Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world

As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues, the need for community solidarity and mutual support has never been greater. But this support requires quality, fact-checked and evidence based news and information.

With this in mind, the Public Media Alliance has compiled an extensive and growing list of resources featuring recommended tools, advice and sources for journalists and the public alike. The resources can be found via the link below or in the Tools section of our website.

If you have any recommendations, please let us know.

PSM Innovations


NOS experiments with translation software in wake of Turkey/Syria earthquake

The Dutch public broadcaster, NOS, has trialled a new translation programme to make their information more accessible and reliable for Turkish and Arabic speakers. 

A mobile phone showing a translated article in Arabic.
NOS Lab has developed its own translation tool to integrate onto its website. Credit: NOS

NOS Lab’s latest experiment has demonstrated what can be achieved by integrating Google and DeepL translation software into their own website.

The public broadcaster’s innovation arm, NOS Lab, had already been trialling the use of this software, but following on from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, decided to deploy the tool so Turkish and Arabic speakers could access NOS content.

The platform provides the audience with quick and accurate translations. The translation algorithms in this platform are highly adaptable and versatile. They have learned to translate by processing large amounts of translations of words and texts and whenever the algorithm encounters new translations of words or texts, the network adapts ensuring that the translation services are continually improving.

The programme’s development came from initial testing, where the broadcaster examined how non-Dutch speaking and/or reading people consume news and assessed if they were also interested in consuming news from and about the Netherlands. De Jonge said almost all the respondents (95%), who were mostly English speakers, indicated that they would read more Dutch news if it was written in a language they understand.

After the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the broadcaster decided to make the platform public to meet the needs of a wider audience. According to statistics by the Dutch Central Statistical Office (CBS) Turkish is one of the languages that is most spoken at home in non-Dutch speaking households in the Netherlands.

Read more about NOS’ innovative translation software


We also want to hear about your local public media coverage! Email us!

As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, public media are rapidly adapting to best cover the crisis on a local level while also providing for educational needs and vulnerable groups as isolation policies are introduced.

We want to hear from our members about what you are doing to best cover the crisis on a local level. Email us using the link below.


Coronavirus: Resources & best practices

Essential resources for sourcing and reporting news about the coronavirus pandemic

What we're watching...


The Inside Story-A Free Press Matters Episode 82

VOA News: Freedom of the press is a bedrock of democracy and it is now under pressure around the world. From Haiti to Afghanistan and Nigeria to Iran, democracy’s dependence on press freedom on The Inside Story-A Free Press Matters.

What we're listening to...


Big bills for aborted media merger – but what next?

RNZ Mediawatch: The broadcasting and media minister spoke about the collapse of the public media merger for the first time this week when a Parliamentary committee asked about the sums spent on it. He gave little away about the next strategy for RNZ which he’s taking to Cabinet soon. 

Subscribe toour newsletter

Keep updated with the latest public
media news from around the world

Global Headlines


Click on the tab menu below to reveal the latest regional stories.

BENIN: The Head of State criticizes RFI for its treatment of information on terrorist threats in the North of the country (French)

Agence Ecofin: On a visit to Benin, Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum spoke to journalists in the company of his Beninese counterpart. During the press briefing, the Beninese Head of State criticized RFI for its treatment of information related to the terrorist threat at the common border of the two countries.


EGYPT: Egypt must drop case against Mada Masr journalists

IPI: Three journalists face charges of ‘misusing’ social media and offending members of parliament


ETHIOPIA: Award-winning Ethiopian journalist sounds the alarm over press freedom

Africa News: An Ethiopian journalist who received an award at the White House in the United States last week, has sounded the alarm over press freedom in her country.


GHANA: President Akufo-Addo’s claim about freedom of expression condition in Ghana not entirely true

MFWA: On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament. Among the many issues he reported on was the state of freedom of expression in the country, which he boasted has reached enviable heights.


MALAWI: MACRA – Malawi’s Regulator – Urges Broadcasters To Adhere To Licence Obligations

BMA: In Malawi, broadcasters are being prompted to adhere to their broadcasting licence obligations, which emphasise that their content is 60 per cent local.


