Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world
As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues, the need for community solidarity and mutual support has never been greater. But this support requires quality, fact-checked and evidence based news and information.
With this in mind, the Public Media Alliance has compiled an extensive and growing list of resources featuring recommended tools, advice and sources for journalists and the public alike. The resources can be found via the link below or in the Tools section of our website.
If you have any recommendations, please let us know.
We also want to hear about your local public media coverage! Email us!
As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, public media are rapidly adapting to best cover the crisis on a local level while also providing for educational needs and vulnerable groups as isolation policies are introduced.
We want to hear from our members about what you are doing to best cover the crisis on a local level. Email us using the link below.
Coronavirus: Resources & best practices
Essential resources for sourcing and reporting news about the coronavirus pandemic
What we're watching...
Climate crisis: Covering Pakistan’s flooding crisis
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: Hamid Mir is a Pakistani journalist, outspoken supporter of press freedom, news anchor, security analyst, columnist and reporter. With a long-standing career uncovering corruption and intrepid reporting from conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon and Kashmir, including the only interview with Osama bin Laden after 9/11, he has survived assassination, gunfire, and job termination as a result of his journalism.
What we're listening to...
‘Silence is consent’: Why journalist Maria Ressa risks her life for truth in journalism
CBC Radio: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa describes social media in unequivocal terms. “It’s death by a thousand cuts of your world view, of your emotional sensibility, of democracy.” Ressa is a Filipino journalist. She was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace prize along with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”
Sign up to our Global Call Out
Promote, support and advocate for public service media
Global Headlines
Click on the tab menu below to reveal the latest regional stories.
ANGOLA: A Human Rights Agenda for Angola
Human Rights Watch: Angolan president João Lourenço was re-elected for a second term following highly contested general elections held on August 24, 2022. Human Rights Watch urges the Angolan president and government to place human rights at the center of their policy considerations and to ground all their policies both domestically and abroad on respect for human rights and the rule of law.
EGYPT: Egypt’s exiled journalists watch COP27 from afar
The New Arab: With all eyes on Egypt for the UN climate conference, journalists who were forced into exile share their stories and put a spotlight on the Sisi regime’s violent repression of civil society.
GHANA: GBC gets special recognition at 26th GJA Awards
GBC: The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, GBC was among six media organisations to be recognised for outstanding delivery at the 26th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) awards ceremony.
KENYA & PAKISTAN: Kenya police authority assure complete probe into Arshad Sharif’s murder to find facts
Geo News: The chairperson of Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has said that Arshad Sharif’s murder at the hands of Kenya’s police is being fully investigated to establish the facts surrounding the shooting.
LIBYA: Repeal anti-cybercrime law now (Statement)
ARTICLE 19: We call for the law not to be applied, as it directly undermines human rights and fundamental rights, namely freedom of expression and opinion, and the rights to peaceful assembly, privacy, and personal data protection. The law also regularises the Executive’s comprehensive, warrantless surveillance over the digital spaces and allows them to censor websites and content.
MALAWI: Closure of TV and radio stations in Malawi threatens recent gains in press freedom
IJNet: The decision to close media houses is already having adverse effects on Malawian journalists, with the potential for further disruption of the country’s young media ecosystem in the months to come.
MALI: Mali Rights Commission Condemns Restrictions on Free Press
VOA News: Mali’s National Human Rights Commission has condemned restrictions on press freedom, after authorities suspended one the country’s main TV channels. Action was taken against Joliba TV after it aired an editorial criticizing rising intolerance and attacks on freedom of expression.
SOMALIA: Somali Journalists Say New Directive Could Put Them at Greater Risk
VOA News: Somalia’s government wants the media to stop using the term ‘al-Shabab,’ but journalists say doing so exposes them to greater risk.
SOUTH AFRICA: Trying to catch streamers, SABC says sorry as it simplifies pitching and readies to launch its own
News24: The SABC has been losing the race against video streaming services. It is apologising for being “slow-moving” and promises to update its commissioning operations radically and speed up the process of dealing with local content proposals. All this as it gets ready to announce its SABC+ video streaming service before the end of this year.
