Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.
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ALGERIA: Algeria should accept key UPR recommendations on freedom of speech, assembly and association
HRW: Algerian authorities have a track record of resorting to criminal prosecutions against bloggers, journalists and media figures for peaceful speech, using articles in the penal code criminalizing “offending the president,” “insulting state officials” or “denigrating Islam.”
CAMEROON: Cameroon Misusing Anti-Terror Laws – Report
All Africa: Parliament enacted a broad anti-terror law as part of effort to counter the extremist group Boko Haram, but media protection group says authorities are using it to arrest and threaten local journalists who report on the militants or unrest in the country’s English-speaking regions.
CAMEROON: Journalists Not Terrorists
CPJ: In Cameroon, anti-terror legislation is used to silence critics and suppress dissent.
EAST AFRICA: BBC World Service Targets Rapid East African Expansion
Broadcast Media Africa: BBC World Service has announced it is seeking to rapidly expand its East African services. To this end, the BBC World Service is launching three new services targeting audiences of these two East African countries; Ethiopia and Eritrea.
LESOTHO: Lesotho slammed for shutting down ‘anti-govt’ radio station
News24: Lesotho’s government has reportedly defended its decision to shut down a privately owned radio station that is seen as being anti-government.
LIBERIA: MFWA, Partners Promote Media Safety Ahead of Liberia’s 2017 Election
MFWA: The intervention, which is being supported by the Denmark-based International Media Support (IMS), seeks to ensure safety of media workers so they are able to produce reliable and professional reporting that contributes to credible and peaceful elections.
NIGERIA: Entertainment, Media Revenue to Hit U.S.$6.4 Billion in 2021
Via All Africa: PricewaterhouseCoopers has said the Nigerian entertainment and media market revenue, which rose to $3.6 billion in 2016 would increase at a compound annual growth rate of 12.2 per cent to $6.4 billion in 2021.
NIGERIA: PDP, Huriwa Condemn Growing Attacks On Journalists in Imo, Kaduna
Via All Africa: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Imo State Chapter and a Pro-democracy and non-governmental organisation, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) have raised the alarm at the growing suppression of media rights in Imo and Kaduna states.
SOMALIA: Journalists discuss freedom of expression, media law and criminal defamation
NUSOJ: A training on freedom of expression, media law and defamation, organized by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), was today held in Mogadishu, attracting 35 journalists who are working in Mogadishu.
SOMALIA: SRSG Keating Welcomes Parliamentary Review of 2016 Media Law
Relief Web: The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) in Somalia Michael Keating has noted the recent introduction of legislation in Somalia’s Federal Parliament that would amend the country’s 2016 media law.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC Considers Disposal Of Assets In London (UK) In The Face Of Financial Meltdown
Broadcast Media Africa: The SABC is looking at the possible sale of real estate assets in London (United Kingdom) as a result of its continuing financial downturn.
SOUTH AFRICA: Zuma Appoints Two New Members to Embattled MDDA Board
Via All Africa: President Jacob Zuma has appointed two people to the board of the embattled Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA).
TANZANIA: Govt tightens noose on social media
The Citizen: Dar es Salaam. The government has drafted sweeping regulations to tighten its grip on online content producers and users across popular social media platforms.
TANZANIA: Tanzania shuts down another ‘days numbered’ newspaper
Reuters: Tanzania’s government has closed a critical newspaper for the second time in three months, banning the weekly MwanaHalisi for two years after accusing it of inciting violence.
ZIMBABWE: Citizens have the right to free expression
MISA Zimbabwe: Concern regarding free expression in Zimbabwe as Minister of Home Affairs accuses press and social media of spreading alarm and despondency and warning that government would take “decisive action to deal a telling blow” to the perpetrators of crime.
GENERAL: Public broadcasters fail to tell the African story: Dlodlo
SABC: Communications Minister Ayanda Dlodlo says African public broadcasters have dismally failed to tell the story of the continent to the world.
AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijan reinstates tax penalties against Turan Information Agency
OC MEDIA: The Ministry of Taxes of Azerbaijan has reinstated tax penalties against independent news outlet Turan Information Agency only days after the agency was informed the sanctions against them were dropped.
AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijan’s war on journalism rolls on
INDEX: The government of Azerbaijan is waging a war on independent journalism within the country.
CAMBODIA: Cambodia Threatens Radio Free Asia Journalists With Arrest
VOA: Ministry of Information spokesman Ouk Kimseng claimed RFA “incited” the Cambodian people against its government.
CAMBODIA: Switching off independent radio stations
Aljazeera: Nearly a dozen stations have had licenses suspended without notice as media crackdown continues ahead of 2018 election.
HONG KONG: More Hong Kong journalists blocked from entering Macau
IFJ: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) in strongly criticising the move by the Macau Government to deny entry to Hong Kong journalists in the past month.
INDIA: 4 Arrested In Connection With Journalist’s Murder In Tripura
NDTV: Santanu Bhowmick, a journalist at ‘Dinrat’ news channel, was yesterday killed in West Tripura district while he was covering an IPFT agitation.
INDIA: Is the Indian Media Failing to Perform a Necessary ‘Activist’ Role?
The Wire: Can journalism and activism – usually seen in contradiction to each other – overlap without undermining the objectivity of the journalist?
INDIA: Spike in attacks on journalists amidst entrenched impunity in India
IFJ: Three journalists were murdered in September, a month that also saw a sharp rise in the number of attacks and threats on journalists.
via Ifex: Dozens of people who have tweeted about the conflict in Indian-administered Kashmir or shown sympathy for Kashmiri independence movements online may soon be censored on Twitter, at the request of the Indian government.
JAPAN: NHK-Japan President pleads for accurate information
ABU: Mr Ryoichi Ueda, President of NHK-Japan said that the Japanese public broadcaster should maintain the accurate and fair information basis for the safety and security of the society.
JAPAN: Shine a bright light on false news, provide information people can trust: NHK’s Ryoichi Ueda
Asia Radio Today: Japan’s national broadcaster is currently preparing its next strategic plan. As part of the forward looking planning process, NHK is facing “fundamental questions” about the role of a public broadcaster in the modern era of broadcasting.
KOREAN PENINSULA: BBC launches Korean news service
BBC: The BBC has launched a Korean service as part of an expansion of its foreign language outlets.
LAOS: BBC networks land in Laos
C21 Media: BBC World News, BBC Earth and CBeebies will become available to viewers in Laos for the first time after BBC Worldwide Asia struck a deal with local operator Laosat.
MACAU: TDM to extend Portuguese Broadcasting Hours
Macau Daily Times: TDM’s Macau Channel will extend its Portuguese broadcasting schedule on weekdays, replacing content from international subsidiary of Portugal’s public broadcaster RTP.
MYANMAR: Geo News reporters given death threats, forced to leave Myanmar
Geo News: A reporting team sent by Geo News to cover the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar received death threats and was forced to leave the country.
MYANMAR: Why are posts by Rohingya activists getting deleted?
BBC News: A number of Rohingya activists have had their social media accounts curtailed during the recent conflict in Myanmar, leading many to question whether they have been targeted by a co-ordinated campaign.
PHILIPPINES: Defending freedom
Bulatlat: The authoritarian path the Duterte administration is taking imposes on the Philippine press and media, as public service institutions, the duty to more vigilantly defend that freedom and to sharpen and enhance its monitoring and coverage of the regime. The press has to provide the citizenry the meaningful information it needs for it to arrive at an intelligent understanding of the reality of the present dangers to press freedom and to everyone else’s liberties.
GENERAL: ABU SONIC Radio Drama Festival calls for participation
Asia Radio Today: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) is inviting registrations for the ABU SONIC Radio Drama Festival, the Union’s newest initiative to support and enhance radio drama in the Asia-Pacific for the Digital Century.
GENERAL: Facebook News Media: Who Is Winning in Asia?
