Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.
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EGYPT: Egyptian court hands down surprise victory for press freedom
Al-Monitor: Numerous journalists and media figures believe freedom of the press in Egypt is being threatened as never before, but from time to time, hope still glimmers that what remains can be preserved.
ERITREA: Denial of free expression remains “systematically entrenched” in Eritrea
Via IFEX
GABON: Masked men with machetes and knives attack four media outlets
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) deplores the simultaneous attacks that masked men armed with machetes and knives launched against four radio and TV stations in Gabon’s capital, Libreville, on 16 June in an attempt to get them to broadcast a threatening video message by a former presidential candidate.
KENYA: Fake news is already disrupting Kenya’s high-stakes election campaign
Quartz
NIGERIA: Bullying of Journalists Covering Nigerian Presidency Disturbing
MFWA: The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has observed with increasing dismay recent indignities meted out to journalists covering activities of Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari.
NIGERIA: DW urges Nigeria to release detained correspondent
Deutsche Welle: The detention and beating of a DW correspondent in Nigeria has prompted a protest note from Germany’s foreign broadcaster. Deutsche Welle has called on Nigeria “to hold the police officers involved accountable.”
SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudan censors newspapers, hampers press in civil war
ABC News (US): As South Sudan’s civil war creates the world’s largest refugee crisis and widespread allegations of sexual and ethnic violence, journalists charge the government is restricting their ability to report the news.
TANZANIA: Coverage of former Presidents off-limits for Tanzania’s media
RSF: Reporters Without Borders condemns the two-year ban that the government has imposed on the privately-owned weekly Mawio after it ran a story linking two former presidents to massive tax fraud in the mining sector. RSF is also concerned about harassment of journalists who try to provide detailed coverage of the activities of mining companies in Tanzania.
TANZANIA: Govt Okays Media Constructive Criticism
Via All Africa: The government has said that media outlets are free to criticise it as a way of solving problems or seeking solutions for challenges bedeviling the country.
TUNISIA: Tunisian media eyes deepening of cooperation with Xinhua
Xinhua
UGANDA: Police Detain Uganda Broadcaster’s Former Boss
Via All Africa: Detectives have arrested the former managing director of Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, Paul Kihika, on a range of criminal charges.
ZAMBIA: MISA Zambia reports reflect on press freedom challenges, victories in 2016/17
MISA: Overview of ongoing challenges facing the Zambian press.
ZIMBABWE: Media should self-regulate: Charamba
News Day: Media, Information and Broadcasting Services secretary George Charamba yesterday said the Constitution provides for self-regulation of the print media, but imposes restrictions on the broadcasting sector because of limited frequencies which are considered as national property.
GENERAL: Mobile key for African OTT growth – study
Digital TV Europe: Mobile distribution will be the overriding factor in the take up of OTT television services in Sub-Saharan Africa, Digital TV Research has forecast.
AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijan cracks down on remaining critical journalists
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns a renewed crackdown in Azerbaijan, in which at least 15 bloggers, media workers and independent journalists have recently been detained, and calls for the immediate release of all those held.
CHINA: Chinese media told to ‘shut down’ talk that makes country look bad
CNET: Weibo and two other sites were hit with an order from the Chinese government to block any “negative talk” about the country’s affairs.
HKFP: The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has expressed “deep regret and disappointment” with incoming chief executive Carrie Lam’s decision to bar digital media outlets from attending her press conference on Wednesday.
HONG KONG: Media blocked in lead up to handover anniversary in Hong Kong
IFJ: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) in strongly criticising the decision by the Hong Kong government to deny access to online media outlets to upcoming handover celebrations and the collection of journalist data.
INDIA: Growing intolerance threatens press freedom in India
IFJ: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expresses concern over recent incidents of intolerance targeting journalists and undermining freedom of expression in New Delhi, India. The IFJ demands that the Indian government step up to provide a safe environment for journalists and the media to exercise their rights.