ZIMBABWE: ZBC won’t air hostile messages, minister tells opposition
The Independent Zimbabwe: INFORMATION, Publicity and Broadcasting Services deputy minister Kindness Paradza yesterday said opposition parties would only have their campaign advertisements flighted on public broadcaster, ZBC, once they tone done on hate speech.
MISA
CHINA & TURKEY: China Is Playing by Turkey’s Media Rules
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Turkey has few explicitly pro-China voices. In response, the Chinese regime has opted for soft power strategies that leverage Turkish political players and seek a synergy with local media actors.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s largest press group ‘disappointed and worried’ over Bao Choy appeal ruling
HKFP: The Hong Kong Journalists Association said that the decision to reject Bao Choy’s appeal against her conviction over accessing public data would constitute “a great obstacle to journalists conducting investigative reports.”
INDIA: A new low for media freedom in India (Opinion)
Frontline: Criminalising journalism when it takes investigative missteps, falls victim to egregiously false information served up with mal-intent, then owns up, and puts in place new verification safeguards, is the thin end of the wedge for the profession.
INDIA: Public Service Broadcasting Day being observed
All India Radio: Public Service Broadcasting Day is being observed on Saturday. The day is celebrated every year to commemorate the only visit of Mahatma Gandhi to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947.
JAPAN: NHK spending on consulting surged in FY 2021 after current president took office
The Mainichi: The amount of contract fees for consulting services that public broadcaster NHK spent in fiscal 2021 totaled some 3.5 billion yen (roughly $25 million), or 2.6 times the amount spent in the previous fiscal year, the Mainichi Shimbun has learned.
NEPAL: Dissecting media’s role in elections
The Annapurna Express: Inclusive and independent media are the basics of democratic elections.
PAKISTAN: Pakistan Press Foundation condemns Imran Khan’s defamatory and dangerous attempt to implicate journalists to assassination attempt on him (8 November)
Pakistan Press Foundation: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) strongly condemned former prime minister Imran Khan has implicated three journalists — Hamid Mir, Waqar Satti and Murtaza Solangi — to being linked to the attempted assassination attempt on him in Wazirabad in the Punjab province.
SOUTH KOREA: KBS Shares Commitment to Trusted News with New U.S. Ambassador to Korea (Press release – 3 November – Korean)
KBS: KBS President and CEO Kim Eui-chul reaffirmed its firm committment to careful coverage on Korea-U.S. relations during a meeting with Mr. Philip S. Goldberg, U.S. Ambassador to Republic of Korea, on 1 November, 2022 at KBS Headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. U.S. Ambassador Goldberg commenced his diplomatic mission in Korea in July, 2022.
SOUTH KOREA: Korean politics still struggling to find balanced tension with press
The Korea Times: President Yoon Suk-yeol is struggling with setting a balance in his tense relationship with the press.
SOUTH KOREA: S. Korean Leader Criticized for Banning Broadcaster From Plane
VOA News: Journalist organizations say South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attacked press freedoms when his office banned a TV broadcaster’s crew from the media pool on his presidential plane this week for alleged bias in reporting.
TAIWAN: President speaks on media freedom at the 2022 Taiwan Forum in London
RTI: President Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan aims to push for media freedom in the international community. Tsai’s pre-recorded speech was shown at the opening of the 2022 Taiwan Forum and AIB awards in London.
THAILAND: Thai PBS experiments with 4K television broadcasting techniques (Press release – Thai)
Thai PBS: The Public Broadcasting Authority of Thailand or S.O.T. started a trial broadcasting of 4K high definition terrestrial television (Ultra UHD).
REGIONAL: Analysis: What Are The Red Lines For The Media In Central Asia?
RFE/RL: The censorship episode highlighted the shifting “red lines” for independent media in Central Asia, where the environments range from Turkmenistan, where no free reporting is tolerated, to Kyrgyzstan, where the normally vibrant independent media experiences periodic crackdowns.
