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

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Our weekly explainers for key public media terms, phrases and values.

Week 35: What do LICENCE FEES look like?

The implementation of a licence fee – a popular funding model for the use of public service media (PSM) across platforms such as radio, television, and internet-enabled devices – can look differently from country to country. For instance, the licence fee for South Korean public broadcaster KBS is levied along with residents’ electricity bills while in Switzerland public media is funded on a per domicile basis. In the UK, the BBC’s TV licence fee is dependent on whether you watch, record, or download live, catch-up or on-demand programmes. Regardless of implementation, licence fees remain one of the main sources of income for many public broadcasters, such as in Japan where the licence fee makes up nearly 100% of NHK’s income. However, blocks to licence fee increases such as in Germany; questions about the relevance of PSM in the digital age such as in South Korea; and high rates of licence fee evasion such as in South Africa, have threatened the funding model in many countries. But whether they are fully or partially funded by a licence fee, stable funding is essential for public media to maintain key values such as editorial independence, quality journalism, and pluralism.

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Essential resources for sourcing and reporting news about the coronavirus pandemic

What we're watching...


Former Apple Daily reporters speak out about concerns over press freedom in Hong Kong

ABC News (Australia): Leading media figures in Hong Kong are facing life in prison after being charged under a recently introduced national security law.

What we're listening to...


Reporting Afghanistan after abandonment

RNZ: Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks prompted the US to invade Afghanistan, the Taliban announced they’ve taken the whole country again this week. Journalists who remain there are at risk in spite of assurances media freedom will be respected. Will proper journalism be possible under the Taliban? We ask a former foreign correspondent there who was once jailed by another repressive regime. 

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ANGOLA: Media in Angola learns from the judgment of “hidden debts”

Deutsche Welle: Angolan courts do not always allow journalists to follow trials within the plenary. The coverage of the trial in Mozambique can serve as a learning about how to increase the supervision of powers.


GHANA: Deepening access to information for accountable governance in Ghana – the MFWA experience

MFWA: Access to information is a universal human right. 


GHANA: GBC to establish Volta Star TV to boost public service mandate

GBC: Management and staff of GBC’s Volta Regional branch, Volta Star Radio in Ho, have launched the silver jubilee of the station with a call on its stakeholders to support its transformational drive.


GHANA: NMC appoints committee to help transform GBC

My Joy Online: The National Media Commission(NMC) has appointed a committee of experts to examine ways to transform the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) into a more efficient public service broadcaster. 


GUINEA: Guinea: MFWA condemns attacks on state-owned newspaper, two public media institutions by unknown assailants

MFWA: The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) deplores the acts of vandalism perpetrated against the national newspaper, Horoya, and two other public media institutions and calls on the authorities to investigate, arrest and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts.


KENYA: KUJ commences talks with media owners over journalists’ remuneration

KBC: The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) has commenced talks with media owners with a view to improving the remuneration and other rights of journalists, Secretary General Eric Oduor has said.


NAMIBIA: NBC launches new regional office in Gobabis to house ‘Tirelo ya Sechaba FM’ (Watch)

NBC: The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has expanded its broadcasting services with the opening of a new regional office in the Omaheke capital of Gobabis.


NIGERIA: Buhari’s Authoritarian Twitter Ban Continues to Silence Nigerians

Foreign Policy: Four months after imposing a national Twitter ban, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration announced it would reverse course after having reached agreement with the social media company on a number of issues. However, in recent days the administration appears on course to continue the ban until the end of the year, despite initially signaling the reversal was imminent. 


SOUTH AFRICA: SABC May Face Legal Action Over $2.6M Allegedly Owed To Producers

Broadcast Media Africa: The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) may face legal action for allegedly failing to pay US$ 2.6 million to one of its clients who did work for the public broadcaster. Producers Portia Ndlovu and her husband Owen are at odds with the SABC after a deal fell through, with the state broadcaster allegedly refusing to pay the couple for work done in 2014.


SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudan: Western diplomatic missions and press freedom groups raise alarm over media clampdown (7 September)

IFJ: Several countries and press freedom groups have warned of human rights violations in South Sudan, including the harassment of journalists and media organisations. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today joined the call on the new South Sudanese Government to respect human rights and press freedom.