MALAWI: Malawi should rethink its broadcasting licence regime

MISA: The Spaces of Solidarity platform, thus, calls on the government, through MACRA, to address concerns of high annual fees broadcasters have to pay to the regulator.


MALI & FRANCE: Has the French government forgotten Mali hostage Olivier Dubois?

RFI: French journalist Olivier Dubois was taken hostage in Mali nearly two years ago. His family and support group regularly contact the French authorities and try to raise public awareness, but as time passes, they fear negotiations for his release have stagnated.


NIGERIA: Election coverage: SERAP gives Buhari 48 hours to withdraw threat to shut down broadcast stations

Vanguard: Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to “instruct Mr Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to urgently withdraw the ‘last warning’ and threat to revoke the licenses of broadcast stations and shut them down over their coverage of elections and post-election matters.”


NIGERIA: Nigerian Broadcasting Commission Threatens To Shut Down Stations That Air ‘Dangerous Comments’ In Ongoing General Elections

Sahara Reporters: The NBC’s spokesman, Ekanem Antia, who made this known in Abuja on Friday, stated that the Commission’s Director-General, Malam Balarabe Ilelah, issued a warning against such peace-threatening activities at a meeting with broadcast stations on the coverage of the 2023 general elections.


SENEGAL: Senegal public channel RTS turns to Globecast for international distribution via satellite and IP (Press release) 

Globecast: Continuing its long history of delivering technically elegant and cost-effective distribution services to broadcasters wanting to expand their international reach, Globecast, the global solutions provider for media, has been selected by Radio Télévision Sénégalaise (RTS), Senegal public channel, to grow its international presence.


SOUTH AFRICA: 12 OR 15 NAMES? RAMAPHOSA ASKS PARLY FOR CLARITY ON SABC BOARD SUBMISSION

Eyewitness News: Once again, the president has written to Parliament to clarify why he has been presented with 15 names to consider when only 12 appointments need to be made.


SOUTH AFRICA: ANC CONCERNED ABOUT DELAYS IN APPOINTING SABC BOARD

Eyewitness News: The African National Congress (ANC) said that it was concerned about the lengthy delays in appointing a South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board, saying that it was not in the interest of the public.


TUNISIA: Independent press banned from covering Tunisian opening of parliament

Africa News: Only the state TV, radio, and news agency were allowed to cover the event which was broadcast live on public television.


UGANDA: Uganda still not free – Freedom House report

Monitor: Uganda has once again been ranked “Not Free” by Freedom House in its annual Freedom in the World report although the country’s performance improved by one point.


ZIMBABWE: Eight years on, authorities yet to give update on the disappeared journalist and pro-democracy activist

Amnesty International: Eight years after journalist and pro-democracy activist, Itai Dzamara went missing authorities are yet to give progress report on their investigation efforts to ensure his family receives justice, truth, and reparation, Amnesty International said today.


ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe’s State Broadcaster Launches New TV Channel – Zimbabwe National TV

BMA: The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has acquired a license to open a new television channel.


REGIONAL: Digital TV Research sees Amazon Prime overtaking Showmax in market share by 2028 (French)

Agence Ecofin: Competition is fierce in the African streaming market and Showmax is the only continental platform that seems to resist foreigners. 

AFGHANISTAN: Blast at Afghanistan journalist event kills at least one, injures eight

Reuters: A blast hit a cultural centre during an event for journalists in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding eight, according to authorities and journalists, a few days after the province’s governor died in an explosion claimed by Islamic State.


INDIA: BJP asks Elon Musk to hit block button on Sisodia’s Twitter handle

Indian Express: Even as they engaged in a verbal duel over jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s detention in the vicinity of hardened criminals at the Tihar Prison complex, the BJP demanded that Twitter CEO Elon Musk intervene to block his account on the microblogging site.


INDIA: Debunking disinformation is key to strengthening democracy, says US diplomat

The Hindu: Conference on Countering Disinformation held for Urdu TV journalists at Osmania University


INDIA: Modi’s Final Assault on India’s Press Freedom Has Begun (Opinion)

The New York Times: On the evening of Oct. 19, 2020, as reporters and photographers for The Kashmir Times rushed to meet deadlines, government officials and the police swept into the newspaper’s offices in the city of Srinagar, chased out staff and put a lock on the door that remains to this day.   


