Our weekly round-up of public service media news stories and headlines from around the world.
1 August – 7 August
Africa
ConCourt affirmed ZBC mandate as a public service broadcaster
By Nehanda Radio: Zimbabwe’s constitutional court has clarified license fee laws for those with portable devices.
Public media has now become ‘enemies of information’-Bishop Chinyemba
By Lusaka Times: In a stinging analysis, Bishop Chinyemba has urged the Zambian government to stop abusing the public service media sector for its ends ahead of key election.
Survey says CNN is Africa’s biggest international media brand
By BIZ Community: The Ipsos Affluent Survey Africa, out late last week, places CNN as the biggest international media brand amongst affluent audiences across Africa.
Will SABC to take responsibility for its recent conduct?
By PMA: After firing eight journalists, the South African broadcaster now has to properly justify its reasons and explain why it shouldn’t be held liable for the costs.
Asia
China is using Hong Kong’s media to broadcast its smear campaigns
By Quartz: According to reports Hong Kong news outlets are fast becoming popular channels for Chinese activists’ “confessions.”
Chinese media threatens India with ‘serious consequences’ for expelling its journalists
By The Times of India: Calls for reprisals as India expels Chinese journalists.
Hong Kong Becomes Fertile Ground for Online News Startups
By Voice of America
How India Is Using Social Media for Social Good
By Gadgets 360 (NDTV)
How social media is empowering India’s dalits
By The Globe and Mail: Can social media be used to empower oppressed group to speak their minds, without fear of punishment, for the first time in history?
Japan: Cold war against the news media
By Asia Media International: Is PM Abe following in the footsteps of Xi regarding clamping down on the media?
Japan’s NHK begins world’s first 8K TV broadcasts
By The Verge: Japan’s public broadcaster NHK has begun the world’s first regular TV satellite broadcasts in 8K resolution.
Looking at Media Freedom in Sri Lanka
By Huffington Post
‘This girl fought’: How a slain online sensation subverted Pakistan’s male-dominated media
By CBC: Fears that death may be a consequence of fallout of a much larger attempt by a male-dominated media in that country to snuff out her provocative online persona.
Australia, New Zealand & the Pacific
Australia an ideal target to strike, Chinese state media says
By SBS: Chinese state media rallies against Australia’s opposition to its claims of large swathes of the South China sea.
Media bosses happy to partner with ABC but question its role
By The Australian Business Review: The chief executives of Australia’s leading media companies are open to partnering with the ABC on content distribution, but raise concerns about the public broadcaster’s role in a digital era following deals with streaming giant Netflix.
New Fijian Media Association president says ‘upskilling journos’ a priority
By Asia Pacific Report: Nemani Delaibatiki of the Fiji Sun has been elected the new president of the Fijian Media Association (FMA) and says first on his agenda is to “upskill” journalists.
NZ media research shows increasing generation gap with consumer habits
By Asia Pacific Report: New research shows more 15 to 34-year-olds in New Zealand are streaming online video than watching traditional television.
Skewing our news – and screwing the business?
By Radio New Zealand: More and more of us have news fed to us from Facebook or we get it via Google. They are making it easy to find what we want, but they also influence which news and views we get – and the ones we don’t.
Europe
BBC: And now, the News Where You Are
By BBC News: The campaign for a Scottish Six began last century. Some reckon that’s where it should stay, as broadcast news evolves to become more online and more on-demand.
BBC iPlayer loophole to close in September
By PMA: Audiences will lose loophole that allows them to watch the BBC’s iPlayer streaming service for free.
Calls for transformation of public media in Spain
By PMA: In a new challenging political climate, journalists in Spain advocate for a new way of organising and looking at public media.
Croatia: Over 70 journalists axed from public broadcaster since January
By Index on Censorship: The cancellation of three radio programmes on 4 July by Croatia’s public broadcaster marks the latest in a line of sweeping changes the network has undergone since January 2016.
Czech Radio and BBC join forces on Syrian Olympic swimmer documentary
By EBU: EBU Members Czech Radio and the BBC have collaborated for the first time to tell the story of a Syrian swimmer who has made the journey from Damascus to the Olympic Games in Rio.
Deutsche Welle reaches 135 million people worldwide
By ABU: A marked increase over the past year.
EBU research shows strong public service media contributes to a healthy democracy
By EBU: Well-funded and strong public service media goes hand in hand with signs of a healthy democracy, says EBU research
EC rules Spanish DTT scheme illegal
By Broadband TV News: The European Commission has ruled plans by Spain to compensate broadcasters for simulcasts during digital switchover to be in breach of EU rules.