INDIA: I&B ministry evaluates plan to make Prasar Bharati a corporate entity
LiveMint: The idea behind the so-called corporatization of Prasar Bharati is to reduce the dependence of the public broadcaster on government funds
JAPAN: A new fact-checking coalition is launching in Japan
Poynter: A new network, launched today in Tokyo and dubbed “FactCheck Initiative Japan (FIJ)” aims to encourage media organizations and others to fight “against the diffusion of false and highly questionable information.”
JAPAN: Japan begins running public service announcements on missile attacks
The Japan Times: The government began broadcasting a public service announcement Friday suggesting how civilians should protect themselves in the event of a missile attack.
JAPAN: NHK may offer separate contracts for streaming broadcast service
Mainichi: Households may be able to enter into a separate contract with NHK in the event Japan’s public broadcaster begins streaming programming online in 2019, according to the NHK committee considering a new reception fee system.
KYRGYZSTAN: RSF calls for end to prosecutions of Kyrgyz media and journalists
RSF: Kyrgyzstan used to be seen as an exception in Central Asia as regards media pluralism, but the first half of 2017 has been marked by criminal proceedings against media outlets for “insulting” President Almazbek Atambayev, the blocking of the independent news website Ferghana, arrests of journalists and verbal attacks on the media by the president.
MYANMAR: Burma’s courts must not help military to persecute journalists
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the release of Kyaw Min Swe, the editor of The Voice Daily, who is being held under Burma’s 2013 Telecommunications Law as a result of a complaint by the military about a satirical article, and again urges the authorities to amend the law without delay.
PAKISTAN: Media personnel beaten to prevent coverage of student protest
Via IFEX: Seventeen media workers were assaulted and their equipment seized by the private guards of Agriculture University Faisalabad, while they tried to cover an incident involving expelled students, who were not being allowed to enter the varsity premises.
PAKISTAN: Violence against journalists continues in Pakistan
PMA: Safety remains a serious concern as hostility towards journalists continues to rise.
PHILIPPINES: No need for special law against fake news-CMFR
ABS-CBN News: The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility does not see the need for a separate law intended for penalizing those spreading fake news.
SINGAPORE: Collaborate, call out fake news to uphold trust in media: Editors
The Straits Times: In order to combat the onslaught of fake news, news organisations have to be diligent, uphold ethics and better engage readers to maintain public confidence in what they publish, four media editors said yesterday.
SOUTH KOREA: Korean journalists need support for traumatic events
Journalism Research News: Korean journalists were frequently exposed to potentially traumatic events in their work, according to a new study.
UZBEKISTAN: Artists Need Permission to Post on YouTube
Eurasianet: As of July 1, singers in Uzbekistan will need to get permission from the state-run performers’ regulator before they are allowed to post their videos on YouTube. Anybody found in violation of the rule could face losing their lucrative performing license.
VIETNAM: Vietnam’s imperiled bloggers (Listen)
AlJazeera: Since the reunification of North and South in 1975, the Communist Party has ruled Vietnam – and state’s control over the media is near-absolute. However, Vietnam’s bloggers are putting that control to the test.
AUSTRALIA: ABC criticised for trip for 26 executives amid budget cuts
The Guardian: ABC board, senior executives and advisory council will fly to Alice Springs, some in business class, for a community forum.
AUSTRALIA: Science journalism is in Australia’s interest, but needs support to thrive
The Conversation
NEW ZEALAND: Getting engaged with the audience
Radio New Zealand: Over five consecutive nights TVNZ’s What Next? sought to engage the audience by asking them to bring serious New Zealand issues to the show. But despite an audience of 1.5 million critics complained the questions and answers didn’t reveal very much.
NEW ZEALAND: Fake News and the 2017 General Election
Radio New Zealand: Fake news and ‘alternative facts’ invaded Northern Hemisphere politics during the US presidential election and Brexit campaigns, according to Dr Gavin Ellis, lecturer in Media and Communication at the University of Auckland. And he considers that New Zealand is not immune to this post-truth era.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Transparency sets up free hotline to report corruption during election
Pacific Media Centre: Transparency International PNG has provided a toll free hotline to report acts of corruption during Papua New Guinea’s general election.
CYPRUS: Study finds Cyprus media could do better
Cyprus Mail: While media in Cyprus are generally independent from political control, they frequently reflect their owner’s political agendas and are vulnerable to influences by commercial interests, a recent study said.
