Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.
Click on the drop-down menus below to reveal the latest regional stories.
CAMEROON: Three Journalists Released
IFJ: The [three journalists] had been indicted since October 2014 for non-denunciation of sensitive information in their possession, reclassified later as “complicity in an attempt to insult the President of the Republic”.
GAMBIA: Fighting impunity: Gambian government agrees to comply with ECOWAS court ruling
MFWA (via Ifex): In what is a major breakthrough in the long fight against impunity in The Gambia, two senior government officials have revealed that the Gambian government has decided to comply with the rulings of the ECOWAS Court in the cases of murdered editor Deyda Hydara, disappeared reporter Chief Ebrima Manneh and tortured journalist Musa Saidykhan.
GHANA: Ghana’s undercover journalist (Video)
Deutsche Welle: Undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas is known for taking big risks to fight corruption and human rights abuses – such as getting himself convicted and jailed to expose appalling conditions in Ghana’s prisons.
GUINEA: Authorities Scramble Transmission of Radio Station, Arrest Journalists over ‘False Alarm’ Charges
MFWA: Gendarmes have stormed the premises of Radio Gangan in Conakry and arrested three of its management personnel, while the station’s transmission has been scrambled by the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPT) in Guinea over what the authorities claim to be speculations on the network about the death of Guinea president, Alpha Condé.
KENYA: Fact-checking Kenya’s repeat presidential election
IJNet: The emergence of fake news in the lead up to the August 8, 2017 elections was unprecedented. Kenyans were inundated with fake news, inaccurate polls and misleading ads. This proliferation is not unique to Kenya, but the jury is still out on whether the sophisticated ad campaigns adopted by the ruling Jubilee Alliance in Kenya had any impact on the outcome.
SOMALIA: Internet shutdown ahead of Somali polls
CAJ News: There are doubts over the prospects of free and fair elections in the self-declared autonomous state of Somaliland after government imposed a shutdown of social media.
SEYCHELLES: Engaging media for effective risk communication in Seychelles
ReliefWeb: Whilst their roles are different, journalists together with health workers are often on the frontline of disease outbreaks.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC Board Committed to Its Independence
News 24 Wire (via All Africa): The SABC board is committed to ensuring its independence, SABC board chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini said on Wednesday.
TUNISIA: Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Digital Media (Analysis)
CISION: Digital Tunisia 2020 plan encouraging investment in fibre and G.fast.
ZIMBABWE: End Clampdown on Media
HRW: Latest Arrest Shows Need to Investigate Police Abuse of Journalists.
AZERBAIJAN: EU must use Brussels summit to demand end to crackdown in Azerbaijan
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 36 other human rights NGOs have released a joint open letter urging the European Union’s leaders to press for an end to the crackdown in Azerbaijan when Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attends the EU’s Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels on 24 November.
AFGHANISTAN: Gunmen storm Shamshad TV station in Kabul, Afghanistan
AFJC (via Ifex): The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) strongly condemns an attack by gunmen on Shamshad TV station in Kabul, which resulted in the killing of two persons and the wounding of two dozen others. This is the latest deadly incident targeting Afghan journalists.
AFGHANISTAN: Impunity continues to cripple Afghanistan’s media
IFJ: The IFJ and its affiliates are calling for governments’ accountability for their impunity records and denouncing any crimes targeting journalists that remain unpunished under the #endimpuntiy campaign 2017.
HONG KONG: RTHK radio show by autistic hosts raises awareness of disorders
Asia Radio Today: A Child? A Guy! is a radio show on Radio Television Hongkong’s CIBS (Community Involvement Broadcasting Service), which is produced and presented by people living with autism.
INDIA: AIR Plans To Introduce HD Radio
The Shillong Times: All India Radio (AIR) is planning to introduce HD radio that will enable listeners to opt for programmes in digital format.
INDIA: In the Land of Gandhi, journalists are still a prime target for murder
Asian Correspondent: For more than one reason, India remains a hazardous place for journalists irrespective of who is in power in the national or provincial capitals. Around five media workers are killed annually and that has not been improved for decades.
INDIA: Surya Prakash gets another 3 years as Prasar Bharati chief
The Times of India: The government has cleared the reappointment of A Surya Prakash as chairman of Prasar Bharati for the second term. He will have another three-year tenure.
