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.
CAR: Killing of 3 Russian investigative journalists in Central African Republic must be probed
CPJ: A statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry said the attack took place on July 30 and that identification papers found with the bodies identified them as freelance reporter Orkhan Dzhemal, documentary director Aleksandr Rastorguyev, and camera person Kirill Radchenko.
DRC: Congolese police detain journalists, seize equipment at Kinshasa TV studio
CPJ: Congolese police raided the privately owned television production studio Kin Lartus, detained at least 10 of the studio’s journalists, and seized equipment, according to Kin Lartus journalists and a local, independent press freedom group. The CPJ today urged authorities to return confiscated materials and cease its campaign of intimidation against the press.
GABON: Gabonese regulator suspends TV channel for refusing inspection
RSF: One of Gabon’s most popular TV channels and based in Port-Gentil, its economic capital, Media+ has been unable to broadcast since 23 July, when the HAC, Gabon’s media regulator, issued its one-month suspension order.
GAMBIA: Is the Honey Moon Between Barrow and the Media Over?
Via All Africa: The media houses and media practitioners are making public declaration on comments made by President Barrow touching on issues of professional impropriety by an undisclosed journalist.
KENYA: #MemberInterview: Tom Mshindi on future of Kenya’s media (Interview)
IPI: Whilst the situation for media freedom in Kenya is generally considered to be reasonable compared to many of its neighbours, the country’s press nevertheless faces considerable political and legal pressure, the challenge of increasing societal polarization – as seen in last year’s presidential elections – and the worldwide question of how to respond to the growing waves of “fake news”.
KENYA: Parliament must not intimidate the media (Editorial)
The Daily Nation: The National Assembly understands pretty well the role of the media in the democratic process. All institutions of government must be kept under check to ensure they deliver on their mandates. This is why the media cover parliamentary proceedings as a matter of routine.
LIBYA: Journalist abducted in Libya found bound and shot dead
CPJ: The CPJ condemned the killing of Libyan journalist Musa Abdul Kareem in Sabha, and urged the authorities responsible for the city to immediately investigate the circumstances of his death. Abdul Kareem, a local reporter and photojournalist, was abducted on July 31, and found dead later that day, according to the Libyan Center for Freedom of the Press and news reports.
MALI: Malian radio station closed illegally during presidential election
RSF: Radio Renouveau FM was closed “until further notice” and seals were placed over its entrance a few hours after the governor announced that he had to “preserve public order and calm” because of the comments made during the station’s “Cards on the Table” programme the day before.
SOUTH AFRICA: Cash-strapped SABC in new bid to secure a R3bn state guarantee
Business Day: The SABC, which is struggling to pay some of its bills, says it is still engaging the Treasury in a bid to secure a R3bn government guarantee, which it hopes will keep it afloat.
SOUTH AFRICA: Language one of the key concerns at SABC public consultations
News24: Language usage, news coverage, and nation-building content were among the key concerns expressed during the last round of public consultations into the review of the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) 2004 Editorial Policy.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC financial woes: Broadcaster unable to pay service providers for July
The South African: While the new SABC board have been working overtime to claw the public broadcaster out of the ground, financial woes have caught up with them again. Similar to other incidents over the years, production companies have been made to wait for their cash.
ZIMBABWE: Aggressive raid on Chamisa’s press conference raises bad memories of the country’s past
The Independent: Having been present to see riot police empty out the opposition leader’s news conference, Kim Sengupta reports that the Zimbabwean government has managed to turn a winning position over the international reaction into the presidential election to a losing one.
GENERAL: Internet censorship in Africa threatens democracy, economy
DW: Many African governments have taken to censoring a variety of apps and sites, especially around election time. But people across the continent are increasingly seeking out ways to work around the blocks.
BANGLADESH: Journalists in Bangladesh attacked and beaten covering local election
CPJ: The CPJ condemned violence against journalists covering local elections in the Bangladesh city of Sylhet, and called on authorities to identify and hold the attackers to account. At least four journalists were beaten, allegedly by police and supporters of the ruling Awami League party, according to news reports.
CHINA: RSF urges Google to reject Beijing’s censorship demands
RSF: According to an article citing internal Google sources that the US investigative news website The Intercept published yesterday, the tech giant is on the edge of launching a censored Android version of its search engine in China that blacklists certain search terms and websites in exchange for access to the Chinese market.
HONG KONG: The Hong Kong Journalists Association denounces new fall in press freedom
RSF: In its annual report published on July 29, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) denounces a new fall in press freedom in the former British colony.
INDIA: I&B ministry and MEA at odds over All India Radio external service
Hindustan Times: The external services division of All India Radio (AIR) is caught in a turf war between the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB), which runs it and the ministry of external affairs (MEA), which is expected to fund it.