JAPAN: NHK WORLD – JAPAN: focus on streaming service (Spanish)

Prensario: NHK WORLD-JAPAN is focusing on expanding its streaming service with Spanish and Portuguese subtitles and seeking OTT platforms (OTT services) in Latin America.


MALAYSIA: Muhyiddin claims Malaysians will lose more freedom under current government

Malay Mail: Don’t be surprised if in the future someone is arrested for posting a TikTok video that upsets the current government, former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin warned Malaysians today.


Pakistan: IPI condemns attack against news anchor Marvia Malik

IPI: The IPI global network strongly condemns the attack against Pakistani news anchor Marvia Malik, who was shot outside her home last month. We urge authorities to carry out a thorough investigation into this case to ensure those responsible for this attack are brought to justice. All journalists in Pakistan must be able to do their jobs freely and safely.


PAKISTAN: US congressman raises concerns over violations of human rights, freedom of speech in Pakistan

Dawn: US Congressman Brad Sherman has raised concerns over what he said was the continuous violation of human rights and democracy in Pakistan and called on the government to ensure freedom of speech and the application of rule of law in the country.


PHILIPPINES: Gov’t to launch nationwide campaign vs fake news

CNN Philippines: The national government will implement a media literacy campaign this year to combat misinformation and disinformation in the digital landscape, a Malacañang official said Sunday.


SOUTH KOREA: KBS 50th Anniversary Celebration : Your KBS, 50 Years of Serving the Nation (Press release) 

KBS: KBS celebrated its 50th anniversary on 3 March, 2023. As part of the anniversary celebration, KBS organized a special ceremony on 2 March, 2023 at KBS Yeouido headquarters. 


SRI LANKA: SLBC studio named after Prof. Ediriweera Sarachchandra

Sri Lanka Mirror: The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) on Thursday (09) named the Studio No. 2 after Professor Ediriweera Sarachchandra who made a legendary contribution to the field of Sri Lankan arts.


TAIWAN: Google to launch fund to support Taiwan’s media outlets

Reuters: Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOGL.O) Google said on Wednesday it will launch a T$300 million ($9.8 million) fund over the next three years to help boost the Taiwanese media’s continuing operations and digital competitiveness.


REGIONAL: Economics, Environment, Emergency – driving the case for DAB+ at #DBS2023

RadioInfo: WorldDAB Project Director Bernie O’Neill updated the audience on the platform’s global growth, noting that DAB+ was now well established and growing in Australia, with Asia Pacific markets continuing to run trials, and a step change in interest from Africa and the Middle East.

AUSTRALIA: ABC host Lisa Millar reveals anger but also hope after news sites republish ‘foul’ online abuse

The Guardian: Minister for women Katy Gallagher takes media to task for choosing ‘clickbait’ over community responsibility.


AUSTRALIA: ABC signs South Australian screen partnership (Press release) 

ABC: ABC Managing Director, David Anderson today announced a new screen production partnership with the South Australian Film Corporation.


AUSTRALIA: Aboriginal land acknowledgements are the norm in Australia. What’s the significance?

NPR: On a recent trip to visit family in Sydney, Australia, Here & Now host Deepa Fernandes noticed something while driving around listening to the radio.


AUSTRALIA: Media hype of war with China forgets the impact on Australian society (Opinion)

The Guardian: Fixation on conflict tends to exclude debate around costs, tradeoffs and social cohesion


AUSTRALIA: NSW government considers banning TikTok on all public sector devices

The Guardian: State government does not have an overarching policy on the app’s use, but it is understood that is now being reviewed.


AUSTRALIA: Robodebt inquiry commissioner criticises mainstream media, praising ‘committed’ coverage on Twitter

The Guardian: Catherine Holmes SC acknowledges role of social media in giving access to evidence while commending Guardian Australia and the Saturday Paper for their reporting


AUSTRALIA & TIMOR LESTE: Australia’s ABC and Timor-Leste’s RTTL sign MOU (Press Release) 

ABC: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has signed an historic agreement with Radio e Televisoa de Timor-Leste (RTTL).


