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.
ANGOLA: Angola: Constitutional Challenge to Angola’s New Media Laws
AllAfrica: The main Angolan opposition party, UNITA, is launching a legal challenge to the MPLA government’s latest attempt to gag criticism of the regime.
EGYPT: Egypt: the deep state’s war on journalism
Open Democracy: The state is aware that free press means more accountability and their fear of being monitored, exposed, or held accountable indicates how fragile and insecure they are.
GHANA: GJA launches revised Code of Ethics
Ghana News Agency: The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has launched its revised Code of Ethics aimed at promoting professionalism in journalism practice in the country.
KENYA: Kenya’s KTN inks deal with BBC
Standard Digital: Standard Group’s Kenya Television Network (KTN) has entered into an agreement with the UK’s BBC Worldwide. Under the deal, KTN will licence content from the commercial arm of the British broadcaster.
MOROCCO: Moroccan public broadcaster chooses EVS for news production
Broadcast Pro: Moroccan broadcaster SNRT (Société Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision) has contracted EVS to deliver a new, fully-centralised HD news production infrastructure.
NIGERIA: NBC revokes 54 television, radio licences
The Guardian (Nigeria): The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has revoked 54 television and radio licenses while another 120 licenses are being processed for revocation due to offences bordering on inability to pay for their licenses within the mandatory 60 days period and failure to go on air two years after the licenses were issued.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC And MultiChoice Access-To-Public-Archives Deal Under Investigation
Broadcast & Media Africa: A South African parliamentary inquiry is recommending investigations into the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and MultiChoice agreement that would see the SABC supplying MultiChoice’s DStv with a 24hour news channel, an entertainment channel and access to its public archives.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC Faces collapse
News24: The SABC is in chaos, with the finances of the state broadcaster in such disarray that a halt has been called to producing new TV shows and staff members fear they won’t be paid.
SOUTH AFRICA: DA calls for full briefing on SABC finances
News24: The Democratic Alliance wants a briefing on the real state of the SABC’s finances.
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa: Constitutional Court Decision Could Change TV Landscape
All Africa
TANZANIA: Tanzania broadcaster suspends staff over fake Trump news
BBC News: Tanzanian public broadcaster TBC has suspended nine staff after it aired a hoax story saying that US President Donald Trump had praised President John Magufuli’s performance.
GENERAL: African journalists brainstorm on dwindling fortunes of traditional media
Daily Trust: Lack of confidence in media content and the growth of online journalism at the expense of the traditional media dominated discourse at the training of African journalists at the Jamia Millia Islamia, University in New Delhi, India.
GENERAL: BBC to increase content available to African audiences
The Media Online: The television terrain in South Africa is definitely seeing a shift, although not as fast as the rest of the world. But African content is making its presence felt, and there’s more in store for 2017.
INDIA: DD national channel had a weekly viewership of 172 million in ‘16
Indian Television
INDIA: India innovators debate how to handle fake news
IJnet: Journalists, tech workers and others came together to share ideas on combatting the spread of fake news during a recent discussion facilitated by New Delhi-based media news site Medianama and business news outlet LiveMint.
INDIA: Prasar Bharati’s main role is of pubcaster, not revenue generator, says Rathore
Indian Television: Stressing that revenue generation is not the main objective of PR, the parliament has today told the PSB is generating its revenue through Internal Extra Budgetary Resources (IEBR) to meet its operating expenses.
MALDIVES: News outlets feel the pressure in the Maldives
PMA: In November 2016 we reported on controversial defamation penalties introduced in the Maldives. Now, the realities of these measures are starting to come to light.
MYANMAR: The ups and downs of reporting in Chin State
Frontier Myanmar: Most journalists in Chin State are young and inexperienced but driven by a passion to bring the news to readers in one of the country’s most isolated and undeveloped areas.