TANZANIA: Tanzania civil society cite law abuse in paper ban

Daily Monitor: Tanzania has denied its media laws are oppressive following the second suspension of a newspaper in one month.


ZIMBABWE & SOUTH KOREA: Korean Embassy enhances collaboration with ZBC through television programmes

ZBC: The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has expressed gratitude to the Korean Embassy for facilitating the provision of content for ZBC TV in [the] form of dramas, documentaries and animation.


REGIONAL: Freedom of expression and of the media in Southern Africa: Letter to SADC

MISA: MISA has written to SADC regarding attacks on the media which have included, arbitrary arrests and detention, physical assaults, crippling fines, closure of media houses, enforced disappearances, use of, or introduction of laws that are inimical to freedom of expression. 


REGIONAL: Ray of hope in Zambia, shadow over north-eastern DRC, and the need for stronger whistleblower protection

IFEX: August 2021 in Africa: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Reyhana Masters, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.

AFGHANISTAN: Afghanistan: Journalists tell of beatings by Taliban

BBC: Journalists in Afghanistan say that they have been beaten, detained and flogged by the Taliban when attempting to cover protests.


AFGHANISTAN: Afghanistan media struggle to chart path through Taliban upheaval (Paywall)

The Financial Times: Fate of broadcaster Tolo News seen as litmus test of whether regime will guarantee basic freedoms.


AFGHANISTAN: Are the Taliban now showing their true face to journalists?

RSF: An increase in arrests and use of violence against journalists in Afghanistan in the past few days signals an alarming turning point in Taliban behaviour towards the press, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Unless they quickly prove the contrary, the Taliban are clearly letting their masks fall.


AFGHANISTAN: ‘Everything Changed Overnight’: Afghan Reporters Face an Intolerant Regime (Paywall)

The New York Times: The Taliban promised to respect press freedoms, but the new government has already showed signs of repression, and has even physically assaulted Afghan journalists.


CHINA: Beijing attempts to influence media coverage, global narratives on CCP: Reports

The Times of India: Beijing is making all-out attempts to restrict voices against the Chinese Communist Party to [pursue] a positive image in the world post-Covid pandemic. 


HONG KONG: HKJA won’t just roll over and die, says chairman

RTHK: The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) will do its best to remain in operation as long as possible, its chairman vowed on Tuesday, as he rejected accusations levelled against the group by the security secretary.


HONG KONG: Journalists speak out over concerns about press freedom in Hong Kong two months after Apple Daily’s closure

ABC News: Reporters in Hong Kong are navigating a dangerous red line under the Beijing-imposed national security law.


INDIA: YouTube channels, portals have no accountability: Supreme Court

Times of India: The Supreme Court on Thursday said the role of free press in a democracy  must be respected, but warned that rampant misuse of the right to free speech by mushrooming web portals and YouTube channels to circulate with impunity slander, fake news and reports deliberately slanted with communal overtones would “ultimately bring a bad name to the country.”


INDONESIA: Press Council report: Indonesia’s press freedom index improves, yet challenges remain

The Online Citizen: The violence against journalists in Papua and the politicized implementation of the electronic and information transaction law have raised concerns.


KASHMIR: Indian police raid homes, question 4 journalists in Kashmir

AP News: Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir raided the homes of four journalists on Wednesday, triggering concerns of a further crackdown on press freedom in the disputed region.


JAPAN: Lack of TV time spoils Tokyo Paralympics’ big opportunity (6 September – Paywall)

The Japan Times: Television coverage of the Paralympics introduced many relatively unknown athletes and sports to Japanese viewers during the stay-at-home summer of 2021. But not all sports were equal when it came to television coverage of the Games, and barring spectators from the Tokyo Paralympics did not help some of the more obscure and unique disability sports get the airtime many would argue they deserve.


MALAYSIA: Dewan Rakyat Speaker must explain reasons for barring media coverage

New Straits Times: Media groups are urging Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun to explain his reasons for barring certain media from the upcoming Parliament sitting beginning next week.


MALAYSIA: Malaysia: New government prevents media outlets from attending parliament

IFJ: Malaysia’s parliamentary speaker Azhar Arizan Harun announced on September 8, the new government led by prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will continue to restrict media outlets from attending parliament when it resumes on September 13. 