New Zealand: Lessons for TVNZ and RNZ from the architect of the ABC’s digital transformation

The Spin Off: Gaven Morris led the ABC from linear supremacy to a digital powerhouse. He tells Duncan Greive how he did it – and the lessons it contains for our public media in the wake of the abandoned merger.


New Zealand: Ludicrous’ spending on establishment board weeks after RNZ/ TVNZ merger canned

RNZ: The merger between RNZ and TVNZ was cancelled weeks ago, but the board set up to establish the new entity is still being paid out thousands of taxpayer dollars – with more to come.


PAPUA NEW GUINEA: PNG draft media development policy ‘contemptuous’ of public interest

Asia Pacific Report: An urgent rethink is needed on several aspects of the Draft National Media Development Policy. In summary, we agree with the statement made by the Community Coalition Against Corruption (CCAC) on 16 February 2023 criticising the extraordinary “haste” of the Ministry’s timeframe for public consultation over such a critical and vitally important national policy.

AUSTRIA: According to the ORF study, 58 percent are in favor of household levies instead of broadcasting fees (German)

Der Standard: In the debate about the future financing of the ORF, the latter commissioned a study. This shows that 58 percent of those surveyed are rather positive or very positive about the planned abolition of the device-linked license fee in favor of a household fee. 


BELARUS: IPI denounces designation of Belarusian Association of Journalists as ‘extremist group’

IPI: Lukashenko regime escalates attack on leading journalist association BAJ


BELGIUM: RTBF inks deal with Red Bee Media to revamp streaming service

Digital TV Europe: Public Belgian broadcaster, Radio-télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) has selected Red Bee Media to power its recently re-launched Auvio platform.


BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Journalists Protest Possible Criminalization Of Defamation In Republika Srpska

RFE/RL: Bosnian Serb journalists have staged a spontaneous demonstration outside the parliament of Republika Srpska in Banja Luka against amendments being debated by lawmakers that would criminalize defamation in the media of the Serbian entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina.


DENMARK: DR’s television productions must be more sustainable (Danish – Press release)

DR: With new requirements for sustainable TV productions, DR is taking an ambitious step towards a green transformation of Danish film & TV production.


FRANCE: Climate change: France Télévisions is changing its weather forecasts this evening (French)

Pure Médias: The public audiovisual group changes from this Monday the operation of its weather reports. Objective: to better reflect the realities of climate change.


FRANCE: Observatory of audiovisual equipment in homes in metropolitan France – Results for the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2022 for television (French)

Arcom: Despite a form of return to “normal” in 2022 after two years marked by the health crisis, the trends observed over this period in terms of equipment and audiovisual consumption persist in the first part of 2022.


FRANCE: Presence of women in the French audiovisual sector: progress but can do better (French) 

TV Monde: If the experts and presenters are more numerous on the screen, women remain too rare at the microphone and on the screen when it comes to sport or politics.


GERMANY: 3sat strengthens position as a digital cultural brand (Press release – German) 

ZDF: 3sat is increasingly positioning itself as a digital cultural brand. 


GERMANY: Germany sees record number of crimes against press: report

DW: A federal police report said attacks on journalists have tripled over the past four years. Of them, one-fifth had direct ties to coronavirus protests.


GERMANY: Media libraries of ZDF and ARD continue to network (Press release – German) 

ZDF: The joint streaming network of ZDF and ARD is taking shape. It will start in the next few weeks with overarching recommendations for documentation and in the field of culture. 


GERMANY: ZDFinfo with new top value among the young audience (Press release – German) 

ZDF: ZDFinfo reached a new record value last year with a market share of 2.1 percent among 14- to 49-year-olds. ZDFinfo thus remained the most successful documentation and information channel in Germany last year.


GREECE: A rail disaster spurs a media reckoning

CJR: Two weeks ago, a passenger train and a freight train collided on the line between Athens and Thessaloniki, in Greece.


