What we do
The core work of the Public Media Alliance is to help strengthen and improve public service broadcasting around the world by supporting the development of high-quality public service content, gathering and publishing information on best practice, providing training and holding events to stimulate debate and knowledge exchange. We also engage in advocacy work – providing evidence and testimony when PSM is under review, under threat or under attack.
We assist in building the capacity of our members and their staff with initiatives such as exchange programmes and our Global Grant scheme, where employees of our broadcasters can share and learn skills at a public broadcaster in another country. We also run specialised workshops, building knowledge in areas such as gender awareness, the value to broadcasters of harnessing social media, and the responsibilities and agility of broadcasters during (natural or man-made) disasters.
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By Kristian Porter
As we finish the year, PMA’s CEO, Kristian Porter – who took up the position in April – considers our work in 2022, and what comes next.
It has been quite a year. We saw the return of in-person events, projects and training, as we travelled from Tokyo to Tobago, Malmö to Malaysia. We launched our new Podcast, Media Uncovered, which I can wholeheartedly and unashamedly recommend. We launched a number of regional research reports and codes-of-conduct on topics such as media literacy and crisis management, and expanded our reach with public media academics, civil society and practitioners alike. We continued to play a key advisory role as part of the Media Freedom Coalition’s Consultative Network and as the secretariat of the Global Task Force for public media. Our advocacy is strengthening, our network continues to grow, and we have advised and commented on numerous legislative issues facing public media.
There has certainly been a lot to do in support of public service media (PSM), and I can’t thank our incredible secretariat team enough for their stellar and committed work. But on a more sombre note, there has been a lot of work because of sheer number of challenges that continue to plague independent PSM and their primary role in underpinning informed societies and robust democracies.
Throughout 2022 we witnessed growing cases of online harassment, physical threats and attacks on public media and their staff. While political interference is an ever-present threat for some, it is growing for others. Let us be clear – this is happening everywhere, even in regions where independence was once taken for granted. The most well-funded public broadcasters are feeling the squeeze, and others have been left scrambling to adapt to alternative sources of income, all while trying to maintain the values and services that make them so indispensable. And of course the backdrop of audience fragmentation and the fight for prominence, rights and relevance continues to loom large.
Collaborations among public media organisations, their supporters, civil society, associations, and academics are needed more than ever. We need a louder collective voice in support of trusted, protected, impartial, and independent public media. There is strength in numbers.
These issues are all part of the wider set of challenges facing independent media, news outlets, journalists, and media workers worldwide. The catastrophic and heinous war in Ukraine, the ongoing ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis faced by so many have all played their part.
The figures are alarming. The number of jailed journalists in 2022 reached a new record of 363. 67 journalists were killed in the line of duty. Meanwhile, editorial independence continues to shrink. In 2022, research into 595 state-administered organisations across 157 countries found that 84% lacked editorial independence, an increase of 4% from 2021.
The PMA team are reporting on these challenges more than ever before, via our website and weekly newsletter, which make for an increasingly concerning read.
The situation is getting worse. New geopolitical blocks are forming, and it is increasingly necessary to ensure that politicians and publics alike understand the role that independent, accountable news media plays in society. It is exactly why collaborations among public media organisations, their supporters, civil society, associations, and academics are needed more than ever. It is exactly why we need a louder collective voice in support of trusted, protected, impartial, and independent public media. There is strength in numbers. It is exactly what PMA will strive to work towards as part of our new strategy in 2023-2024.
While the outlook is gloomy, I firmly believe that by working together, in solidarity, we can find solutions to many of these hurdles. And there are positive stories out there, which offer hope, and demonstrate that public media is not antiquated, but a continuing bastion of creativity, trust and as relevant as ever.
At the beginning of this year, we launched the PSM Innovations series – fortnightly features showcasing the best and brightest ideas, concepts, experiments, and efforts from public media around the world. These innovations have been developed to reinforce public value, relevance, and trust. From “greening” the environmental impact of their websites, to support for migrant communities and cutting-edge election coverage, these stories unmistakeably demonstrate the importance of public media. Only media entities – operating solely in the public interest, accountable to the public, endeavouring to provide value in all that it does – would dare undertake these efforts.
Public media must learn and work with each other, collaborate, and cooperate. PMA’s ongoing mission is to encourage these discussions, and our series of roundtables – PSM Unpacked – is another way we facilitate these conversations.