INDONESIA: Lost opportunity (Opinion)
Tempo.co: “The House of Representatives` (DPR) failure to pass the broadcasting bill last week is regrettable. This Revision to Law No. 32/2002 ought to have been ratified at the DPR Plenary Session, but was instead quietly pulled out without much explanation. Hence, the effort to push the broadcasting world into the digital era- one which is more democratic and sides with the public interest- has failed, at least for now.”
JAPAN: Public role key to ruling in NHK fees case
The Japan News: Proceedings have concluded in an appeals trial over whether NHK’s levy of broadcast reception fees violates the freedom of contract guaranteed under the Constitution, among other issues, with the Supreme Court’s Grand Bench expected to make a ruling for the first time within the year.
PAKISTAN: For Pakistan’s unprotected and threatened journalists, can new legislation make a difference?
IFEX: Despite the government’s promises of new legislation aimed at protecting journalists, groups that have been lobbying for journalist safety in Pakistan are worried that the bill fails to address the scale, context, and complexity of impunity of crimes against journalists and media workers.
PAKISTAN: Security situation for media deteriorates in Balochistan
IFJ: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expresses serious concern over the growing threats and dangers to journalists and media in Balochistan, Pakistan. The IFJ demands urgent measures from the Pakistani authorities to improve the security situation to ensure unhindered freedom of the press.
SINGAPORE: Singaporeans launch new media company based on trust, transparency, and accountability
The Online Citizen: The closure of The Middle Ground and the discontinuation of the Asian Wall Street Journal have reduced options for Singaporeans looking for independent media sources.
SOUTH EAST ASIA: Press freedom: What challenges do ASEAN journalists face?
Rappler: Censorship by state authorities, harassment and intimidation by armed forces, and repressive press laws continue to stifle free expression among ASEAN member countries.
SOUTH KOREA: MBC, KBS strikes leave little choice for public
The Korea Herald: MBC, KBS staff adamant that strikes continue until presidents are removed
SOUTH KOREA: MBC’s largest shareholder decides to sack company president
The Korea Herald: The largest shareholder of the nation’s second largest public broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation on Monday voted to fire the company president Kim Jang-kyom for his “politically biased” control of the company’s news coverage.
TAIWAN: Ministers cannot choose the questions they are asked
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on Taiwanese defence minister Feng Shih-kuan to reverse his decision to ban a reporter from his press conferences and points out that public servants do not have the right to choose the questions they are asked by the media.
AUSTRALIA: ABC rebuffs government’s request to reveal top presenters’ salaries
The Sydney Morning Herald: The ABC has refused to publicly disclose the salaries of staff earning more than $200,000, arguing the demands are onerous and will prove counter-productive.
AUSTRALIA: ABC restructure: biggest shake-up in broadcaster’s history to be revealed
The Guardian: Exclusive: Michelle Guthrie’s overhaul, which aims to remove divisions between TV, radio and online, will be unveiled on Tuesday
AUSTRALIA: ABC restructures around three new teams as it ditches medium-based approach
9News: The ABC has ditched its traditional teams around TV, digital and radio, with the public broadcaster restructuring around three broad areas: news, analysis & investigations; entertainment & specialist; and, regional & local.
AUSTRALIA: Top broadcasters call for more cultural diversity in the media
Pacific Media Centre: Leading Australian broadcasters are calling for greater cultural diversity in news and current affairs.
NEW ZEALAND: Clare Curran: plans for our digital future (audio)
Radio New Zealand: The new minister of broadcasting, communications and digital media has done nine years of what she describes as her digital apprenticeship. This week in Clare Curran’s speech at NetHui she outlined some of her plans and has also said one of those is the need to appoint a Chief Technology Officer.
NEW ZEALAND: Peters’ attempts to obtain journalists’ phone records over leak ‘wrong’
RNZ: Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters’ attempt to obtain the emails and phone records of two journalists is outrageous and could have a chilling effect on democracy, media freedom advocates say.
NEW ZEALAND: Social media no competition to journalism – ComCom
RNZ: Traditional media are not as threatened by social media as news managers say, the Commerce Commission says, and there’s still demand for properly researched news.
NEW ZEALAND: TVNZ will need Crown support if revenue keeps shrinking, Treasury says
NBR: The Treasury advised the previous administration to think deeply about its ownership of commercial broadcaster Television New Zealand, which will need a Crown lifeline f the collapse in advertising revenue continues.
ALBANIA: Clueless and ranting: the press according to Edi Rama
Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso: With the eyes of the public still on the judicial troubles of the former Interior Minister Tahiri, Prime Minister Rama is back to attacking the press, confirming the ambiguous relationship between Albanian media and politics.