PAKISTAN: ‘Democracy will die’: Politicians, civil society join journalists in protest against proposed media authority

Dawn: Political parties, student unions and members of civil society continued to express solidarity with protesting journalists outside Parliament House in Islamabad on Monday, joining them in raising their voice against the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) bill.


PAKISTAN: Explainer: Why are journalists opposing the Pakistan Media Development Authority?

Geo: Journalists across the country are protesting the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA), with a sit-in outside Parliament House entering its second day today (Monday).


PAKISTAN: Pakistan journalists protest draconian media regulation bill

IPI: IPI reiterates call on Pakistan to drop proposed PMDA law.


SOUTH KOREA: Korea promises to protect freedom of press after UN criticism of ‘utterly disproportionate’ media bill

Korea Times: South Korea will continue to protect freedom of expression of its people, the government has said in response after a U.N. expert called for the revision of a media bill that she said could seriously undermine press freedom.


TAIWAN: Cautious welcome for Taiwan’s gov’t-backed English news platform

HKFP: A new English-language news platform, launched with fanfare by the Taiwanese government this week, has drawn some scepticism about whether it will be an independent and impartial player… 


THAILAND: Chairman of the Board of Directors, Thai PBS announced the appointment of 2 external executive directors (Press release – Thai)

Thai PBS: On September 9, 2021, Associate Professor Jermsak Pinthong, Chairman of the Public Broadcasting Organization of Thailand (Public Broadcasting Organization) policy, signed the announcement of the NBTC appointing the external executive committee (GPF)…

AUSTRALIA: ABC partners with the Asian-Australian Leadership Summit (Press release)

ABC: The ABC is pleased to have partnered with the Asian-Australian Leadership Summit and the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Awards, which were announced on 7 September.


AUSTRALIA: ABC and Victoria University partner to tell stories about the west (Press release)

ABC: The ABC and Victoria University have signed a strategic partnership agreement to support VU students to tell the stories of communities living in the west of Melbourne.


AUSTRALIA: VIDEO: ABC presenters send children at Wilcannia Central School messages of support during COVID (Watch)

ABC: ABC presenters provide messages of support to Wilcannia Central School as the remote outbreak town faces a COVID-19 outbreak.


AUSTRALIA: Australian Court Rules Media Companies Responsible for Comments on their Facebook Pages

VOA: Some of Australia’s biggest media companies have lost a legal battle with a former youth detainee over allegedly defamatory comments posted about him on their Facebook pages. The high court has found the media groups are legally responsible as “publishers” for third parties’ comments on their Facebook pages.


AUSTRALIA: Bullying on Twitter has become unhinged. It’s time to call out the personal, sexist attacks (Feature)

ABC: To be a political journalist, you have always needed to be able to resist bullying aimed at making you second-guess your work.


AUSTRALIA: Correcting Sophie Elsworth, The Australian and the IPA (Statement)

ABC: On Monday The Australian published a story by media writer Sophie Elsworth under the headline “ABC discusses News Corp and Murdoch 1700 times in just 30 days”.


AUSTRALIA: How the Australian and the IPA’s attack on the ABC went horribly wrong (Opinion)

The Guardian: A report into how many times the ABC mentioned News Corp or Murdoch had some embarrassing flaws.


AUSTRALIA & US: US television networks approach ABC for Fox News program

The Sydney Morning Herald: Multiple US television networks have approached national broadcaster the ABC about buying the rights to broadcast two Four Corners episodes that looked at Fox News and its role in the 2020 general election.


FIJI: Slippery slope for Fiji’s media in politically charged climate (Commentary)

Asia Pacific Report


NEW ZEALAND: Public demand sky-high for Covid news

Newsroom: Another year, another Level 4 lockdown and another surge in audiences for news outlets – with many seeing demand for news on Covid-19 grow exponentially at times over the past three weeks.


NEW ZEALAND: Why the bets are off on who may replace Kevin Kenrick at TVNZ

Stuff: TVNZ may hold off searching for a replacement for departing chief executive Kevin Kenrick until after Cabinet decides whether to merge TVNZ and RNZ into a new public media entity.

AUSTRIA: Experts instead of politicians and more investigative journalism: scientist Josef Seethaler on ORF (German)

Der Standard: ORF should expand its online content, but it should be free of advertising, suggests communication scientist Josef Seethaler.


