio-Canada: Public broadcasters CBC/Radio-Canada, RTBF (Belgium), SRG SSR (Switzerland) and ZDF (Germany) are joining forces to explore new ways for public service media to support citizen engagement and democratic discourse. The new “Public Spaces Incubator” (PSI) initiative will develop and test innovative solutions that encourage accessible and meaningful online conversations on issues of public interest, free from harassment or bullying — inclusive exchanges that will reflect diverse viewpoints and promote greater empathy and understanding, without suppressing perspectives or ideas.

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The arrival of ChatGPT or Bard on search engines worries website publishers (French)

Le Monde: The media fear that the responses provided by Google or OpenAI robots to Internet users’ searches will affect the visibility of their own links.