MONGOLIA: Mongolia: Draft Broadcasting Law Analysed
Centre for Law and Democracy
PAKISTAN: Women journalists briefed on digital safety
DAWN: ISLAMABAD: A four-hour training session on digital safety for women journalists was held here on Monday.
PAKISTAN: How Pakistan’s Military Manages the Media
The Wire: Extracts from Ayesha Siddiqa’s Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy.
RUSSIA: Opinion: For Russian TV, Syria isn’t just a foreign country — it’s a parallel universe
The Washington Post
THAILAND: BBC ends shortwave transmission in Thailand
PMA: The British public broadcaster has not renewed its operating permit after 20 years of operations in Thailand, having failed to reach agreement with the Thai government.
FIJI: PFF calls for Fiji re-think on sedition
RNZ: The Pacific media watchdog, the Pacific Freedom Forum, is encouraging the Fiji prosecution office to pull back from charging staff at the Fiji Times with sedition.
FIJI: Fiji Media Association calls on public to respect journalists
RNZ: The Fiji Media Association is calling on members of the public to respect the work of journalists in the country.
PHILIPPINES: Australia commits to assist state media emergency broadcast training
Manila Bulletin: Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has confirmed its commitment to assist the government media in Emergency Broadcast Training.
TONGA: Independent review for public broadcaster
Pacific Freedom Forum: Government in the Kingdom of Tonga should seek independent review before privatising or shutting down the national broadcaster.
TONGA: Tongan noble says PM plans are unconstitutional
RNZ: A Noble Representative in Tonga says closing down the state broadcaster would be unconstitutional.
GENERAL: PMC journalists gear up for new ‘Bearing Witness’ climate challenge
Asia Pacific Report
GENERAL: Accuracy the key in climate change reporting, student journos told
Asia Pacific Report: Student journalists of the University of the South Pacific have been reminded about the threat of climate change and the need to report the issue accurately and consistently.
GERMANY: Countering fake news while safeguarding free speech
DW Akademie: As fighting fake news becomes a global priority, questions remain about what exactly fake news is, what can be done to stop it and how to do so without curbing free speech.
GERMANY: What to know about Germany’s fake-news crackdown
Digiday: Last week, Germany formally proposed a law to fine social networks up to €50 million ($54 million) if they fail to remove harmful fake news or defamatory content — what it’s calling “criminal content” — from their platforms within 24 hours.
ITALY: Italy state TV pulls talk show over charges of sexism
DW: Italian state broadcaster RAI has pulled the plug on a weekly talk show after it used stereotypes against Eastern European women. Comments on the show drew anger from RAI representatives, senior politicians and viewers.
SOUTH EAST EUROPE: Jeopardising the effectiveness of journalism in South East Europe: The role of extra-legal policy mechanisms
LSE Media Policy Project: A range of extra-legal policy mechanisms (policy-relevant actions outside of the scope of law) are used by those in power to prevent journalists from fulfilling their watchdog role in society.
SOUTH EAST EUROPE: Public service media in South East Europe: Can the giants be taken from the grip of political interests?
Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso: They used to be called “State-television”, nowadays they are “public service media”. But political control is hard to remove, and prevents public broadcasters from serving the public interest.
SPAIN: Opinion: Reinventing organizations (Spanish)
Teledetodos: The transformation of RTVE into a full public service with the Laloux method.
SPAIN: Transparency reaches RTVE: Justice confirms that the broadcaster will have to publish its accounts (Spanish)
El Economista: Radio Televisión Española (RTVE) will have to make its accounts public. It is the first time that a court has forced RTVE to publish the total of its accounts.
SWITZERLAND: The National Council is divided during a debate on public broadcasting (French)
RTS: The People’s Chamber held a vigorous debate on public broadcasting on Tuesday morning. The right argued for stricter control of the SSR, while the left and center denounced attacks on its independence.
UK: All4 launches 360° video ad support
Digital TV Europe: Channel 4’s digital service, All4, is launching support for 360° video ads from this week.