AUSTRIA: NGOs condemn trial in Austria of ‘Ibizagate’ whistleblower

The Guardian: The “excessive” criminal prosecution of a security consultant whose “Ibizagate” video brought down Austria’s government will deter whistleblowers and risks infringing fundamental press and information freedoms, rights groups have said.


BELARUS: Belarus authorities continue to charge and detain journalists, raid homes

CPJ: Belarus authorities must cease their persecution of independent journalists and outlets who have covered the protest movement against President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s contested reelection or are otherwise critical of the government, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.


BELGIUM: The VRT, together with 30 companies and organizations, signs a charter for digital inclusion (Press release – Dutch)

VRT: On behalf of the VRT, CEO Frederik Delaplace signed DigitalAll this afternoon , a charter for digital inclusion initiated by BNP Paribas Fortis and Proximus. Together with some thirty companies, government agencies, governments and social organizations, the VRT is committed to reducing the digital divide. Because as a public broadcaster in Flanders, we want the future to be digital for all of us.


DENMARK: Christian Rank steps down as DR’s head of drama amid ‘deadlock’ over production

C21 Media: Christian Rank, head of drama at Danish public broadcaster DR, is stepping down after three years in the role.


FINLAND: Merja Ylä-Anttila: “Democracy cannot work without the media” (Speech – Finnish)

Yle: Today, Yle is 95 years old and is already looking towards its centenary. We nobles want to look to the future with Finns and we want to be even more perceived and close to the audiences, Finns. We develop our offerings and services so that we respond even more appropriately to the needs of media use, various areas of interest and the changing use of media…


FRANCE: Arrival of radios from the French overseas department Televisions on Radioplayer France (Press release – French)

France TV: The nine radios and the webradio of the French overseas division of France Télévisions join Radioplayer France, the application bringing together 220 radios, 700 webradios and more than 130,000 podcasts.


FRANCE: Being a journalist during demonstrations: “We were called scrapings, and so on …” (2 September – French)

Le Monde: Intimidation, invective, beatings … Violence against journalists, frequent since the emergence of “yellow vests”, have punctuated the mobilizations against the health pass this summer. The editorial staff are looking for a solution.


GERMANY: ARD Youth Media Day 2021: More than 150 workshops and talks (Event – German)

ARD: What can you do about hate speech? How is news made? What does a good Insta story look like? On November 18th, the ARD Youth Media Day invites schoolchildren all over Germany to try things out and participate. In more than 150 talks and workshops, they take a look behind the scenes at ARD together with ARD media coaches and celebrities. Teachers of all types of school can register their classes from the eighth grade from September 20th.


GERMANY: ARD / ZDF mass communication trends 2021 (Press release – German)

ZDF: In everyday corona: television remains stable, radio is picking up again; The trend towards non-linear use continues.


ITALY: Demonstrators in Italy attack two journalists during COVID-19 protests

CPJ: Italian authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate recent attacks on journalists covering COVID-19 protests, hold those responsible to account, and ensure that reporters can cover events of public interest safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.


LUXEMBOURG: Bettel vows to improve press access to information

Luxembourg Times: Pledge to tackle issue, including reviewing 2018 law on access to government documents, reportedly made during meeting with journalists.


MALTA: Prime Minister is part of misinformation campaign through PBS – Bernard Grech

The Independent: The misinformation campaign is not only happening through the use of fake websites, but through the state broadcaster as well, meaning that the Prime Minister is part of this issue, Opposition and PN leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday.


POLAND: Poland: Public radio journalist fired after signing letter of support for TVN

Mapping Media Freedom: On 23 August 2021, after nine years of service for the regional public station Radio Gdańsk, journalist Marcin Mindykowski was dismissed after he signed an open letter in response to a bill introducing additional restrictions on foreign-media ownership, which has been widely perceived as a governmental attempt to gain control over TVN, one of the biggest private broadcasters in Poland. 


RUSSIA: Putin’s crackdown: how Russia’s journalists became ‘foreign agents’

The Guardian: Will an oppressive new law stifle independent media outlets – or lead to a weakening of the president’s authoritarian regime?