INDIA: Journalists covering alleged illegal sand mining attacked in India’s Punjab state
CPJ: On July 29, Sandeep Kumar and Neeraj Bali, two reporters from the Punjabi-language televisions station News18 Punjabi, were attacked in the village of Amir Khas near the town of Jalalabad while reporting on alleged illegal sand mining in the area, according to one of the journalists and the Indian news website Firstpost.
INDIA: The art of bullying: Online trolls in India abuse, threaten journalists for doing their jobs
Gulf News: We speak to three senior journalists about the difficulties in reporting in the time of online hate
JAPAN: Internet now beats TV for Japanese 40-somethings
Rapid TV News: In Japan, more people in their 40s used the internet than watched TV last year, the first time this has happened in this age group.
JAPAN: Public broadcaster NHK to join online streaming platform run by private networks
The Mainichi: Public broadcaster NHK is considering joining an online streaming platform run by five major Tokyo-based TV networks, according to NHK and network officials.
PAKISTAN: The death of objective journalism, freedom of expression in Pakistan (Opinion)
Asia Times: The media are under strict censorship that is silencing or blacking out any opinion that challenges the prevailing orthodoxy. It is as if there is a silent agreement between the mainstream media and the invisible forces to censor everything that challenges the status quo.
PHILIPPINES: Filipino journalists beaten, arrested while covering labor strike
CPJ: Five Filipino journalists, all reporters with the local AlterMidya Network of independent media outfits, were detained while reporting on the dispersal of a worker’s strike on July 30 against NutriAsia, a food condiment producer, CNN reported.
TAIWAN: Taiwan, Thai public television services to cooperate on programming
Focus Taiwan: Taiwan’s Public Television Service (PTS) and Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) have agreed to work together on the production of television programs, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Thailand said Thursday.
AUSTRALIA: ABC hits back over criticisms of its new lifestyle platform
Mumbrella: The ABC has hit back at reports this morning its soon-to-launch lifestyle platform, ABC Life, will be designed to “replicate content that does well on commercial sites”.
AUSTRALIA: ABC Life: a new way to connect Australians
ABC: The ABC will next week launch ABC Life, a new digital site that harnesses stories from across the Corporation’s many platforms and outlets and presents them in an accessible, independent and engaging way for audiences.
AUSTRALIA: Fairfax-Nine merger threatens media pluralism in Australia
RSF: Commercial synergy has endangered journalistic independence and media pluralism in what is, to say the least, an incongruous marriage.
AUSTRALIA: The ABC in turmoil: ‘Frankly, we are all spooked about everything in here’
The Guardian: The ABC is poised to launch a new service that is likely to surprise its loyal audience and provoke its competitors and critics. It’s not a hard-hitting new investigative series or radio feature, but a dive into lifestyle journalism.
NEW ZEALAND: Court of Appeal creates new public interest defence
RNZ: In a landmark decision this week the Court of Appeal created a new public interest defence in defamation cases.
NEW ZEALAND: Publishing the positives: CoJo
RNZ: It’s a common complaint that too much of the news is too grim and some people are – quite literally – turning off. Is there a better way to report news we can use? Stuff reporter Nicola Brennan-Tupara’s been to Europe to find out if ‘CoJo’ is the way forward.
NEW ZEALAND: RNZ CEO Heads International Public Media Alliance
RNZ: RNZ CEO, Paul Thompson, has been re-elected as president of the Public Media Alliance (PMA), the largest global association of public service broadcasters representing 2.5 billion people in 54 countries.
NEW ZEALAND: Should free-to-air TV have similar classifications as movies?
TVNZ: The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) is today launching a consultation to find out if television needs a shake-up and whether people still use timebands and parental locks to block some content.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: PNG pledges boost for local radio before referendum
Pacific Media Centre: Papua New Guinea is pledging to help Bougainville strengthen its local radio services ahead of next year’s historic referendum on independence.
VANUATU: Vanuatu PM says bring back ABC Shortwave or lives could be lost
Asia Radio Today: The PM says the removal of the service could cost lives in the likelihood of another natural disaster, such as Tropical Cyclone Pam in 2015.
GENERAL: IFJ Asia Pacific Bulletin: AUGUST
IFJ
BELGIUM: Belgium Has a New Fee for Journalists. The Media Is Not Amused
The New York Times: Journalists who cover the regular gatherings of the leaders of European Union countries got a rude surprise this week from the Belgian government: Most of them will have to pay for the right to do their jobs.