Media Power Monitor: Chinese and Indian news media command millions of followers on Facebook – but it is in the much tinier Myanmar where news media is really effective?
GENERAL: Media 2020 – Discussions focused on key trends in media development
ABU
AUSTRALIA: Rohingya, Tibetan and Telugu coming to SBS Radio
SBS: Seven new languages, including Rohingya and Tibetan, will receive their very own SBS language service, while others will be discontinued following a review into SBS’s Radio services.
AUSTRALIA: South Australian Parliament to broadcast proceedings live online
ABC: The move comes more than a decade after Federal Parliament started broadcasting online and means members of the public will be able to watch a live feed of South Australia’s upper and lower houses. While the move means better access for the public, it could mean more restrictions for the media.
NEW ZEALAND: I love being a sports journalist, but where are all the other women? (Opinion)
Stuff.co: New Zealand does have a few well-known female faces in sports broadcasting[…].However, if we can list these women reporters in print, television and radio from the last five to 10 years that easily, there is most definitely a “lady drought” in sports journalism.
NEW ZEALAND: Mediawatch Election Special for 24 September 2017
RNZ: A critical overview of the news media’s election performance. Also: a look back at how the election campaign unfolded in the media – and the political divide between town and country exposed in the rural media.
NEW ZEALAND: Q&A: Is our media covering climate change well?
The New Zealand Herald: Climate change is the biggest issue facing our planet – something Kiwis are increasingly recognising. But how do they learn about it? Does New Zealand’s news media do an adequate job getting the message out?
CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech public TV gears up for DVB-T2
Broadband TV News: The Czech public broadcaster Ceske Televize (CT) is preparing to move to the DVB-T2 standard.
ESTONIA: Estonian Public Broadcaster seeks alternative ways to cover the election campaign
Public Radio of Armenia: Ahead of the local self-government elections scheduled for October 15 the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) is seeking ways to deviate from the traditional coverage of the election campaign.
FINLAND: Finland’s terrestrial TV to go all-HD in 2020
Digital TV Europe: TV operators in the Finnish terrestrial broadcasting network have agreed to move entirely to HD and cease using the SD format from March 31, 2020.
FRANCE: CSA boss opposes reintroduction of advertising on pubcaster
Digital TV Europe: Olivier Schrameck, the chief executive of French media regulator the CSA, has expressed his opposition to any return of advertising on public broadcaster France Télévisions’ main channel after 20:00.
FRANCE: French president calls for UN special representative for journalists’ safety
RSF: In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron backed a call by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and a coalition of more than 130 NGOs and media outlets for the creation of a concrete mechanism to enforce international law regarding the protection of journalists.
GERMANY: Bavarian Broadcasting DG to take over as ARD chair
Digital TV Europe: The director general of Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation), Ulrich Wilhem, will take over as the next chairman of public broadcast body ARD in 2018.
GERMANY: For the German election, no fake news is good news
CNET: Compared to the US, Britain and France, Germany’s national election looks downright boring. That’s a good thing.
HUNGARY: Hungary backs local TV content
Broadband TV News: The Hungarian regular NMHH has granted HUF103.2 million (€333,000) for the production of news, public and cultural programming by 20 local and regional TV stations.
ITALY: Mafia versus the media: Italian journalists face upsurge in threats and intimidation
Index: Italian journalist Paolo Borrometi was forced to move to Rome from Sicily because of threats he was receiving connected with his reporting on organised crime. Borrometi’s story is far from unique. He is one of the 20 journalists currently under police escort in Italy.
ITALY: Media & Entertainment to exceed €38bn in 2021
Advanced Television: The Media & Entertainment industry in Italy will be worth €38.1 billion in 2021, up from €31.5 billion in 2016, accounting for a CAGR of 3.9 per cent.
NORWAY: TV2 only applicant as commercial public broadcaster
Norway Today: TV 2 has applied to continue as commercial public broadcaster. Application deadline for an agreement with Norway expired on Saturday. There are no other applicants.