SLOVENIA: KSJS urges govt to meet its financial obligations towards STA, RTV Slovenija (Paywall)

STA: The KSJS confederation of public sector trade unions has called on the government to meet its obligations towards the public media, chiefly to pay for the public service performed by the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) and provide adequate funding for public broadcaster RTV Slovenija “with the money all taxpayers contribute to the budget”.


SPAIN: Spanish TV apologies for racist comment about Madrid player

The Seattle Times: Spain’s state television on Friday condemned a racist comment made by a guest sports commentator during the presentation of Real Madrid player Eduardo Camavinga.


SPAIN: ‘The great consultation’: a survey with which RTVE seeks to reconnect with the Spanish (Spanish)

El País: The corporation promotes a macro-survey to elaborate its new framework mandate based on the opinions of the citizens.


SWEDEN: Hanna Stjärne comments on production incentives (Press release – Swedish)

SVT: SVT’s CEO comments on a new proposal for production incentives for film and TV productions.


SWEDEN: SVT opens editorial office in Flemingsberg (Press release – Swedish)

SVT: SVT opens a new editorial office in Flemingsberg and strengthens the coverage of Södertörn. One of SVT’s most important assignments is to report from all over Sweden. Therefore, a long-term investment is now being made to increase the number of SVT locations – from 27 at the beginning of 2015 to at least 50 in 2023.


SWEDEN: Sweden’s two largest export nations go to the polls – Sveriges Radio hard monitors (Press release – Swedish)

Sveriges Radio: The elections in the neighboring countries Norway on 13 September and Germany on 26 September affect Sweden in many ways and Swedish Radio invests heavily in reporting before, during and after the elections. We give listeners the latest news and analyzes from experts and reporters on site and Swedish Radio broadcasts election vigils from both countries in P1 and the app Swedish Radio Play.


SWITZERLAND: 2nd Forum des médias romands: “We must invest in journalism” (French)

SwissInfo: The value of quality journalism was at the center of the debates of the 2nd edition of the Forum des médias romands (FMR) on Monday. Editorial staff must more seek a direct link with their audiences and not “be obsessed with social networks”.


UK: Channel 4 mulls international AVOD service

Broadband TV News: Channel 4 is considering plans to expand its All 4 streaming service outside the UK.


UK: New EY report shows impact of Channel 4 privatisation on UK creative economy (Press Release)

Channel 4: Channel 4 has today published a new independent EY report commissioned by the broadcaster to assess the potential implications of privatisation. It shows the impact a change to Channel 4’s ownership could have on both the UK’s economy and the broadcaster’s support for jobs across the whole of the UK in the next ten years.


UK: Whoever becomes the BBC’s next news director will find it close to an impossible task (Analysis)

iNews: Of course there will always be applicants for a role that comes with immense status and a £340,000 salary but, aside from that, it’s strangely unrewarding and surprisingly powerless.


UKRAINE: EU-Council of Europe Joint Project supports training for prosecutors on safety of journalists and other media actors

COE: On September 9-10, 2021, a training on international standards for the protection of journalists and effective investigation of offences against journalists was held in Kyiv with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe Joint Project “EU and Council of Europe working together to support freedom of media in Ukraine” and in partnership with the Prosecutors’ Training Centre of Ukraine.


REGIONAL: The Nordic drama autumn is here: You portray the importance of money (Swedish)

Nordvision: Through the Nordic drama collaboration N12, viewers in all five countries have an intense drama autumn to look forward to. First out is SVT with the multi-layered suspense series Deg, which has just been launched in its home country.


REGIONAL: The role of the media regulatory authorities in the Western Balkans in the new media paradigms

COE: In order to discuss and exchange views on the role of the media regulatory authorities in the new media paradigms, a Regional Conference was organised  with the participation of media regulatory authorities  from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

BRAZIL: Brazil: climate of hostility against journalists grows (Spanish)

IFJ: During 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, Brazilian journalists suffered 428 attacks and attacks, according to a record made by the Federaçao Nacional dos Jornalistas (FENAJ). 


COLOMBIA: These are + Colombia days! the new online station of public radio (Spanish)

Radio Nacional: An alternative with 24 hours, seven days a week, of continuous programming exclusively made up of music from our country.


