Supporting journalism and public media

Gaza: More calls to end killing of journalists, and allow access for international journalists

On Monday, five journalists were among the 22 people who were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a hospital in the south of Gaza. It came just days after four journalists were killed, among which was prominent reporter Anas al-Sharif, provoking a global wave of protest. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported that 219 media workers have lost their lives while reporting on the war in Gaza.

Professional organisations representing journalists, such as the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ and IFJ), have called on Israeli authorities to stop the killing of journalists and mediacide taking place in Gaza. Press freedom organisations and multilateral groups have urged on multiple occasions for Israel to allow international journalists and media outlets to access Gaza. In its most recent statement, the Media Freedom Coalition, supported by 27 countries, reiterated their call to protect journalists operating from Gaza and allow independent foreign media in. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), this conflict has been the deadliest for journalists ever documented.

At a solidarity rally of journalists in Brussels organised to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives, EFJ’s Director, Renate Schroeder, told PMA about the censorship and the silencing of journalists in Gaza. She stressed that “we need to protect journalists, and we are dismayed by the lack of attention by international organisations on this extremely important international human right. […] It’s a fight for press freedom and a fight for journalists rights but also [against] impunity”.

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Guinea-Bissau: Government expels Portuguese media outlets ahead of upcoming elections

The government of Guinea-Bissau has shut down two Portuguese media outlets, ordering the immediate expulsion of all associated journalists from the country. According to a joint statement from the affected outlets, LUSA, and Portuguese public broadcaster, RTP, both organisations were instructed to leave the country by 19 August, with no reasoning provided by the government of Guinea-Bissau for this decision. 

One week after their forced expulsion – still with no explanation from the state – Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounced the dismissal of the Portuguese bodies as a ‘violation of pluralism and the right to information’. RSF’s director for West Africa, Sadibou Marong, demanded an immediate lift in the suspension, suggesting that the timing of the closures may reflect an attempt by the Guinean authorities to restrict or influence media coverage ahead of upcoming elections.

The Guinean Journalists Union, while expressing their disbelief at the expulsion of LUSA and RTP, criticised the international community for ignoring ongoing warnings and signs of threats to journalists and press freedom in the country.

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China: Journalists gather in China for media exchange

More than 140 journalists from areas of the Global South are travelling to China for a major media exchange – another example of Beijing’s push into media development. The exchange, organised by the state-backed Public Diplomacy Association, will run for four months. 

Participants were drawn from regions in the Global South, including Africa, Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia.

This programme comes amid a major push by Beijing to expand its media footprint in these regions. It also comes as the United States scales back funding for international media, while other media development initiatives from Western countries are also facing cuts. 

The Public Media Alliance highlighted China’s push into international media in the latest episode of its podcast, Media Uncovered. 

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United Kingdom: Half a million stories published by LDRS

The BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service has reached a milestone of 500,000 stories published by LDRS reporters, offering an important source of locally relevant independent journalism for use by more than 1,100 commercial news organisations. 

Now in its eighth year, the service funds journalists to sit within local newsrooms, with the specific brief of covering local councils and authorities. It comes at a time of growing news desertification as local news outlets struggle against fragmenting audiences, falling advertising revenue and declining trust. In a press release, Jason Gibbins, Senior News Editor: BBC Local News Partnerships, said: “The LDRS is more than a tick-box scheme. It’s a statement that local journalism matters, that democracy matters, and that public service reporting still has a vital role to play.”

The LDRS scheme has been replicated elsewhere. Radio New Zealand’s (RNZ) Local Democracy Initiative (LDR) provides training and mentoring for reporters at local news organisations, with stories shared among a wide range of media partners. The scheme now has 16 reporters and 1.1 million page views each month. 

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United States: Philanthropies pledge funding for at-risk public media

A coalition of major philanthropies has pledged $36.5 million in emergency support to help at-risk public radio and TV stations withstand the impact of the Trump administration’s federal funding rescission. In pledging their support for public media, the coalition – which includes the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, and others – emphasised that some 115 stations are at risk of drastically reducing service, or even shuttering, as soon as October 2025 without emergency funding. 

$26.5 million of the coalition’s funding will go towards the Public Media Bridge Fund, a philanthropic fund operated by the Public Media Company. The Fund aims to raise $100 million over the next two years to support at-risk local news organisations.

The support for public media comes weeks after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced it would shut down, with the impacts already visible. Along Alaska’s Aleutian chain, one small public media station is preparing to shut down its wide-area AM signal – critical for emergency alerts – in a bid to survive on thinner resources. At other rural stations, managers warn that audiences without reliable internet will be left in the dark.

Meanwhile, a Michigan politician has introduced the SAVE ELMO (Securing Access to Vibrant, Enlightening Education and Local Media Outlets) Act, proposing a $13 million state fund for PBS and local public broadcasters.

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