Latvia: Media watchdog asks police to reveal journalist’s sources
By Public Broadcasting of Latvia (LSM): It has emerged that Latvia’s media and broadcast regulator, the National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP), has asked police to try to uncover the sources of a journalist.
Polish regulator looks to the future
By Broadband TV News: Poland’s National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT), whose latest term expired on August 4, has put forward a series of proposals for the regulator to work on in the years 2017-19.
Political controversy in Italy as RAI appoints new Directors
By PMA: New nominations for the Italian public service media’s Board are under heavy criticism by many governmental parties, which are not set to vote on them.
Report: Journalists increasingly caught in the middle
By Mapping Media Freedom: Dramatic rise in the number of journalists subjected to violence across Europe in the second quarter of 2016.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Bans on media during Rio opening
By the New Zealand Herald: The International Olympic Committee banned news organisations around the world from sharing gifs and Vines from today’s opening ceremony in Rio.
Brazil: IFJ warns about “political games” threatening public broadcasting service
By IJF: The International Federation of Journalists calls on reporters to cover political games threatening Brazil’s public broadcasting service.
Disaster plans in place for media houses
By Nation News (Barbados): The flow of information will continue where possible in the event of a natural disaster as media houses have announced that they have contingency plans in place.
“Incidental news”: the new way that young people consume information
From Journalism in the Americas (Knight Center): A new study on how young people in Argentina consume news reveals that this process is done haphazardly, mainly through cell phones, during free time and while immersed in the world of social networks.
MEDIA COMPLAINTS REPORTING TOOL
By the IOC: Olympic body launches reporting tool to log press freedom violations at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Regional media group urges St Vincent to rethink cybercrime legislation
By Jamaica Observer: Regional umbrella media group expresses concerns that new legislation may infringe against freedom of expression.
From Journalism in the Americas (Knight Center): Special Rapporteurs at the UN and Inter-American Commission communicated their concerns about the deterioration of media freedom to the Venezuelan government
Middle East
Free speech groups condemn Turkey’s closure of 29 publishers after failed coup
By The Guardian: Organisations including PEN International have spoken out about the ‘grave impact on democracy’ caused by major crackdown on book trade
Lebanon launches bid to save struggling media
By The Daily Star (Lebanon): Information Minister Ramzi Joreige Tuesday said he was preparing to take measures to save Lebanon’s only state-run television channel and private newspapers which have been at risk of shutting due to a recent financial crisis.
Palestine Becomes First Arab State to Ink Media Freedom Declaration
By Sputnik News: Palestine has become the first state to ink the Declaration on Media Freedom in the Arab World, according to the International Federation of Journalists.
Political conflict in Israel over the institution of Public Service Broadcaster
By PMA: Cabinet disagreements over state control and amendments further delay the institution of a new public broadcaster in Israel.
Rivlin: Public broadcasting doesn’t need commissar
By The Jerusalem Post: The Knesset Committee on Tuesday approved an amendment to the Public Broadcasting Law that would allow the new public broadcasting service to temporarily conduct operations outside Jerusalem.
North America
CBC puts former Olympians back in the Games as members of their broadcast team in Rio
By the National Post
PBS press tour brings preview of Burns docs, review of fireworks gaffe
By Current
US media heavyweights unite behind Mark Boal case
By ScreenDaily: A group of non-profits, journalists and media companies led by The Reporters Committee For Freedom Of The Press has come out in support of the Oscar-winning screenwriter’s legal battle with the US government.
Why stations should look to younger sustainers for bequests, major gifts
By Current: As public media stations continue to build sustaining membership programs, findings from a new survey by Carl Bloom Associates point to a new opportunity to cultivate high-impact lasting gifts from this important donor group.
Other
A comparative study of crowd-funding journalism in China, Taiwan and the UK
Via Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: This new paper by RISJ fellow Louis Liu explores what the future holds for crowdfunded journalisms in China.
Public service austerity broadcasts
From Open Democracy: Report covering how public service broadcasters are implicated in legitimising neoliberal policies in response to political and economic crisis.
Submit a short film or public advertisement about climate change!
By Connect4Climate: The Film4Climate Global Video Competition invites filmmakers between the ages of 14-35 years old from all over the world to showcase their talents and create a Public Service Advertisement (PSA) (less than 1 min) or a Short Film (1-5 minutes) about climate action.
The climate crisis is already here – but no one’s telling us
By The Guardian: The media largely relegate the greatest challenge facing humanity to footnotes as industry and politicians hurtle us towards systemic collapse of the planet
If you have any suggestions for our weekly round-ups, please email PMA at editor@publicmediaalliance.org.
These 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.
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