FRANCE & ITALY: European pubcasters in pact to combat Netflix, Amazon threat
Digital TV Europe: France Télévisions and Italy’s Rai will co-produce a range of high-end programmes across genres such as drama, documentaries, animation and entertainment.`
RSF: Germany’s parliament has put its weight behind Reports Without Borders’ initiative for the creation of a United Nations Special Representative for the Safety of Journalists, the first parliament worldwide to do so.
IRELAND: Communicorp says new licences bad for Irish radio
Radio Today Ireland: Communicorp has criticised the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s decision to invite applications for new radio licences across the country.
IRELAND: DAB radio multiplex to close as FM prospers
Radio Today: A multi-city DAB digital radio multiplex is closing after lack of interest from the independent radio sector.
IRELAND: High level of trust in news media among Irish consumers
RTE: Irish consumers continue to have a consistently high interest in news, with 70% or more declaring themselves extremely or very interested in news each year, according to the Reuters Institute Digital News report 2017.
IRELAND: Hugh Linehan: Is it time for publicly funding serious journalism? (Opinion)
The Irish Times: Threat to public-interest journalism from market decline raises issue of State support.
MACEDONIA: The Development and Future of PSB in Macedonia: Towards the Construction of a Participatory PSB Model (Research)
Analitika: This paper discuss the challenges PSB in Macedonia is currently faced with, and explore perspectives for overcoming the obstacles for its transformation by considering the four normative principles of PSB: citizenship, universality, quality and trust.
NORWAY: 135 million a year to a TV channel
Norway Today: The Government opens up for bidding on the concession TV 2 today. A commercial TV channel will be offered up to NOK 135 million a year from the state, but must have its main office at least 100 kilometers from Oslo.
POLAND: Video Experiments: How to Attract New Audiences and Advertisers
EJO: Digital news providers in Poland are experimenting with video content to reach new audiences and increase advertising revenue.
SERBIA: Serbia: journalists attacked during Vučić’s inauguration
Osservatorio Balcani & Caucaso: During the inauguration ceremony of the new Serbian president, some journalists were attacked and prevented from doing their job. An analysis.
SERBIA: Who owns the media in Serbia?
RSF: Media Ownership Monitor presented by RSF and BIRN
SLOVAKIA: Is new RTVS director a threat to media freedom?
The Slovak Spectator: Media watchdogs say Jaroslav Rezník has proved friendly towards politicians in the past and has no scruples about considering pro-Russian propaganda news a fit source of information.
SLOVAKIA: Reznik to head Slovak pubcaster
Broadband TV News: Jaroslav Reznik is to become the new DG of the Slovak public broadcaster RTVS.
SPAIN: Congress approves renewal of RTVE in three months (Spanish)
El País: Congress has approved the reform of RTVE so that the directors of public radio broadcaster to be elected by consensus in Parliament in three months. The renewal will be done by public competition, a system that will be applied in future appointments of president and board of administration of the entity.
SPAIN: A European report warns of the influence of public institutions in the Spanish media (Spanish)
InfoLibre: The Media Landscapes project, promoted by the European Journalism Center, describes as “insufficiently developed” the Spanish media system in terms of media institutions and control systems.
SPAIN: Journalists ask for a public contest to direct the Canary Islands Television, as it will happen for RTVE. (Spanish)
El Día: The Union of Communication Professionals of the Canary Islands (UPCC) has asked the Canarian Parliament to renew the management positions of Radio Televisión Canaria (RTVC) by means of a public competition, as agreed by the Congress of Deputies for Spanish public broadcaster (RTVE) .
SPAIN: Valencian Community: The governing council does not guarantee that this year the new public television can broadcast (Spanish)
El Diario: Enrique Soriano, president of the CVMC, is hiding in the obsolescence of technological equipment and the poor state of the infrastructure, which delay the date of departure of ‘Apuntmèdia’.