BALKANS: Western Balkan Journalists Ask EU to Do More for Their Media Freedom
SEENMP: Representatives of the informal Group for Media Freedom from Serbia, which gathers journalists’ and media associations and civil society organizations, asked from the EU today in Tirana to support.
BULGARIA: What will Bulgaria’s EU presidency do for press freedom?
RFI: Bulgaria, with the worst press freedom record in EU, is to take over presidency in January.
DENMARK: Draft bill on trade secrets fails to protect journalists and their sources
EFJ: The Danish Union considers that the bill in its present form does not contain the necessary protection for journalists and whistleblowers in cases of trade secrets’ disclosure serving the public interest.
FINLAND: Majority of Finns feel effects of fake news (Survey)
Yle: The majority of people in Finland think that online fake news reports affects people’s opinions about current events. Sixty-seven percent of respondents to a new media survey said that fake news affects Finns ‘much’ or ‘very much.’
FRANCE: Bring together France Télévisions et Radio France, remove France O: the startling plan of the Ministry of Culture (French)
Le Monde: The “contribution to the Public Action Committee 2022,” which Le Monde has retrieved, wants to radically reform public broadcasting. “It’s a working document,” says the ministry.
FRANCE: Public media: Françoise Nyssen’s disturbing approach to the revelations of Le Monde (French)
Le Monde: The Minister of Culture has announced her intention to file a complaint against “X” in response to our information on the public broadcasting reform. Luc Bronner, editor of Le Monde, answers.
GEORGIA: CSOs Concerned over GPB-Related Developments
Civil.ge: “The growing influence of the government and of individuals affiliated with former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili is a matter of concern for us and contradicts to the mission of the public broadcaster in a democratic society,” a group of 29 civil society organizations wrote in their statement on the publicly-funded Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB.)
ICELAND: Advertisement revenue of the media halved since in 2007 in real prices
Statistics Iceland: Advertisement revenue of the Icelandic media has halved since its all-time-high in 2007, as calculated in fixed 2015 prices.
IRELAND: TV licence model broken with evasion at 14.6%, PAC told
The Irish Times: State broadcaster ‘needs to be fostered when traditional media is under immense attack’.
ITALY: RSF decries attack on two RAI journalists near Rome
RSF: Reporters Without Borders condemns a violent attack by an alleged crime family boss’s brother on two journalists with Italian state-owned broadcaster RAI while they were covering municipal elections results in Ostia, a costal town near Rome, on 7 November.
MACEDONIA: Promoting the new analyses for online media
ZNM: Today, the Association of Journalists of Macedonia presented two publications that analyze the situation of the online media in the country.
POLAND: In Poland, critical press hit by loss of state advertising
IPI: Government politicising distribution of resources to ‘weaken critical media’, critics say.
RUSSIA: Russia prepares to label US media as ‘foreign agents’
DW: Russia may require US media to register as a ‘foreign agent.’ It comes in response to similar moves by Washington against Kremlin-backed media.
SOUTH EAST EUROPE: New report analyses journalism education in South East Europe
SEENPM: A new report “Back to the Drawing Board: Crafting the Ideal Journalism Education Curricula for South East Europe”, published in November 2017, analysed the current state of journalistic education in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.
SPAIN: The PSOE calls for the launch of the public tender to renew the dome of RTVE (Spanish)
El Mundo: The spokeswoman of the socialist parliamentary group, Margarita Robles, has presented a letter addressed to the president of the Congress, Ana Pastor, to demand that the contest for the election of the Board of Directors of RTVE be launched.
SWITZERLAND: Journalists from Switzerland arrested and held for two days in UAE
The Local: Two journalists covering the opening of the Abu Dhabi Louvre museum for Swiss public broadcaster RTS were arrested and held for two days, their employer said on Sunday, slamming an attack on press freedom.
UK: BBC and S4C agree new funding and co-operation deal
Seenit: S4C and the BBC have agreed a new funding and co-operation pact which guarantees the Welsh language broadcaster a space on the BBC iPlayer until 2028.
UK: BBC cancels £10m of cuts planned for local radio
The Guardian: Director general surprises awards event, saying rise of fake news means role of local radio has become more important – not less
UK: BBC launches Podcasting House
TVB Europe: Corporation is the second-largest podcast producer in the world.