AUSTRALIA: Australia’s SBS adds more Indian language news bulletins
RadioInfo Asia: Australian public broadcaster SBS has expanded its international news offering, adding news bulletins in the major South Asian languages Malayalam and Gujarati.
AUSTRALIA: Google and Meta win support from publishers before landmark review
Australian Financial Review: Australia’s top media publishers believe the government’s media bargaining code has had its desired effect of ensuring Google and Facebook’s parent company Meta pay to use their news content, ahead of a keenly awaited review into the scheme and as Meta makes threats to stop similar rules becoming law in Canada.
AUSTRALIA: Labor moves to protect ABC funding after $526m cut under Coalition
The Guardian: Exclusive: Michelle Rowland says her department will review ways to secure the broadcaster’s financial future.
AUSTRALIA: Mick Gatto’s defamation fight against ABC ends as high court refuses to hear case
The Guardian: Gatto had vowed to fight ‘tooth and nail all the way’ after losing defamation battle over report he says falsely implied he was a hitman and murderer.
AUSTRALIA: SBS brand partnerships team becomes SBS CulturalConnect (Press release)
SBS: A newly expanded service offering within SBS Media connecting brands to culture, community and Country.
AUSTRALIA & CANADA: National public broadcasters ABC and CBC/Radio-Canada announce Kindred Animation co-productions and renew partnership agreement (Press release)
ABC: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and CBC/Radio-Canada today announced that two projects from the Kindred ABC/CBC Animation Collaboration have been given co-production development deals with ABC Kids and CBC Kids.
NEW ZEALAND: New RNZ cookbook taps into rich history of on-air recipes
RNZ: Some of the country’s top chefs and food writers have contributed to RNZ’s culinary heritage, which is now the inspiration for a new cookbook.
NEW ZEALAND: The end of a golden era at TVNZ – and the mystery of what comes next
The Spinoff: The state’s biggest media company just presented its last new season before the merger with RNZ. Duncan Greive analyses the presentation, with help from Sam Brooks.
NEW ZEALAND: Who are New Zealand’s journalists today? (6 November)
RNZ: Journalists have long suffered the scorn of the public, rating as poorly as the politicians they report on – and used car sellers – when it comes to trustworthiness. But what are New Zealand journalists actually like? Mediawatch looks at the findings from the biggest-ever survey of our media people.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: SIBC’s Editorial Independence Paramount: Dr William Parairato
Solomon Times: Whatever the legal instrument the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) is operating under, it is imperative that the corporation maintains its editorial independence.
AUSTRIA: ORF boss Weissmann promises editorial staff “without any external influence” (German)
Der Standard: ORF-General does not comment on the demand to re-advertise the entire editor-in-chief after Schrom’s resignation.
CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech War On Disinformation Is Still Mostly Talk
Balkan Insight: The recent huge cost-of-living protests – organised by extremist, pro-Russian elements – was a wake-up call for a government that seems to have forgotten its earlier pledge to build a blueprint to fight back against disinformation.
FINLAND: Yle has been serving news in plain Finnish for 30 years – Yle Selkouutiset plays a more significant role today than ever (Press release – Finnish)
Yle: Yle Selkouutiset turns 30 today. Selkounews is aimed at people who, for one reason or another, have difficulty reading or understanding common language.
FRANCE: The future of Salto, the French Netflix, soon sealed (French – Paywall)
Le Monde: TF1, M6 and France Télévisions are due to meet in the coming days to decide what to do with their paid video-on-demand platform.
GERMANY: ARD/ZDF online study 2022: Media content increases internet use (Press release – German)
ZDF: Four out of five people in Germany use the Internet every day, and media content is used more frequently and for longer than before. Streaming services continue to grow, as does the use of the ARD and ZDF media libraries.
HUNGARY: Hungarian judges face media ‘smears’ after meeting US ambassador
The Guardian: Colleagues come to defence of pair subjected to ‘coordinated attack’ over meeting last month.