ROMANIA: Financial woes deepen at Romania’s TVR
Broadband TV News: Senior management at TVR face the prospect of dismissal due to the Romanian public broadcaster’s disappointing financial performance in 2016.
SERBIA: EU Reminds Serbia to Respect Media Freedom
Balkan Insight: After the party of a Serbian government minister vilified an investigative editor as a ‘drug addict’, the EU has reminded Belgrade that it will be tracking Serbia’s respect for a free media during the accession process.
SERBIA: Disinformation as political strategy
Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso: Media lynching for those who do not toe the government line, judicial authorities that do not protect citizens, independent journalists accused of conspiracy. This is Vučić’s Serbia.
SPAIN: Changes confirmed for RTVE
PMA: After lengthy negotiations, the final reform for Spain’s public broadcaster has been approved, pushing RTVE towards greater independence and transparency.
SWITZERLAND: Parliament rejects ‘No Billag’ licence fee initiative
Swissinfo.ch: The House of Representatives has followed the Senate in rejecting a so-called ‘No Billag’ initiative to scrap the compulsory Swiss TV and radio licence fee. Parliamentarians also turned down a counter-proposal to cut the annual fee by half. The issue will now go to a nationwide vote.
UK: Devolution and digital media: 20 years of change in Wales
BBC News: As devolution in Wales turns 20 another “d” is also marking its second decade – digital media.
UK: Avoiding the ‘sugar rush’: Inside the BBC’s ‘slow news’ operation
Digiday: In the last eight months, BBC News has undergone a major “reprioritizing exercise” focused on creating what the organization now calls “slow news” journalism.
UKRAINE: Government Plan to Strongly Reduce Funding for Public Service Broadcasting
Council of Europe: The 2018 state budget, soon under discussion at Ukrainian Parliament, envisages for the public broadcaster around half of the budget defined in the Law on Public Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine.
UKRAINE: Ukraine slashes funding for public broadcasting
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) joins Ukrainian civil society in condemning plans to halve state funding for public broadcasting in the 2018 budget that the prime minister will submit to parliament tomorrow. This is not only illegal but also jeopardizes one of Ukraine’s great achievements of the past few years – independent and professional public broadcasting.
GENERAL: Mapping Media Freedom verifies 571 threats to press freedom in first half of 2017
Mapping Media Freedom: Index on Censorship’s database tracking violations of press freedom recorded 571 verified threats and limitations to media freedom during the first two quarters of 2017.
ANTIGUA: Q&A with a Newsroom Leader in Antigua
Cana News: Q&A with Martina Johnson, Newsroom Manager at Observer Media Group in Antigua, discussing the challenges of covering Hurricane Irma.
BARBUDA: Barbudan broadcaster – “I can say I’m homeless”
Cana News: “I can say I’m homeless,” Pastor Clifton Francois, owner and operator of Barbuda’s lone radio/television outfit Abundant Life Radio and The Barbuda Channel said. The radio and television stations have been off air after Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage to the facilities and equipment.
BRAZIL: Brazilian Federal Supreme Court justice overturns censorship imposed on journalistic site
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: On Sept. 19, a justice of the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF for its acronym in Portuguese) overturned prior censorship imposed on Portal 180graus, journalistic site of Piauí in northeastern Brazil, which was decided by a State judge at the end of August.
BRAZIL: Media from southeastern Brazil and reports on health, rights and the environment dominate journalism awards in the country
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: In just one year, Brazilian journalists received almost $1 million (U.S.) in prizes for their work. This is according to a recent report published by premiosdejornalismo.com, a site that catalogs awards available to journalists working in the South American country, with the idea that these prizes contribute to strengthening the trade.
CARIBBEAN: Eye on the Storm – Caribbean journalists tell their stories
Association of Caribbean Media Workers: As part of a project to address the needs of journalists affected by Hurricane Irma, ACMW have asked journalists who continued to provide coverage throughout the crisis, tell their stories.