UKRAINE: Ukraine awards national DTT licence
Broadband TV News: The Ukrainian regulator National Council has unanimously awarded a national DTT licence on the multiplex MX-5 to the parliamentary channel Rada.
WESTERN BALKANS: Media Days urges political leaders to ensure press freedom in Western Balkans
EFJ
GENERAL: European Parliament: fighting racism and xenophobia in the media
EJF: ‘Race, racism and xenophobia in a global context III’ was the topic of conversation on 9th November, in a conference organised by Italian Member of the European Parliament (MEP), S&D Cecile Kyenge in collaboration with New York University (NYU). EFJ director Renate Schroeder attended the conference, to speak about the ever more challenging role of journalists in an age of increased racism and hate speech.
GENERAL: The EU is asking for help in its fight against fake news
Poynter: Today the European Commission announced a new strategy to combat misinformation and fake news online. It’s asking for more help.
GENERAL: The European Union steps up support to independent media in the Western Balkans
European Commission: At the EU-Western Balkans Media Days that took place on 9 – 10 November in Tirana, Albania, the Commission announced that it will invest in new initiatives to support independent journalism, sustainable media outlets, and boost regional cooperation among public service media.
GENERAL: Public Service Media ‘spends more on content than Netflix and Amazon’
TVB Europe: Public service media spends 2.6 times more on content than Netflix and Amazon combined worldwide according to new research from the EBU.
ARGENTINA: For American fact-checkers working around gaps in government data, a lesson from Argentina
Poynter
CHILE: Chilean Senate approves subsidies for public TV to overcome deficit (Spanish)
El Telégrafo: The Chilean Senate approved Tuesday to inject economic resources for 47 million dollars to the public broadcaster TVN, which will allow it to face a millionaire deficit that has been dragging this television signal in recent years.
CHILE: The models of public TV in the world that the local industry looks at (Spanish)
PULSO: The extraordinary subsidisation of TVN opened the debate on the need and feasibility of a quality public television, capable of surviving over time. When talking about successful models in the world, England, Germany and Japan are mentioned as examples.
CUBA: Cuba heads towards digital TV
Rapid TV News: Over the last two years, Cuba has boosted DTT deployment across the country and secured in-home signal reception.
DOMINICA: Opportunities for engaging Dominicans through local media: overview of the media landscape
CDAC: New media landscape guide for Dominica which provides an overview of the media channels that are available and provides some suggested formats for a more continuous and open conversation between humanitarian agencies and the affected population.
MEXICO: Government advertising and the viability of Mexican media
Open Democracy: In Mexico, if you want your video on a political and/or government-related issue to get significant views on YouTube, you have several options, including two that are actually safe bets: the first is to give it a title saying: “What you won’t see on Televisa”, or “What Televisa does not want you to see”; the second is to encourage people to watch your video “before the government deletes it”.
PERU: TV Peru’s international feed prepares for US launch
Rapid TV News: Peru’s public broadcaster TV Peru is getting ready to launch its international feed in selected US markets, while it continues contemplating a release date for Europe.
PUERTO RICO: PA’LANTE: An Assessment of Information Needs in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria
Internews: In an effort to understand people’s information sharing innovations and ongoing needs, Internews’ Listening Post Collective conducted an information ecosystem assessment among communities in Puerto Rico impacted by Hurricane Maria.
VENEZUELA: Venezuela’s new “anti-hate” law seeks to silence media
CPJ: Venezuela’s constituent assembly yesterday unanimously passed a law that mandates punishment including a prison sentence of up to 20 years for anyone who instigates hate or violence on the radio, television or via social media.
VIRGIN ISLANDS: The Breakthrough: How journalists in the Virgin Islands covered the disaster happening to them
Poynter: For The Virgin Islands Daily News, the reporting obstacles weren’t a stubborn source or a public records request that never came through. Instead, journalists had to navigate reporting without internet or phone service, and on an island under a 24-hour curfew.
GENERAL: Latin American journalists play pivotal role in Paradise Papers transnational investigation
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: As with the Panama Papers, Latin American journalists played pivotal roles in the management, reporting and editing of the global investigation known as the Paradise Papers, a reporting project led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) that analyzes a trove of 13.4 million documents revealing details about the offshore activities of individuals and entities around the world.
GAZA: In Gaza, authorities crack down on freedom of speech (Comment)
The New Arab: Authorities in both Gaza and the West Bank are attempting to silence the critical voices of activists and journalists, writes Victoria Schneider.