HUNGARY: Hungary protesters accuse public broadcaster of bias (Hungarian)
AP Archive: Around 1,500 demonstrators gathered at the headquarters of Hungary’s public media company Friday to protest what they say is biased news coverage and state-sponsored propaganda that favours the country’s populist government.
ICELAND: Respondent analysis RÚV (Press release – Icelandic)
RÚV: Registration of the gender ratio of interviewees is published publicly every three months in accordance with RÚV’s policy on equality.
IRELAND: Latest Jnlr Radio Listenership Figures Released (Press release)
RTÉ: RTÉ Radio 1 remains the only station with a weekly reach of over +1 million (at 1,365,000) and holds 17 of the top 20 radio programmes broadcasting in Ireland according to the latest radio listenership figures from JNLR.
ITALY: Press freedom fears as Italy PM Meloni takes Saviano to trial
France 24: Italian anti-mafia journalist Roberto Saviano stands trial next week on defamation charges brought by Giorgia Meloni, now Italy’s prime minister, for a 2020 outburst criticising her stance on migrants.
KOSOVO & ALBANIA: Kosovo and Albania: Assessing media freedom and protection for journalists
IPI: Between 15 and 18 November 2022, partners of the Council of Europe’s Platform on Safety of Journalists will visit Kosovo and Albania to assess the current state of media freedom and protection for journalists in the two countries.
MALTA: No substantial reform five years after Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination
IPI: Systematic change remains elusive despite recent prosecution of hitmen brothers.
SPAIN & UKRAINE: Twelve refugee boys and girls from the war in Ukraine, ‘journalists for a day’ at the RTVE Institute (Press release – Spanish)
RTVE: Today a group of 12 Ukrainians between the ages of 9 and 18 have become very young radio and television journalists on the hunt for news. With the help of RTVE volunteers, they have made a first approach to a profession they are interested in and that they know is essential to transmit what is happening in their country at the moment.
SWEDEN: Don’t let Erdogan control Swedish media reporting (Swedish)
Sveriges Radio: Who dares to be a whistleblower after next week? Then the Riksdag must decide on a constitutional amendment that threatens both democracy and freedom of expression.
SWEDEN: SVT’s board and management: Take threats against journalists and media managers seriously (Press release – Swedish)
SVT: Due to the trial against Thedor Engström, SVT’s board and management write that Hanna Stjärne should have been the plaintiff.
SWEDEN: SVT conducts a viewer survey on accessibility services (Press release – Swedish)
SVT: Together with Begripsam, SVT conducts a survey to find out what the audience thinks about subtitling, visual interpretation, sign language and other functions for increased accessibility.
UK: 100 years of the BBC: 4 incredible stories from the early years of radio (Spanish)
BBC News
UK: BBC offers fascinating glimpse into earliest days of radio to mark 100 years since first ever broadcast (Press release)
BBC: Programme listings from the very first day of broadcasting, 100 years ago today, and the year that followed are now available to view.
UK: BBC executives questioned on BBC local radio cuts
Parliament UK: The corporation announced plans at the end of last month for greater programme sharing among local stations, with a shift in investment away from broadcasting to digital content. Overall the changes will result in the loss of around 48 jobs.
UK: Channel 4 and Prime Video lead deep dive into provision for Disabled Talent in TV (Press release)
Channel 4: Channel 4 and Prime Video have joined forces to launch the most extensive examination of access and inclusion provision for disabled talent ever undertaken in the British TV industry.
UK: Journalist arrests could be ‘commonplace’ under Public Order Bill, campaigners warn
Press Gazette: Law reform organisation Justice has said the arrest of journalists “might become commonplace” should the forthcoming Public Order Bill pass into law.
Deadline: The BBC has appointed an independent safeguarding expert to assist its investigation into what was known about DJ Tim Westwood’s conduct while he worked at the broadcaster, with a call for evidence period now extended to allow more people to come forwards.