ITALY: Press freedom under threat as Domani newspaper faces seizure order

ARTICLE 19: Italian press freedom is seriously threatened by yet another attempt by a member of the current government to silence independent journalism.


ITALY: Rai of Naples makes 60 (Press release – Italian)

Rai: The date of 7 March 1963 is one of those that the ‘Neapolitans of art’ remember with great pleasure because the Fuorigrotta Auditorium and the Rai headquarters were the stage for some of the highly successful broadcasts that certified the extraordinary creative professionalism Neapolitan. 


NETHERLANDS: If you are in the news yourself as NOS (Press release – Dutch) 

NOS: What do you do if you become a subject in the news as a journalistic organization? We are in such a situation at the NOS, since it became clear in December last year that NOS Sport is investigating possible transgressive behaviour. 


NETHERLANDS: NOS Sport directors resign over transgressive behavior reports; Hotline head steps down

NL Times: The editors-in-chief of NOS Sport are resigning with immediate effect after reports of transgressive behavior and an unsafe working climate in the broadcaster’s sports division. 


NETHERLANDS: NOS tackles transgressive behavior at NOS Sport and initiates organizational and cultural change (Press release – Dutch)

NOS: The external confidential adviser has completed the inventory at NOS Sport and shared the report with the NOS management. 


POLAND: Poland debates shutting down state TV channel over partisan criticism (Spanish)

Swiss Info: The Polish Parliament debates this Thursday, at the initiative of the opposition, to close the information channel of state television, as well as the mandatory tax to support public media.


POLAND: Polish state media criticised after suicide of opposition MP’s son

RTÉ: This week, Mikolaj Filiks would have celebrated his 16th birthday. Instead, his family and friends mourned his death at his funeral.


PORTUGAL: Acquittal of journalists represents important legal victory for press freedom

IPI: Carlos Rodrigues Lima and Henrique Machado found not guilty of violating judicial secrecy in crucial case for journalistic freedoms.


RUSSIA: Moscow Court Declares RFE/RL Bankrupt For Refusal To Pay ‘Foreign Agent’ Fines

RFE/RL: A Moscow court has declared the bankruptcy of RFE/RL’s operations in Russia following the company’s refusal to pay multiple fines totaling more than 1 billion rubles ($14 million) for noncompliance with the so-called “foreign agents” law.


SPAIN: The Galician public television and radio personnel call two new strike days on March 24 and 25 (Spanish)

El Diario: The director of the CRTVG says that the worker protests do not worry him or change his course and he tries to minimize them by referring to them as “labor incidents”.


SWEDEN: Cilla Benkö: An important and clear step to protect journalism (Swedish – Blog)

Swedish Radio: Yesterday, the government decided to go ahead with the proposal to toughen the punishment for crimes against journalists. The Legislative Council referral is very gratifying and clearly confirms that free journalism is important for the whole of society. Voices must not be silenced.


SWEDEN:  “The ambition is to lead the development in moving images” (Swedish – Press release)

SVT: The audience has high demands on their SVT. The expectation is sharpness and renewal with respect for the programs you love. SVT has the ambition to lead the development in moving images – and the audience’s needs are always in focus.


UK: Gary Lineker to return to Match of the Day as BBC announces social media review

BBC: Gary Lineker will return to present Match of the Day after he was taken off air following an impartiality row in which he criticised the government’s new asylum policy.


UK: New funding to protect BBC World Service language services (Press release) 

Gov.uk: The government has awarded a one-off payment of £20 million to the BBC World Service as part of the refresh of the Integrated Review.


UK: NUJ statement on the BBC as journalists prepare to strike

NUJ: The broadcaster must recognise the damaging impact of recent decisions and engage fully with the union, to reach a solution in the dispute over cuts to local radio.


UKRAINE: Sesame Workshop Expands Efforts to Support Ukrainian Children Affected by Ongoing Conflict through New Broadcast (Press release) 

Sesame Workshop: Sesame Workshop announced that Elmo, Cookie Monster, and friends are coming to televisions across Ukraine through a new partnership with 1+1 media group and its broadcaster PLUSPLUS, the country’s leading animation channel for children and families. 