Hope also comes in the welcome change of fortunes for some public media organisations. Changes in government in Australia have resulted in additional funding and certainty for the ABC. New Zealand continues on its journey to establish a new resilient and comprehensive public media entity to better combat mis- and disinformation and ensure a bright future for PSM. A change in government in Slovenia has seen positive steps taken to improve the situation at the embattled public broadcaster, RTV SLO. It is hoped the election of Lula da Silva in Brazil could do the same for EBC, which has become a mouthpiece under Jair Bolsonaro.
New legislation and policies also look set to ease the pressures faced by many PSM. The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) is a step in the right direction towards better protecting the independence of EU-based public media, and in Canada there is hope that new legislation will see international streamers contributing some of their locally sourced income to the creation of Canadian content.
These are just a few examples, and more can be found in our roundup of 2022. Of course, vigilance must be taken with each positive step, and PMA along with its members and partners will continue to cast a critical eye and speak out in support of the core values of PSM.
By Sally-Ann Wilson
Another year of cancelled conferences. Another year of virtual, on-screen meetings stretching back to back throughout the day
Firstly, I must pay tribute to my colleagues, Jas, Kristian, Clare, Chloe, Desilon and Harry. Like so many teams we rarely see each other face to face and, as you are all aware, it’s not quite as effective to have ‘water cooler moments’ on Zoom! But it happens.
Every Tuesday the team brings you PSM Weekly a terrific task of pulling together public media news from around the world and delivering a digest direct to your phone or device. We are witnessing greater collaboration between public broadcasters and PSM Weekly is not just a quick way of checking up on what’s happening, it also a means to spot new ideas and potential collaboration partners.
Our Public Media Glossary has become a useful tool for many of you. It’s also provoked some good debates amongst the team here and I was delighted to hear it quoted in one public media parliamentary hearing.
Projects may not happen ‘in field’ at present but with support from UNESCO and other partners we have run two major projects in South Asia. In November we launched a new Code of Conduct that aims to improve conflict sensitive reporting and journalist safety in South Asia. It was developed by the journalists who participated and who will use the code as they work. And our report covering the impact of Covid on media in nine countries in South Asia will be launched on 20th January 2022.
We also launched PSM Unpacked the first of a planned series of virtual roundtables for members to discuss the issues that concern them most.
Alongside all of this, we continue to provide support to the Global Task Force for public media and work with individual members on a daily basis to provide them with information, support, advocacy and resources. Furthermore, we continue to play a role in the Media Freedom Coalition as a member of the Consultative Network, which has been particularly active assisting with journalists left stranded in Afghanistan. And we have also supported the Media Freedom Rapid Response, working alongside them on a mission to Slovenia.
Much of the world now sees ‘media’ as synonymous with ‘entertainment’. It is our role to remind them of the work our members do that goes way beyond entertaining. The role of public media during the pandemic has been essential in providing trusted and verified news, home education and factual information that keeps people safe in a time when mis and disinformation fill the media space. Alongside which you have also kept people entertained for hours on end!
Thank you for the work that you do and for your continued support for PMA.
2020 was an exceptionally difficult year for many public media organisations around the world as they faced attacks on media freedom, a growth in political interference and funding crises. And all this as they worked to remain ‘on air’ and keep citizens informed during a terrible global pandemic.
Throughout the year, the Public Media Alliance reported on many of these challenges and advocated for the core values of public media, especially when under threat. These reports can all be found via our News portal.
The number of projects the PMA undertook on location was inevitably limited by the pandemic in 2020. But our team continued to work with and support our members in parliamentary enquiries, the development of editorial policies and training, with an expert consultant conducting remote election coverage training for SBC in the Seychelles, prior to the General Election there.
Much of our work was focused around the pandemic where we enabled members to share experiences and protocols, including the best ways for reporters to work remotely from home built studios.
We continued with our role as a member of the Media Freedom Coalition Advisory Network throughout 2020 (MFC-AN). It was one of the worst years on record in terms of media freedom infringements and attacks on journalists worldwide. We referred to the ‘Cloak of COVID’ which enabled some governments to bring in draconian laws to quash media freedom under the guise of stopping the spread of dis- and misinformation. In December, we hosted the session on public media for the World Press Freedom Conference, hosted virtually by the Government of the Netherlands and UNESCO. With panellists from Australia, Croatia, Ghana, Sweden and the UK, the event attracted a substantial global audience via live stream and YouTube.
The annual PBI conference, originally due to be hosted in Brussels by Belgian public broadcasters VRT and RTBF, was postponed until 2021. Instead, PBI hosted a virtual meeting of CEO’s of public broadcasters. PMA moderated one of the three break-out sessions and was well represented in the debate.