FALKLAND ISLANDS (ISLAS MALVINAS): Tackling wind and crowds on a small budget: Mobile journalism in the Falkland Islands
Journalism.co.uk: Paula Fowmes, station manager, Falkland Islands Television, tells us how smartphones have helped one of the smallest national television stations produce content for TV and social media.
MEXICO: In Mexico, ‘it is the state, not the cartels, that poses the biggest threat to journalists’
CJR
MEXICO: “It is more dangerous to investigate a murder than to commit one”: Journalists confront grave violence in Mexico
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: A journalist was attacked in Mexico every 15.7 hours during the first six months of 2017. In just over half of those cases, public officials committed the assaults, according to freedom of expression organization Artículo 19 México. To this point in 2017, media outlets have reported up to 11 murders of journalists. Impunity is the norm in these kinds of cases.
MEXICO: Mexico’s IFT urged to activate emergency communications protocol
Telecompaper: Mexico’s Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) needs to urgently put in place emergency communications protocols following the major earthquakes that have struck the country in recent weeks, according to Mexican association for the right to information Amedi.
PERU: Peruvian investigative journalism site launches initiative to promote use of transparency law among journalism students
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: In its two years of existence, Peruvian site Convoca has produced investigative reports based on the law of transparency and access to information that were internationally awarded and even motivated a legislative change in Peru. Now, Convoca will use its expertise to help train the next generations of investigative journalists who will monitor those in power in the country.
PUERTO RICO: Back-to-back hurricanes sideline Puerto Rico pubcasters
Current: Public broadcasters in Puerto Rico are off the air after being battered by back-to-back hurricanes.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Photojournalists physically assaulted while reporting in Trinidad and Tobago
RSF: RSF strongly condemns this act of physical violence against a journalist who was simply doing his job and calls on authorities to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
GENERAL: IAPA expresses concern over recent murders of journalists in Honduras, Mexico
via Ifex: The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today expressed concern over the murder of journalists in Honduras and Mexico and at the risk another is facing in Paraguay. The organization also noted the sentencing of the killer of a female reporter in Colombia.
LEBANON: Beirut Conference Discusses Media Pluralism, Broadcasting Regulation and Digital Transition
MEDMEDIA: Media pluralism, monitoring of Lebanon’s 2018 general election and the country’s 2020 broadcasting digital transition, were at the heart of a conference held in Beirut last week.
TURKEY: Erdogan Says Most Jailed Journalists Are Terrorists (Video)
Bloomberg: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the imprisonment of journalists in Turkey with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York on Wednesday.
TURKEY: Turksat blocks Kurdish TV channels over independence poll
Rapid TV News: Turkey has removed three Kurdish television channels based in northern Iraq from its national satellite operator Turksat.
YEMEN: IFJ welcomes UN report amid calls for action on journalists’ safety
IFJ: The IFJ has called on the Yemeni government to “accept its responsibility” as the UN’s leading human rights body condemned the huge toll of deaths, kidnappings and repression faced by the country’s journalists.
GENERAL: Media in the Middle East: A new study shows how the Arab world gets and shares digital news
Nieman Lab: Two-thirds of respondents in the countries studied said they get news from social media every day.
CANADA: Broadcaster opts to hire local reporters over parachute coverage
CJR: Jon Thompson knows firsthand the problems of trying to build a journalism career in underserved and smaller communities….
CANADA: CBC/Radio‑Canada release annual report
CBC/Radio-Canada: This year’s report intersects the celebration of Canada’s sesquicentennial year, and reflects the deep engagement we’ve shared with Canadians across the country through our programming, our partnerships with creators and innovators, and our deep roots in local communities.
CANADA: Is it fake news? A new program aims to enhance media literacy among Canadian students
CBC News: A classroom program aimed at teaching Canadian elementary and high school students how to detect fake news in an era in which almost anyone can publish information is under development, groups behind the initiative said Tuesday.