REGIONAL: “Public Service Networks Spend $21B A Year”: European Broadcasting Union Hits Back At Netflix Claim

Deadline: The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has responded to Reed Hastings’ claim Netflix is the “biggest builder” of cross-country culture in the EU.

ARGENTINA: “Defend the public media, a valuable communication instrument, citizen construction, and pluralism of voices,” Santoro said. (Spanish) 

Jujuy Dice: Projects such as the audiovisual laboratory, and other proposals to articulate with organizations, institutions. The Vice president of RTA is touring various spaces including cultural centers as an actor and connoisseur of public policies. 


BOLIVIA: In less than a week, five journalists were attacked during journalistic coverage (Spanish)

Agencia de Noticias Fides: Journalists Helga Velasco from Cadena A, Carla Mercado from the Unitel network, Iris Toro from radio Kollasuyo, Sergio Mendoza from Los Tiempos and a journalist from TV OFF were attacked and threatened.


BRAZIL: ‘We intend to make very clear what is public journalism and what is government information,’ said Hélio Doyle, president of Brazil’s Public Communication Company (EBC)

LatAm Journalism Review: “The EBC is a state-owned company, but its focus is public communication, and that’s what we want: To produce impartial, quality communication, independent of the government. And journalism will naturally be a flagship in this sense,” Doyle told LatAm Journalism Review (LJR).


CHILE: Project for the protection of journalists and media workers moves forward (Spanish)

Pressenza: Last Monday, the Culture, Arts and Communications Committee of the Chamber of Deputies sent to the Chamber the bill that provides guarantees of safety and protection for journalists and communications workers.


COLOMBIA: Murders and impunity, the latent concerns of journalists in Colombia (Spanish)

VOA News: The Voice of America interviewed Jorge Velásquez, president of Fecolper, who explained the most latent threats to journalists in Colombia.


COLOMBIA: ‘PrevenTIC’, the program with which the MinTIC seeks to close the digital gap and regulate community media (Spanish) 

Semana: With this public policy, the ICT Min will accompany and advise the initiatives that aspire to be regulated and adhere to the operating regulations.


COLOMBIA: Putumayo journalists survive in fear at the gates of the house (Spanish)

El País: FLIP asks the Government of Gustavo Petro to demand that the armed groups that operate in that department and are within total peace, that they remove the communicators from the war. Journalists are intimidated to publish their statements.


CUBA: ‘Independent journalists in Cuba are dying out and those who are left are tied up’: 5 questions for Cuban journalist Abraham Jiménez Enoa

LatAm Journalism Review: In conversation with LatAm Journalism Review (LJR), Jiménez Enoa once again asked his colleagues in Latin America not to forget their colleagues who are still on the island, fighting against all odds, to continue doing independent journalism.


GUATEMALA: We reject the unfounded persecution of journalists in Guatemala (Statement – Spanish) 

WOLA: The signatory international organizations express our concern about the aggravation of the democratic regression that Guatemala is experiencing.


MEXICO & BRAZIL: Women hold less than 13% of management positions in newsrooms in Mexico and Brazil, according to study

LatAm Journalism Review: On the occasion of Women’s Day, the Reuters Institute published the report “Women and Leadership in the News Media 2023: Evidence from 12 markets,” which shows that only 22% of senior positions in the media analyzed are held by women. This figure drops considerably in the Latin American market, with only 5% in Mexico and 13% in Brazil.


PERU: Gender equality from the media is a pending task (Spanish)

Radio Nacional: According to the study on television and radio consumption by adults (2022) by Concortv, 14% consider that women appear in a negative way and 33% believe that television broadcasts discriminatory content.


PERU: Press organizations speak out against harassment and threats against journalist Liubomir Fernández (Spanish)

La República: Journalist Liubomir Fernández, a correspondent for La República , has suffered constant harassment for his journalistic coverage in Puno. Various press organizations have ruled on the case.


VENEZUELA: Censorship in Venezuela: Public Space counted 28 violations of freedom of expression in February (Spanish)

Infobae: The NGO indicated that the pattern of harassment and intimidation of the critical discourse of journalists, the media, leaders, workers and citizens in general continued.