JAMAICA: RJRGleaner Group buying stake in data analytics firm

Jamaica Gleaner: RJRGleaner Communi-cations Group, owner of RJR radio, Television Jamaica and The Gleaner newspaper, is moving into the realm of artificial intelligence, indirectly, via purchase of a 15 per cent equity stake in StarApple Analytics Limited, a start-up data analytics and AI consulting company operating in Jamaica.


JAMAICA: RJRGleaner more than quadruples profit after cost-cutting exercise

Loop News: Media company RJRGleaner Communications Group more than quadrupled its net profit for the year ended March 2021, recording earnings of $171 million, up from $38 million in the previous year. 


MEXICO: Public media in the 2022 budget (Spanish)

El Economista: The federal public media will be supported in operation during 2022. In general, its budget for the following year will be slightly higher than this year. This is because their financial resources are almost always insufficient and during the year they tend to request budget increases.


NICARAGUA: Nicaraguan journalists exiled in Costa Rica lament hostile climate for the press in their country (Spanish)

VOA: Coinciding with International Journalist Day, professionals and organizations watch from a distance the difficult situation facing the press in Nicaragua, where raids in newsrooms or embargoes on the media are no longer surprising.


NICARAGUA: PEN America Condemns Nicaragua’s Ongoing Press Crackdown, Political Repression

PEN America: New charges against journalists as well as ongoing attempt to silence dissent are worrying signs as Nicaragua prepares for an election later this year.


NICARAGUA: The Nicaraguan Press rejects the Government’s legal accusation against its manager (Spanish)

Swissinfo: The newspaper La Prensa, the oldest and most influential in Nicaragua, rejected this Saturday the legal accusation of the Attorney General’s Office against its general manager, Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro, for the alleged crimes of money, property and asset laundering.


PERU: Press Council: “Freedom of expression is at risk” (Spanish)

Perú21: The executive director of the Peruvian Press Council (CPP), Rodrigo Salazar, considered that press freedom in Peru is in danger, since there are not enough spaces for journalists to carry out their duties normally. 


REGIONAL: Nearly 1,000 journalists in Latin America have died from COVID-19; Brazil and Peru have highest number of cases

LatAm Journalism Review: More than half of the journalists who have died from COVID-19 globally are from Latin America, with Brazil leading the cases.


REGIONAL: The radio, centenary in Latam (Spanish)

TVyVideo + Radio: It took 14 years for radio to reach Latin America after the first broadcast in the United States. Today it is still one of the media with a wide penetration.

LEBANON: Senior Reuters journalist denied entry to Lebanon: RSF and the Samir Kassir Foundation remind authorities of their press freedom obligations

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Samir Kassir Foundation call on the Lebanese authorities to reverse their decision to deny a Reuters journalist entry without giving any reason, which sets a disturbing precedent for the future of journalism in Lebanon.


SYRIA & AFGHANISTAN: ‘Be patient and prevent despair’: An exiled Syrian journalist’s advice for fleeing Afghan reporters (Feature)

CPJ: Syrian journalist Okba Mohammad was 20 years old when he arrived in Spain after fleeing the Syrian civil war with CPJ’s help in May 2019.


TURKEY: Turkey: AFP journalists threaten strike over pay

IFJ: Journalists are threatening to strike over the refusal of news agency Agence France Presse to increase its below-inflation pay offer to staff in Istanbul. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is backing the action and union demands for fair wages and decent labor conditions for the workers.


TURKEY: Turkish government increases pressure on social media

Deutsche Welle: Turkish opposition politicians and activists have made great use of the internet to circumvent state control of the mainstream media. They are alarmed by government plans to crack down even more on online platforms.


YEMEN: Death threat by Yemeni official against three journalists who fled abroad

RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the authorities in Hadramout governorate, in eastern Yemen, to guarantee the safety of three Yemeni freelance journalists who fled the country in 2015 to avoid abduction by Al-Qaeda and who are now the targets of a death threat by a governorate official because they have been denouncing corruption in the province.

CANADA: CBC/Radio-Canada celebrates Canadian storytellers at TIFF (Press release)

CBC/Radio-Canada: CBC/Radio-Canada highlights its ongoing commitment to Canadian creators and filmmakers with the following nine titles selected to participate at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF 2021), including one Gala Presentation and two Special Presentations.