US: Chicago PBS station WYCC hoping to stay on the air through deal with WTTW
Chicago Tribune: On the brink of signing off after 34 years as Chicago’s “other” public TV station, WYCC-Ch.20 may have found a way to stay on the air.
US: CPB-backed diversity project draws close scrutiny
Current: Participants in the collaborative recognize the significance of its goal to address longstanding problems with newsroom diversity at public radio stations. But many diverge on key decisions about its structure and leadership.
US: Public Media Venture Group Looking into ATSC 3.0
TV Technology: Public media stations are looking to jump on to the ATSC 3.0 bandwagon, as Public Media Company has announced the formation of the Public Media Venture Group. This new group is a coalition of public media television stations collaborating on next-generation TV.
US: With a new app, a startup wants to make donating to public radio easy
Current
13 tips for covering a hurricane
Poynter: In the midst of a nearly unprecedented hurricane season, as yet another made its way toward Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, one editor whose newsroom recently covered Hurricane Harvey gathered a short list of how they did it.
Nieman Lab: What are the most useful ways to bring artificial intelligence into newsrooms? How can journalists use it in their reporting process? Is it going to replace newsroom jobs?
After two back-to-back hurricanes, what have fact-checkers learned about covering storms?
Poynter: First, it was Harvey. Then, it was Irma. And now, with Hurricane Maria wreaking havoc on an already-battered Caribbean after nearly four weeks of storm coverage, fact-checkers across the United States are grappling with how to improve their debunking efforts during natural disasters.
Ethical journalism: back in the news
UNESCO: The core values of ethical journalism are more important than ever today, as we fight for quality and democracy in the media in the digital age. While new laws might lead to potential censorship, a commitment to ethics is essential to build public trust.
Gamification: Should Journalism Be More Playful?
EJO: Whether it’s a quick break on the smartphone, weekends spent in front of the gaming console or even a board game party, for many people games are a way to relax and socialise. But games are also becoming part of daily working lives. Gamification is impacting almost every profession, including journalism.
Nieman Lab: Science publications, take note: 36 percent of U.S. adults get science news a few times in a week. Thirty percent say they actively look for science stories. But only 17 percent both seek out science news on their own and read science stories at least a few times every week.
In paywall age, free content remains king for newspaper sites
CJR: The majority of America’s largest newspapers continue to employ digital subscription strategies that prioritize traffic, ad revenues, and promotion—despite the ongoing collapse of display ad rates.
Journalism is less pure than reporters claim (Article)
Journalism Research News: When asked about their work, journalists often paint an idealistic picture of the norms they uphold. When investigated more closely, these representations rarely hold true, Abit Hoxha and Thomas Hanitzsch, both of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, write. They report on an international research project spanning 11 countries.
Lessons on covering race and racism after Charlottesville
CJR
Mapping Media Freedom verifies 571 threats to press freedom in first half of 2017
Mapping Media Freedom: Index on Censorship’s database tracking violations of press freedom recorded 571 verified threats and limitations to media freedom during the first two quarters of 2017.
via Ifex: “The new rise of radio allows more opportunities to discuss and debate than ever before, but we must also fight for radio stations to be unbound from state control and to be able to broadcast news freely,” Index on Censorship magazine Editor Rachael Jolley writes in the new issue.
Rising the media industry up into the cloud
Digital TV Europe: Kunbin Hong, director of vertical Solution (media and ISP), Huawei Western Europe Enterprise Business, looks at some of the benefits of cloud technology to enable media companies to meet the challenges they currently face.
NiemanLab: “We think of this as a perfect use case for journalism — finding real, good information and displaying it back to the public.”
The state of data journalism in 2017
Google News Labs
What newsroom execs around the world think should be the next big areas of focus for their companies
NiemanLab: Worry is universal — but a quarter of publishers surveyed said their revenues are going up, not down.
MediaTel: Reporting back from the International Broadcasting Convention, Raymond Snoddy examines the latest trends – from VR and Voice UI, to the meteoric growth of mobile video and the rise of e-sports.
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