REGIONAL: European Media Freedom Act needs a Balkan focus (Opinion)
Euractiv: The candidate countries for EU membership must be fully in line with the European Media Freedom Act, which in the meantime needs improving, writes Antoaneta Nikolova.
REGIONAL: News media seek to reconnect with audiences amid falling trust
Euractiv: The question of how newsrooms can reestablish trust in journalism was at the forefront of the European Commission’s News Media Forum discussions on Thursday (10 November).
REGIONAL: Phone spying scandal exposes ‘impotent’ Europe, says lead MEP
EU Observer: Democracy in Europe is being undermined by alleged government-led spyware on citizens, journalists and politicians, says a leading MEP.
REGIONAL: Week long campaign to highlight need to retain UHF Spectrum
Broadband TV News: More than 80 companies and organisations have called on decision-makers to protect the existing UHF Spectrum for broadcasters.
GENERAL: Climate protests: A worrying number of journalists arrested
EFJ: The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) brought its full support to the Spanish and British journalists arrested and detained for covering climate actions this month and joined the Federación de Sindicatos de Periodistas (FeSP) and National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in condemning the arrests.
BOLIVIA: MAS groups attack journalists, destroy equipment and burn tires at Cainco headquarters (Spanish)
Página Siete: The attackers tried to justify the attack on a communicator by saying that the media outlet “is sold.”
ECUADOR: The new Communication Law inaugurates self-regulation and surveillance of the public media (Spanish)
La Hora: The media will no longer have to answer to any content control entity. Learn about other changes that favor the freedom of expression of citizens and journalists.
HAITI: Another journalist killed in Haiti as violence continues
Al Jazeera: An eighth journalist has been killed in Haiti so far this year, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) reported, as the Caribbean nation grapples with surging gang violence and targeted attacks against members of the media.
JAMAICA: RJRGLEANER workers urged to uphold service standards
Jamaica Gleaner: Group Deputy Chairman Dr Lawrence Nicholson challenged members of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group on Tuesday to continue to offer high-quality service to its clients and the wider public.
MEXICO: Silenced: The Killing of Journalists in Mexico (Watch)
Al Jazeera: Fault Lines reports on the risks journalists in Mexico face trying to bring the truth to light.
NICARAGUA: Nicaraguan Journalists “Remaining Silent” about Aggressions
Havana Times: “Censorship and the silence of the victims in the face of attacks on press freedom continue to win the battle,” laments the regional network Voces del Sur.
VENEZUELA: Is Radio Dying in Venezuela? (Watch)
VOA News: Critics say the wave of station closures is a government attempt to control the news before presidential elections in 2024.
REGIONAL: Portraits of Slain Journalists Highlight Deadly Year in Americas
VOA News: Officials at exhibition of fallen journalists call for action to protect those targeted for ‘defending the truth’.
BAHRAIN: Upcoming elections held amidst political repression, rights violations
Amnesty International: Bahrain’s parliamentary elections, due to take place on 12 November, are being held in an environment of political repression following a decade in which the authorities have infringed upon human rights, curtailed civil society, banned political opposition parties and shuttered independent media, Amnesty International said today.
IRAN: An unprecedented number of women journalists are now detained in Iran
RSF: As the Iranian regime continues its crackdown on the protests initiated by Mahsa Amini’s death, almost half of all newly arrested journalists are women, including two who are facing the death penalty.
IRAN: Journalists Charged With Propaganda Over Iran Protest Coverage
VOA News: Iran on Tuesday charged two female journalists with “propaganda against the state” over their coverage of mass protests.
IRAN & UK: Iran diplomat summoned by UK over journalist threat claims
BBC: Iran’s most senior diplomat in Britain has been summoned by the Foreign Office after alleged threats were made against journalists living in the UK.
ISRAEL & US: IPI welcomes U.S. investigation into killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
IPI: Israel confirmed on Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice has launched an FBI investigation into the death of the Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was a U.S. citizen, according to multiple media reports.