HUNGARY: One of Hungary’s last critical media outlets taken over by Orbán allies
RSF: Lajos Simicska, a former Orbán friend and now outspoken opponent, finally relinquished control of Hir TV on 1 August to Zsolt Nyerges, a businessman and Orbán ally who had acquired the media group that includes Hir TV on 5 July. It also includes a news website, a political weekly, a daily newspaper and radio station.
FRANCE: The public broadcasting reform by the end of 2018? (French)
La Croix: Announced, worked, debated for many weeks, the reform of public broadcasting should be definitively specified by the end of the year, according to the Ministry of Culture.
GERMANY: The Network Enforcement Act apparently leads to excessive blocking of content
RSF: The state-imposed pressure to delete data resulting from the Network Enforcement Act has therefore clearly led to these community standards being used to “purge” platforms of questionable content – and in cases of doubt also of content that would normally be protected by the law.
ITALY: ‘Fake news’ journalist rejected as Italian state broadcaster’s president
The Guardian: Governing League and M5S parties’ bid to appoint Marcello Foa blocked in parliament
POLAND: Divided Media Users, Divided Society?
EJO: Poland’s media and the media diet of Polish citizens are becoming more and more polarised. New research has found that Polish media users increasingly consume news only from outlets which align with their political views, rather than looking across the political aisle for information.
SLOVAKIA: Press Freedom Is Still Under Attack in Slovakia
Foreign Policy: A journalist’s murder shocked the country in February, but it hasn’t led to a more independent media.
SPAIN: A total of 101 candidates aspire to chair RTVE (Spanish)
Publico: The applicants have to submit the supporting documentation with a management project for RTVE.
SPAIN: Fran Llorente will direct the Projects and Strategies area of RTVE (Spanish)
El Pais: The journalist Fran Llorente, who directed the TVE news during the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, becomes part of the management team of Rosa María Mateo, the sole administrator of RTVE.
SPAIN: Online radio in Spain: typology and characterization in the context of cybermedia (Spanish – Research)
El profesional de la información: The objective of this research is to identify and characterize the map of online radio in Spain. The study shows that online radio in Spain is consolidated, and that it does so mainly in the local area and with general content, while the financing model is still a pending issue.
SPAIN: Seventy cases of “manipulation and censorship” in the last quarter of Gundín on TVE (Spanish)
InfoLibre: Of these, 13 examples of deontological violations have been analyzed in depth. These opinions are classified, as usual, in three sections: censorship, manipulation and other bad practices that have been exercised during April, May and June 2018.
UK: Brexit: Media industry concerns
IBC365: With the deadline to Brexit fast approaching, IBC365 asks leading media executives about the big issues they want government to resolve.
UK: Ofcom reveals behavioural changes
Broadband TV News: A study by Ofcom has revealed the transformation in our behaviour in the last 10 years, brought about by changes in technology.
REGIONAL: What is a Scandinavian media company’s first-ever director of public policy up against?
Nieman Lab: “We can’t say that Facebook is destroying democracy, but then have our newspapers collaborate with them very, very closely, and rely on them for traffic and distribution,” Karin Pettersson, Schibsted’s new director of public policy, said.
GENERAL: Council of Europe promotes sound Governance for Public Service Media to uphold Freedom of Expression
COE: The Council of Europe recognises the important role of public service media in upholding the fundamental right of freedom of expression, enabling people to seek and receive information, and promoting the values of democracy, diversity and social cohesion.
BOLIVIA: The media are safe. But people see that the culture of corruption is rooted in the country (Spanish)
Los Tiempos: In a country whose recurrent political class has been marked by corruption scandals, it is not surprising that 49 percent of people believe that this evil affects Bolivia a lot. Contrary to state, local and public officials, journalists and media have a much more favorable perception scale than all the former in relation to corruption.
NiemanLab: And unlike previous efforts, WhatsApp is giving the fact-checkers an important tool to reach the public more easily.
Knight Center: The case of Chilean journalist Javier Ignacio Rebolledo Escobar, who faces a possible prison sentence for injuria (defamation), may have negative effects on press freedom in the South American country.
COLOMBIA: Day of the Journalist: Colombia’s journalists need more protection
RSF: As Colombia prepares to mark “Day of the Journalist” tomorrow, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) deplores the increasingly dangerous environment for media personnel in this Caribbean and Andean country, where the past month has seen a disturbing surge in threats and two journalists were murdered yesterday.
COLOMBIA: The good time of Colombian public television: this time it was awarded in Uruguay (Spanish)
Semana: After winning 94 nominations and 30 statuettes at the India Catalina Awards, Colombian public television was awarded in Uruguay. Another recognition for an industry that still struggles to have a better budget.