Journalism.co.uk: The organisation has story-specific Facebook groups where the public can contribute their knowledge or follow journalists on reporting trips
UK: As new parliament opens, RSF calls on the UK government to reverse negative press freedom trends
RSF: Following the State Opening of Parliament on 21 June, Reporters Without Borders – known internationally as Reporters sans frontières (RSF) – calls on the government to take immediate steps to reverse the negative press freedom trends of the past year and improve the climate for free expression in the UK.
UK: BBC in good shape to up its game (Opinion)
Broadcast: Corporation must accept and embrace challenge of Ofcom report.
UK: BBC technology chief outlines UHD TV priorities
Digital TV Europe: A combination of High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Wider Colour Gamut (WCG), rather than higher resolution and higher frame rates (HFR), will be the key to the success of UHD TV, and the BBC will adopt technologies that ensure all its licence fee payers are able to view the content it produces, according to Andy Quested, the BBC’s HD and UHD head of technology.
UK: YouTube and BBC are dominant video apps on UK phones
Digital TV Europe: YouTube and BBC iPlayer dominate the range of apps used by UK consumers to watch video on their smartphones, according to research carried out for mobile retailer Carphone Warehouse.
GENERAL: EBU Urges EU Policy Makers to Set Out Clear Privacy Rules for Audience Measurement
EBU: As the European Parliament examines the future ePrivacy Regulation, the EBU has expressed its concern at draft provisions that would hamper European media organisations’ capacity to innovate and improve their digital services.
OSCE: Major threats to media freedom and freedom of expression, particularly in those regions affected by conflict and crisis, were the focus of the conference, Media Freedom in Volatile Environments, organized by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, which concluded in Vienna yesterday.
REGIONAL: One third of all EU TV and VOD target foreign markets
Broadband TV News: One third of all television channels and on-demand services established in the EU specifically target foreign markets, according to a new free report from the European Audiovisual Observatory.
REGIONAL: European pubcasters in pact to combat Netflix, Amazon threat
Digital TV Europe: Two of Europe’s primary public broadcasters are strategically combining their arsenals to combat the growing threat of Netflix and Amazon.
BRAZIL: Brazilian journalists host pioneering congress to strengthen education journalism in country
Knight Centre for Journalism in the Americas: One year after the launch of Brazil’s Association of Education Journalists, also known as Jeduca, the organization is hosting its inaugural Congress on Education Journalism to address the challenges facing the reporting specialization in the current news environment.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Challenges of the “Public Television System” for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) (Spanish)
Hoy: “Public Television” of avant-garde should not compete with private channels, on the contrary with its autonomy must guarantee educational content that for commercial reasons are excluded in the private media.
MEXICO: Mexican President Says Government Acquired Spyware but He Denies Misuse
The New York Times: Even as Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that his government had purchased sophisticated software that has been used to spy on its fiercest critics, he also threatened to investigate those who “have raised false accusations” against his administration.
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: Freedom of expression organizations in Panama are on alert after the Public Prosecutor’s Office disclosed it is investigating whether money laundering occurred during the purchase of a media company.
URUGUAY: “I do not do the TV I like, I do the one that works as a public service” (Spanish – Interview)
El Observador: It is a year of changes in National Television of Uruguay, among them, a unification in the programming and a series of contents produced through calls that will be premiering with the passage of time. Adriana González, its director, analyzed the changes and the role of the state channel in society today.
VENEZUELA: César Batiz: Journalism is not Terrorism (Spanish – Listen)
Instituto Prensa y Sociedad: César Batiz ( @CBatiz ) director of (@ ElPitazoTV ) believes that senior officials of the national government fear the truth , serious journalism, criticism and confrontation with real events. That is why, based on the web medium that presides over and after being victims of seventeen attacks since the beginning of the protests in the country, they promote the campaign “Journalism is not terrorism”.
VENEZUELA: Venezuelans turn city buses into newsrooms in order to fight disinformation
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: El Bus TV is a new initiative launched by a group of journalists, artists, audiovisual producers and other professionals who read newscasts directly to riders on city buses.
REGIONAL: Essential role of social media in emergency coverage
PMA: CCN TV6’s broadcast journalist emergency coverage shows the key role social media can play in emergency and disaster reporting.
Via IFEX: Just a few weeks after his victory, Rouhani’s administration introduced new reforms that may further restrict Internet access.