CANADA: CBC News Network and ICI RDI more widely available during federal election campaign (Press release)

CBC/Radio-Canada: With Canadians heading to the polls on September 20, CBC/Radio-Canada and the country’s TV distributors are ensuring greater access to the latest information and campaign coverage by making its 24-hour news channels, CBC News Network and ICI RDI, more widely available.


CANADA: Francophone issues: the debate live on ICI RDI (Event – French)

Radio-Canada: The federal election campaign is intensifying with the approach of the September 20, 2021 poll and for the very first time, ICI RDI is offering a debate on Francophone issues live from the National Arts Center in Ottawa with representatives of the five federal parties. 


CANADA: ICI RDI and CBC News Network get by during the federal election campaign (Press release – French)

Radio-Canada: As Canadians go to the polls on September 20, CBC / Radio-Canada is partnering with Canadian distributors to make the continuous news networks ICI RDI and CBC News Network available to more Canadians, so that they can access the most up-to-date and complete information on the electoral campaign.


US: CPB Selects Poynter Institute to Deliver Public Media Digital Transformation Program

CPB: Virtual training to help up to 80 public media leaders advance their organizations’ digital capabilities.


US: Hindsight and the 9/11 anniversary coverage (Opinion)

CJR: On September 11, 2001, Dunstan Prial, a reporter in the New York bureau of the Associated Press, was asleep when his future mother-in-law called to let him know that a plane had just hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. 


US: How 9/11 Changed Television (Listen)

Iowa Public Radio


US: How Public TV Stations Supported Summer Learning (19 August)

Protect My Public Media: Throughout the pandemic, public media stations in all 50 states and U.S. territories have stepped up to provide at-home learning services for pre-K through 12th grade students and robust educational resources for educators, parents and caregivers.


US: Social media platforms drive partisan political polarization in the US, study finds

Poynter: Without internal or government reforms, the researchers say, partisan hatred will continue to have ‘dire consequences.’


US: The Case for Investing in Public Media Infrastructure (3 September)

Protect My Public Media: Station broadcast technology, like towers and master control systems, allow 99% of American households to receive these critical public services. Unfortunately, much of this technology is at risk of failing.


US: This news consortium aims to cover rural America from coast to coast

Nieman Lab: With more than 50 participating newsrooms led by The Daily Yonder and the agribusiness-focused Investigate Midwest, the multi-year effort will be the nonprofit group’s largest collaboration ever.

Covering vaccine hesitancy: 6 tips for journalists (Resource)

The Journalist’s Resource: In 2019, the World Health Organization listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health, so it’s important for journalists to shed light on the issue and educate the public about it.


Fact-Checking Covid-19 Misinformation: Win Some, Lose Some

CMDS: The spread of misinformation related to the Covid-19 pandemic created new headaches for fact-checkers around the world. Some launched new organizations, others intensified their debunking efforts and shifted their focus. However, misinformation seems to move faster than any of them.


For local journalists, there’s nowhere to hide from trauma

Poynter: In community journalism, trauma comes with the territory but mental health resources often do not.


IFJ-ILO Webinar on reporting migration and forced labour (Event)

IFJ: How to ethically report on migration and forced labour and avoid falling into stereotypes, shallowness and inaccuracies?


Journalism managers are burned out. Is it time for a work redesign?

American Press Institute


Overcoming indifference: what attitudes towards news tell us about building trust

Reuters Institute: In recent decades, trust in news has declined in many parts of the world (Fletcher 2020). While the coronavirus crisis has reminded some of the value of independent journalism, boosting trust in some places (Newman et al. 2021), many continue to regard news with considerable scepticism… 


RSF and other Human Rights Organizations Call For Robust Implementation of New EU Export Control Rules and Investigation of EU member states’ role in Pegasus affair

RSF: As new EU export controls rules come into force on 9 September with the recast Dual-Use Regulation(1), five organizations call upon the European Commission as well as all 27 EU member states to follow up on their promise of creating a transparent market in cyber-surveillance technologies that is bound by effective human rights safeguards with immediate action.


Seeking objectivity in journalism is getting in the way of speaking truth (Paywall)

Current: The pursuit of objectivity has been used for decades to silence the voices of women and people of color. But many newsroom leaders are beginning to come around on the issue.


What does “fairness” in news stories actually look like?

Medium


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