VENEZUELA: Forced out from print and airwaves, news media in Venezuela shift to digital to survive

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: As legacy news outlets close due to government pressure, independent news sites keep reporting despite legislation and internet blockages


VENEZUELA: Network of Venezuelan women journalists creates a meeting space to promote journalism with a gender-based approach

LatAm Journalism Review: Since June 2020, The Network of Venezuelan Women Journalists has functioned as an incubator of skills, ideas, projects, and powerful alliances.


REGIONAL: Harvey Panka President Association of Caribbean Media Workers (Dutch)

Culturu: The Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) is now headed by Harvey Panka. Nita Ramcharan and Edward Troon served as vice presidents. 


REGIONAL: Human rights defenders exposed to the IACHR an increase in violations of the press in Latin America (Spanish)

VOA News: In the hearing “Protection of defenders and journalists in the region” of the IACHR, 25 civil organizations from Latin America exposed an increase in murders of journalists in the region. They also spoke of hate speech emanating from public power and a complicit judiciary.

IRAN: Iran Charges Several Media Outlets As More Than 5,000 Students Fall Ill

RFE/RL


ISRAEL: No Kan do: How Israel’s public broadcaster ended up in the government’s firing line

The Times of Israel: Clutching a glass microphone trophy on stage in front of a roaring crowd in Lisbon, Netta Barzilai accepted her win for Israel at the 2018 Eurovision: “I love my country!”


PALESTINE: MADA launches the fourth Press Freedom Index of Palestine

MADA Center: The Press Freedom Index of Palestine of 2022 indicated a “bad” overall score in the fields that were measured during 2022, as the index scored 374 points out of the total score of 1000 points. The result (bad-red) of press freedom index is the worst result experienced by media freedoms in Palestine during the era of the current government.


PALESTINE: On International Women’s Day: “MADA”: 42 female journalists exposed to violations in 2022

MADA Center: Female journalists in Palestine are still exposed to assaults and numerous attempts aimed at silencing them and limiting their ability to express.


TURKEY: 2 Kurdish journalists indicted for covering funeral of colleague killed in Iraq

SCF: Two journalists working for pro-Kurdish media outlets have been indicted for covering the funeral of Nagihan Akarsel, a Kurdish journalist, academic and women’s rights activist from Turkey who was killed in Iraq in October, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Mezopotamya news agency (MA) reported on Monday.


TURKEY: Turkey’s RTÜK fines 2 more TV stations over criticism of gov’t’s earthquake response

Turkish Minute: Turkey’s broadcasting watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), has imposed fines and a broadcasting ban on two more TV stations for their coverage of criticism of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and its agencies’ response to two powerful earthquakes last month, a RTÜK member has announced.


TURKEY: Türkiye’s government extends grip on independent media, says CoE report

Bianet: The report highlights the media authorities’ punitive measures against independent media outlets, the “disinformation law” adopted in October, and court cases against journalists in Türkiye.

CANADA: Canada parliament questions Google execs over news-blocking test

Reuters: Alphabet Inc’s Google (GOOGL.O) will stop blocking news articles from some Canadian users’ search results on March 16, a company executive told a Canadian parliamentary panel investigating the tech firm on Friday.


CANADA: CBC Affirms Commitment to Radio/TV Broadcasting, for Now

TV Tech: If you live north of the U.S.-Canada border, don’t throw out your radios and broadcast TV sets quite yet.


CANADA: CBC and CARAS Renew Juno Awards Exclusive Broadcast and Content Partnership (Press Release)

CBC: The renewed five-year partnership begins next year with the 2024 JUNO Awards in Halifax, through to 2028


US: Biden administration proposes $575M for CPB in FY2026, requests level funding for interconnection and infrastructure

Current: President Joe Biden’s budget request for fiscal year 2024 proposes a $40 million increase to CPB’s federal appropriation.


US: Celebrate with us: The Land has trained more than 50 community journalists!

The Land: The Land has been working to increase community journalism skills so residents can report from where they live. Since we started the program, Reporting From Where We Live, in 2021, we have trained more than 50 residents to tell stories from their neighborhoods on the digital pages of thelandcle.org. To celebrate the graduation of a new cohort and this amazing milestone, we invite you to celebrate with us!