The PMA team continued to support the work of the new Global Task Force for public media, headed by CBC/Radio-Canada. Eight public media CEO’s work closely together to respond to challenges and threats to public media. You can find out more about the work of the GTF via their website, hosted by PMA. The industry led initiative works specifically with public media leaders and organisations to develop a consensus and single, strong voice around the issues and challenges facing public media.
Sign up: to our Global Call Out and PSM Weekly
In 2021, we aim to run a major training event in Sri Lanka in partnership with UNESCO and also hope to participate in an event and training in Namibia to mark the 30th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, a milestone in press freedom.
Lastly, our 2020 Global Grants were postponed as travel was not safe during the pandemic but these will be reinstated as soon as it is safe to do so. These grants will enable journalists and media practitioners from PMA members to travel to another public broadcaster to take part in training, exchange best practices and undertake media projects. In 2018, grantees travelled from Bangladesh to Australia, Jamaica to Canada and Sri Lanka to Nepal, among others.
Find out more about PMA’s 2020 via our end of year PSM Weekly
Despite some highs, 2019 struck a new low for many public media organisations around the world as they faced attacks on media freedom, a growth in political interference, media capture and even police raids.
Throughout the year the Public Media Alliance reported on many of these challenges and advocated for the core values of public media, especially when under threat. These reports can all be found via our News portal.
The PMA team also undertook a number of projects, including the development of regional guidelines for journalists, running a series of practitioner workshops, and supporting our members in parliamentary enquiries and the development of editorial policies. We also took part in the first Global Conference for Media Freedom and look forward to expanding our role as part of the Media Freedom Coalition Advisory Network throughout 2020 (MFC-AN).
Read more: Under Pressure: Why public media matters
In Kuala Lumpur, PMA hosted a workshop for journalists, media practitioners and regulators from the Asia-Pacific Region to develop regionally relevant guidelines on reporting hate speech, terrorism and violence. Later in the year, in Windhoek, we developed a set of social media guidelines with 24 journalists from across Southern Africa for broadcasters in the region. UNESCO supports much of our work on these themes.
Our former Finance Manager, Mervyn Warner, published an in-depth report on funding models for public media organisations, in which he reflected on the rapidly changing circumstances that many of our members face. PMA is now also part of InnoPSM, a global network of academics specialising in public media. All of our publications can be found via the Resources section of our website.
PMA staff also took part in a number of debates and seminars at high-profile conferences, including the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) General Assembly, Public Broadcasters International (PBI) and Radiodays Asia, where we hosted a debate on trust in the media and a workshop focusing on disinformation.
At PBI in September, we were proud to launch our Global Call Out; a network of individuals and organisations showing their support for the values of public media. We also announced the Global Task Force, headed by CBC/Radio-Canada. This new industry-led initiative will work specifically with public media leaders and organisations to develop a consensus and single, strong voice around the issues and challenges facing public media. More details will be revealed in early 2020.
Read more: Global Call Out and Global Task Force
Lastly, our 2019 Global Grants enabled seven journalists and media practitioners from PMA members to travel to another public broadcaster to take part in training, exchange best practices and undertake media projects. Last year, grantees travelled from Bangladesh to Australia, Jamaica to Canada and Sri Lanka to Nepal, among others.
Discover more about our 2019 projects via our end of year round-up.
Examples of our work
- Global Grants: each year the PMA supports employees of our member organisations who wish to spend time working with another member organisation in order to develop skills and gain new experiences and knowledge in public media policy and practice.
- UNESCO & PMA Workshops: in collaboration with UNESCO, the PMA organises workshops, webinars and projects to enhance journalists' skills and knowledge. Topics include physical and online safety, conflict journalism and many more.
- Online self-directed courses: our online courses offer employees of PMA member organisations the opportunity to study and develop their career skills with flexibility and in their own time. Please contact info@publicmediaalliance.org for more information.
- WorldView: founded in 2001, this project has helped to deepen global understanding of international issues via broadcast and digital media. By providing development funding, support and mentoring to filmmakers, it kickstarted more than 400 feature documentaries that focus on telling global stories and providing essential human context to the news. In 2011 the PMA launched YourWorldView, an award-winning online platform that showcases short films from around the world, while providing funding and opportunities for emerging global filmmakers. Both project are currently closed but we continue to support public media content whenever possible.
- Pan-Pacific media project: this media project is an initiative with the dual outcomes of developing fresh content from under-represented voices, and building the skills of broadcasters and media practitioners in the Pacific. The PMA collaborated with the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme, ABC and Macquarie University, and PMA member Tonga Broadcasting Commission.