CUBA: Cuban journalists have new security guide to fight physical, psychological and digital threats
Knight Center: Cuban journalists confronting detentions, cyberattacks, blocking of their webpages and other aggressions now have a new manual to help address their physical, mental and digital needs.
MEXICO: UN condemns Mexico over tortured reporter case and calls for action to keep journalists safe
The Guardian: Ruling was committee’s first against Mexico, which has become one of the most dangerous countries for media workers.
Knight Center: Nicaraguan press workers organized a sit-in in Managua as detentions of and attacks on journalists continue, with two detentions in the past week.
VENEZUELA: 11 journalists were arrested and forced to erase material recorded during the attack against Maduro (Spanish)
El Universal: The director of the National College of Journalists, Edgar Cárdenas, denounced that the government adopted a policy of aggression against the free press.
ISRAEL: Fresh New Israeli Public TV Free of Misconduct? Not So Fast
Haaretz: Humiliating employee lists, weakened gatekeepers and shuttered flagship departments: Israel’s new public broadcaster is resorting to the crooked old ways
ISRAEL: Minister slams public broadcaster document rating journalists’ looks, skills
The Times of Israel: Communications Minister Ayoub Kara says it is ‘inappropriate’ that the Kan review paper on IBA employees contained offensive remarks
TURKEY: Analysis: Use of courtroom video link violates Turkey journalists’ rights
IPI: Journalists across Turkey currently face significant restrictions on their right to a fair trial as guaranteed by Turkish and international human rights law. Among the restrictions are new regulations preventing journalists from attending their trials in person and forcing them instead to give evidence via a video-conference system known by the acronym SEGBİS.
GENERAL: BBC Studios aims for Middle East expansion with BeIN Media deal
Digital TV Europe: BBC Studios is set to develop its partnership with Doha-based beIN Media Group by signing a memo of understanding that establishes a strategic partnership between the two companies, “to explore opportunities for the co-development, co-production and distribution of content in Qatar, the Middle East and Turkey.”
CANADA: B.C. researchers using A.I. to change the face of anonymous interviews
CBC: Technology brings expressive parts of face to life while keeping identification hidden
CANADA: Canadians Don’t Want To Pay For Online News, In Bad Sign For Media
HuffPost: Not what you want to hear if you have a subscription-based business model.
CANADA: ‘It’s not news’: Doug Ford’s Ontario News Now attempts to muzzle media, experts say
CBC: Social media channels chronicling premier’s success pull page from Stephen Harper’s skip-the-media strategy
US: ‘Disgusting news’: Donald Trump whips up crowd anger as he vilifies media
The Guardian: President was campaigning for Senate candidate but continued his increasingly alarming verbal vendetta.
US: PBS Digital Studios turns to YouTube while waiting for Facebook revenue Pulse Premium Content (Subscription)
DigiDay UK: For the second season of the personal finance program for teens and twentysomethings, PBS plans to simultaneously release new episodes on YouTube. In addition to putting the show on YouTube, PBS Digital Studios is planning a new music education show this fall that will start out as a YouTube channel.
US: Timeline: The History of Public Broadcasting in the U.S.
Current: Public broadcasting in the U.S. has grown from local and regional roots at schools and universities into a nationally known source of news and entertainment for millions of listeners and viewers. Our timeline of public broadcasting’s history traces its growth from the earliest radio broadcasts to its days as the home of Big Bird, Frontline and Terry Gross.
US: Trump Tweets and What to do About Them
PBS Public Editor
All you need to know to reach your readers on social media — and make them care
EJCNet: A conversation with experts Ben Whitelaw and Noémie Buffault on how to create an online buzz for your reporting project
A New Collaboration Sets a Higher Bar for Working with Whistleblowers
GIJN: A new investigative journalism model has launched as an organized effort to separate the responsibility for the welfare of at-risk sources from the responsibility for the content they provide, so that reporters can focus wholly on their own areas of expertise.
How to make the most of Stories, whatever social platform you are publishing on
Journalism.co.uk: A new INMA report predicts the Stories format to be new media’s next social opportunity
Is compassion fatigue inevitable in an age of 24-hour news?
The Guardian: We have never been more aware of the appalling events that occur around the world every day. But in the face of so much horror, is there a danger that we become numb to the headlines – and does it matter if we do? By Elisa Gabbert.
Voice assistants: a threat to pluralist news and information
RSF: The surge in use of digital assistants and connected devices is revolutionizing access to media content and could threaten its diversity.
Why I left daily news and started a weekly podcast spotlighting just one story
CJR
NiemanLab: In user research, The New York Times found that “following” topics and specific journalists was a top request. So it built “Your Feed.”
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Header image: TV cameras lined up, covering large public event. Credits: Microgen/istock
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