PALESTINE: October sees highest number of Israel attacks on Palestinian media
MEMO: The Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) monitored 28 violations against media freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territory during October, 27 of which were carried out by Israeli forces, according to a statement released by the group on Wednesday.
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi shake-up raises media ownership fears, Tencent’s IPOs
The Financial Times
SAUDI ARABIA: Arab media: Saudi purge promises tighter control (Comment)
The New Arab: Saudi Arabia’s recent political purge will place extra pressure on the country’s media during a time of frenzied discussion over the country’s future, writes James M. Dorsey.
TURKEY: Six journalists remain in prison while lawyers expelled from court
Index: Turkish journalists Ahmet Altan and Mehmet Altan’s defence attorneys were forced to leave the courtroom as their clients stood trial Monday 13 November, accused of taking part in Turkey’s failed 2016 coup. Both brothers are prominent Turkish journalists, known for their critical reporting on president Erdogan’s regime.
TURKEY: TRT World joins Roku
TVB Europe: Turkey’s first English broadcasting channel now available worldwide.
CANADA: CBC breaks the traditional broadcast design mold with new ‘National’
Newscast Studio: Mixing monochromatic graphics with minimal on-screen distractions and a pared-down mix of stories, the broadcast is vastly different from most evening news programs, especially those in the United States.
CANADA: Digital platforms increasingly popular
Advanced Television: Canadians are increasingly turning to platforms and devices connected to the Internet for their video and audio content, according to the 2017 Communications Monitoring Report from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
CANADA: Cultural divide in Canadian broadcasting: F-word OK in French
RCI: It’s the “F-word”. It’s been feared by broadcasters and print media since, well, forever. At least in English.Though standards have relaxed and it does on rare occasions appear in print now, it would be a direct quote or direct reference to a quote. In broadcasts it’s almost never heard, and when uttered is almost always “bleeped” out. That’s not the case in Francophone media in Quebec.
US: Even as podcasting grows, medium can stay true to public broadcasting’s roots (Opinion)
Current
US: Journalists of color facing racism head-on: ‘It kind of rips you apart’
Current
US: Structural Changes: A More Integrated Newsroom
WBUR: In an all-staff note issued today to the newsroom, NPR Managing Editor Sara Goo outlined structural changes enabling better alignment between digital editors, reporters and their respective coverage areas.
US: What Does Public Media Mean To You?
NPR: For the 50th anniversary of public service media in the US NPR are asking its listeners and viewers to share stories and moments about the effect public media had on their lives.
Freedom of the Net 2017 (Report)
Freedom House: Manipulating Social Media to Undermine Democracy
Google: AR and VR a ‘multi-decade journey’
Digital TV Europe: Google’s head of AR and VR strategy, Steven Kan, believes we are on “multi-year, I would argue multi-decade journey” in understanding how we can use these new technologies.
How the news media activate public expression and influence national agendas (Article)
Science: The active participation of the people is one of the central components of a functioning democracy. King et al. performed a real-world randomized experiment in the United States to understand the causal effect of news stories on increasing public discussion of a specific topic.
“If you don’t trust it why would you pay for it?”
EJN: This was one of the key questions posed by Prof Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, the director of research at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the annual conference of news ombudsmen in Chennai, where the Ethical Journalism Network joined self-regulators in a probing examination of the crisis of fake news, misinformation and their impact on editorial freedom.
GIJN: Investigative Reporting on Issues Affecting LGBTQ Communities
Media & public must work together to fight fake news
WAN-IFRA (via Ifex): In the age of digital, the media has had to adapt to the constant changes in how news is published and consumed. Misinformation and disinformation – as many call “fake news” – has become the latest challenge for global media. How do journalists filter through the junk and how do readers know where to find the truth?
New Report – Freedom on the Net 2017: Manipulating Social Media to Undermine Democracy
Freedom House: Governments around the world are dramatically increasing their efforts to manipulate information on social media, threatening the notion of the internet as a liberating technology, according to Freedom on the Net 2017, the latest edition of the annual country-by-country assessment of online freedom, released today by Freedom House.
The News Industry Has a Sexual Harassment Problem. #NowWhat?
Nieman Reports: How newsroom leaders can create workplaces that truly support women.
‘Trust in News’ study shows more trust for print publications than digital
IJNET: Trust is the topic that won’t go away. On either side of the pond, leaders with very different temperaments are dealing with issues of declining trust in very different ways.
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: iStock
Related Posts