QATAR: How far is World Cup host Qatar ready to go to control media coverage?
RSF: According to The Sunday Times and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), Qatar is suspected of having recruited hackers to break into the private email accounts of three journalists who had written stories criticising the Gulf emirate.
TURKEY: Social Media Ban after Istanbul Attack ‘Bad Signal for Net Freedom’
Balkan Insight: As Turkey mourns the victims of the Istanbul bomb attack, a media freedom expert warned that government restrictions on social media and broadcasters imposed after the blast were not in the public interest.
CANADA: Diversity at Radio-Canada: Information workers break the consensus (French)
La Presse: Of varied origins, they deplore that the tensions between the French and English services of the public broadcaster, in particular on the controversy around the word beginning with an N, overshadow the “systemic discrimination” that they say they suffer or have suffered.
News Media Canada: A new Nanos poll, conducted on behalf of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, shows that the majority of Canadians support the federal government’s efforts to encourage tech giants, such as Facebook and Google to negotiate with Canadian news organizations for fair compensation for editorial content.
CANADA: News Media Canada proposes amendments to Bill C-18
News Media Canada: News Media Canada has submitted amendments to Bill C-18, the Online News Act.
CANADA: Online Harm is #NotOk; Here’s What We’re Doing About It
CBC/Radio-Canada via LinkedIn: Online harm has become one of the most significant safety issues facing journalists and media professionals today. In a crucial effort to protect its people, CBC/Radio-Canada is standing up with industry leaders and allies to say that it’s #NotOk.
US: Educating the public (Newsletter)
NPR Public Editor: One goal of journalism is educating the public. Whenever people leave a story or news report thinking “I didn’t know that,” the journalist has done a good job.
US: GBH partners on podcast, radio show that provides reliable health information to Spanish-speaking audiences (Paywall)
Current: Host Tibisay Zea created “Salud” to counter growing health misinformation circulating within Latino communities.
US: How the media — including NPR — overlooked the significance of a landmark study on reading education (Paywall)
Current: More than 20 years ago, many reporters missed the importance of a blue-ribbon report that showed how to teach kids more effectively. Today’s journalists could still learn from those mistakes.
RSF: RSF warns that Trump’s new threats against American press should be taken seriously and that a federal press shield law is needed to protect the sanctity of journalistic sources.
Addressable TV Initiative open to all broadcasters
Broadband TV News: The Addressable TV Initiative, the joint venture between RTL Deutschland and Seven.One Entertainment Group, is inviting other European broadcasters to participate in the scheme.
Climate Content Pledge drives increase in sustainable screen content
Albert: As we reach a year since the announcement of the Climate Content Pledge unveiling at COP26 by albert and the UK’s top broadcasters and streamers, see the progress which has been made so far.
Focus on value instead of reach – ideas for metrics to use in your newsroom
The Fix: To make sense of the numbers, publishers should focus on meaningful metrics, measuring the impact on the audience or its actions.
How sportswashing undermines media freedom
ECPMF
Report: Video industry must lead on climate action
Advanced Television: As the carbon footprint of the video entertainment industry has ballooned to exceed even that of the airline industry, a question has been what will it take to make sustainability a key element of video content creation?
“We deserve more on freedom of expression” (Blog)
Index on Censorship: Freedom of expression has dominated the news agenda this week but not in a good way, says Ruth Smeeth.
What climate justice means to journalists on the emergency’s front lines (4 November)
CJR: Five reporters from the Global South talk disasters, hope, and this month’s COP27
PSM Weekly is available via email. You can subscribe by signing up to our mailing list at the bottom of the page or email editor@publicmediaalliance.org.
All PSM Weekly 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.
If you have any suggestions for our weekly round-ups, please email PMA at editor@publicmediaalliance.org.
Header image: Telecommunications towers at sunset. Credit: Mario Caruso / Unsplash.com
Sign up to PSM Weekly
Receive our weekly round-up of public service media headlines and PMA news straight to your inbox.
Related Posts