UK: BBC Worldwide names indies chief
TBI Vision: BBC Worldwide has upped Matt Garside to director of independent production, and he will now oversee its growing array of deals with indie producers.
UK: UK broadcasters back BBC’s call for top spots on programme guides
The Guardian: The House of Lords is debating legislation that would protect the prominence of public service broadcasters over streaming rivals.
UK: UK’s proposed Espionage Act will treat journalists like spies
CPJ: Journalists in Britain are becoming increasingly alarmed by the government’s apparent determination to prevent them from fulfilling their mission to hold power to account.
UK: “Watching nature programmes makes you happier”
Advanced Television: BBC Earth, the BBC’s global factual brand, has published findings of an international study titled The Real Happiness Project showing nature programming’s direct impact on the mood and wellbeing of its viewers.
GENERAL: Challenges facing the EU media sector
Euractiv: The media sector in Europe is faced with a crisis of legitimacy, according to media experts from six different countries. Other challenges include concentration movements, misinformation about Europe and what EU reporting will be like after Brexit.
GENERAL: Commission introduces new anonymous whistleblower tool
EUropean Commission: A new tool to make it easier for individuals to alert the Commission about secret cartels and other antitrust violations while maintaining their anonymity has been launched by the European Commission today.
CUBA: Cuban journalists demand greater access to sources (Spanish)
14 y Medio: Whether they are independent or official, reporters share the same complaint against institutions, which they accuse of hindering access to information and hiding data. And for this reason all journalists ask for the same thing: greater access to sources.
VENEZUELA: Opinion: Maduro’s war on journalism (Spanish)
El Nacional
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas
ISRAEL: Government scrambles to find solution for broadcasting crisis
The Times of Israel: Associates of PM, finance minister discuss merger of two state bodies, but no agreement on editorial independence.
SYRIA: In Syria, 211 journalists killed in conflict that began six years ago
RSF: A total of 211 journalists and citizen journalists have been killed in the course of Syria’s civil war, which began with a wave of protests exactly six years ago.
TURKEY: Turkish opposition TV starts broadcasts from Germany
DW: A Turkish opposition television channel has started broadcasting from Germany. The channel hopes to highlight anti-democratic practices in Turkey.
US: 4 questions nonprofit newsrooms and funders have about their evolving relationships
American Press Institute: As journalism’s traditional business models continue to shift, more news organizations are turning to nonprofit and foundation support as a way to support their journalism.
US: President Trump’s budget slashes support for funder of NPR, PBS and public radio stations
Poynter: The Trump administration’s budget blueprint, released this morning, proposes to eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, as well as many public radio and television stations across the United States.
US: Public Broadcasters Fear ‘Collapse’ if U.S. Drops Support
The New York Times: Public radio and television broadcasters are girding for battle after the Trump administration proposed a drastic cutback that they have long dreaded: the defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
US: NPR Ratings at All-Time High
NPR: 37.4 Million Station Listeners, Largest Broadcast Audience in NPR History
PBS: PBS and our nearly 350 member stations, along with our viewers, continue to remind Congress of our strong support among Republican and Democratic voters, in rural and urban areas across every region of the country.
US: Streaming viewers equal pay-TV subs
Advanced Television: For the first time ever, the percentage of free or paid streaming video subscribers in the US (68 per cent) has caught up to the number of paid TV subscribers (67 per cent).
FAKE NEWS, PROPAGANDA, AND INFLUENCE OPERATIONS
RISJ: A guide to journalism in a new, and more chaotic media environment.
Journalism.co.uk: How can industries work together to tackle misinformation in order to help readers assess trust and authority in the platform age?
Predators of press freedom use fake news as a censorship tool
RSF: Predators of press freedom have seized on the notion of “fake news” to muzzle the media on the pretext of fighting false information. Nonetheless, many of them have taken recent statements by President Donald Trump as a means of justifying their repressive policies.
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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.
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