US: CPB Statement on President Biden’s Budget Proposal (Press release) 

CPB: Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), made the following statement today on President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget…


US: Impact Matters Most at ProPublica. Here’s How Our Recent Journalism Has Led to Change.

Propublica: In investigative journalism, impact is the coin of the realm. But impact is unpredictable. At ProPublica, our hope is that by exposing problems — or things not working as they should — legislators and policymakers will make changes.


US: Mike Pence said something about Jan. 6 and the media. Was it too late? (Opinion)

Poynter: The former VP said ‘President Trump was wrong’ about Jan. 6 and, about news media, said ‘I genuinely value what you do to keep us a democracy.’


US: Records released in Fox defamation suit show pressures on network’s journalists

PBS: It wasn’t critics, political foes or their bosses that united Fox News stars Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham when they gathered via text message for a gripe session shortly after the 2020 election.


US: USAGM CEO Describes Efforts to Counter Russian and Chinese Propaganda

VOA: The United States Agency for Global Media’s Chief Executive Officer Amanda Bennett said Thursday the agency she leads is facing a critical time globally in which access to credible news is threatened by authoritarian regimes.

BBC Gary Lineker row: How do other publishers control social media use?

Press Gazette: As the BBC reviews its staff social media guidelines following Gary Lineker’s suspension, Press Gazette has analysed how other publishers seek to protect themselves.


Celebrating women leaders in media on International Women’s Day

IPI: To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, IPI is today celebrating the incredible women journalists in our global network who have dedicated their careers to digging out and telling important stories to their communities


Delivering streaming media: reimagining CDNs

TVB Europe: Greg Burns, head of media products, Arqiva looks at the ways streaming media providers (including traditional broadcasters) are looking to improve their approaches to video distribution. 


EBU tech chief calls for hybrid future

Advanced Television: Antonio Arcidiacono, Director of Technology & Innovation at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has suggested that broadcasters use both broadcast and online technologies in a sustainable and smart way to ensure that Public Service Media (PSM) organisations keep control over future distribution in their own hands.


How does a news organization succeed in 2023? One word: Retention

Poynter: During an economic downturn, a subscriber saved is worth more than a subscriber earned.


Laura Poitras: ‘Good journalism is trouble-making’

France 24: Laura Poitras has made herself the conscience of the United States with groundbreaking films about the occupation of Iraq, tech surveillance, and now the opioid epidemic. She is proud to call herself a troublemaker.


Non-writing AI tools every journalist should know about

IJNet: The rise of AI technologies is transforming the way journalists work, and while text-generating models like ChatGPT make most of the headlines, there is much more to this rapidly-evolving technology. 


This newspaper removes reporters from beats for months to create digital projects

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: In 2018 Google CEO Eric Schmidt explained how the company encouraged its staff to work on “20% time”: spend 80% of their time on regular projects and keep the other 20% free to work on personal projects. What if newsroom leaders would adopt a similar idea?


Why journalists should act now to create an alternative to Twitter (Opinion – paywall)

Current: “If Twitter is doomed to fail, as many experts believe it is, we should be thinking now about what might replace it.”


Women and leadership in the news media 2023: evidence from 12 markets

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: In this Reuters Institute factsheet we analyse the gender breakdown of top editors in a strategic sample of 240 major online and offline news outlets in 12 different markets across five continents.


You don’t restore trust in the media by abandoning objectivity (Opinion)

The Financial Times: The argument over whether journalist Isabel Oakeshott was right to leak more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages given to her for the purposes of ghostwriting a memoir by the former health secretary and Tory MP Matt Hancock is, ostensibly, about the ethics of journalism.


PSM Weekly is available via email. You can subscribe by signing up to our mailing list at the bottom of the page or email editor@publicmediaalliance.org.

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.

All headlines are sourced from their original story.

If you have any suggestions for our weekly round-ups, please email PMA at editor@publicmediaalliance.org.


Header image: Students Experimenting With Video Software stock photo. Credit: TommL/iStock.