IRAN: Citizen-journalists increasingly spied on, hounded in Iran
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the increase in Internet censorship and harassment of citizen-journalists in Iran.
IRAQ: Iraq: Reporters sorely tested in battle for Mosul
RSF: The deaths on 19 June of two journalists who were doing a story about the last phase of the battle for Mosul have highlighted the increasingly difficult conditions in which hundreds of Iraqi and foreign reporters have been covering the fight to retake Iraq’s second largest city since October 2016.
PALESTINE: Several Palestinian news websites blocked in the West Bank
via IFEX: The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) expresses its deep concern over the blocking of a number of Palestinian websites.
QATAR: Al-Jazeera: the Qatar broadcaster at centre of diplomatic crisis
The Guardian: Arab world’s leading TV channel is used to controversy – but now it fears for its future as Saudi Arabia wants it shut down.
QATAR: Qatar’s crisis is about freedom of expression
Via IFEX
SYRIA: Crisis of credibility for citizen journalists in Syria
Deutsche Welle: Citizen journalists have helped fill the media gap in Syria, after the regime clamped down on professional reporters. But how credible are these self-proclaimed journalists?
TURKEY: Regulator says public broadcaster did not break political coverage rules
CPJ: The radio and television broadcast authority RTÜK rejected the opposition People’s Democratic Party (HDP)’s complaint that public broadcaster TRT did not cover the party’s activities in parliament, Dihaber reported today.
CIMA: The dismal state of press freedom in Turkey is now incontrovertible.
CANADA: Actor Colm Feore, Tom Clark on panel to choose new CBC board members
CBC: The federal Liberals have put together a star-studded cast to help choose new members of the public broadcaster’s board of directors.
CANADA: Canada needs a strong CBC
Ricochet: The federal government has taken the first step on a long road toward what will hopefully be the restoration of the CBC as Canada’s most important public interest and cultural institution.
CANADA: Trudeau government to revise CBC’s board selection process
The Globe and Mail: The Liberal government is overhauling the process by which members of the board of directors of CBC/Radio-Canada are selected, in hopes of ending decades of allegations of political interference in the public broadcaster’s operations.
US: American TV stations are going “social media first”
Journalism Research News: Majority of local American television stations are taking a “social media first” approach to publishing news, write Anthony C. Adornato, of Ithaca College, and Suzanne Lysak, of Syracuse University. The authors surveyed 131 American news directors working in local TV.
US: PBS leader discusses state of public broadcasting during Buffalo visit (Watch)
WBFO: WBFO’s senior reporter Eileen Buckley spoke with Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS about the state of public broadcasting.
US: Project Catapult Launches Public Media Podcasts
CPB: Audiences can explore Latino culture in the Midwest or hear stories of Nashville in verse through podcasts developed through an innovative podcast training program from PRX and funded by a $1 million grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
US: Telling West Virginia’s Story, Despite a Reduction in State Funding
West Virginia Public Broadcasting: West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is willing to do its part to help solve the West Virginia budget crisis.
US: WorldLink: Stuck between the media and the Trump administration (Listen)
Deutsche Welle: Jeff Mason, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, was awarded DW’s Freedom of Speech award this year. If anybody knows the ins and outs of the intersection between the media and the Trump Administration, it’s Jeff.
GENERAL: When Disaster Strikes, Public Broadcasting Delivers
TVTechnology: Public television’s important role in public safety.
14 Key Findings from the Digital News Report 2017
EJO: The internet and social media may have exacerbated low public trust in the media and ‘fake news’, but in many countries mistrust is driven by deep-rooted political polarisation and perceived mainstream media bias, the Digital News Report 2017 reveals.
Facebook launches initiative to fight online hate speech
BBC: Facebook is launching a UK initiative to train and fund local organisations to combat extremism and hate speech.
Investigative Journalism Manual (Tools)
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung: The KAS Investigative Journalism Manual is designed to equip journalists with core investigative reporting skills and to support watchdog journalism in difficult environments.
Providing a broadcast platform for extremist politicians is unethical (Opinion)
LSE
Public Radio Needs New Thinking To Increase Brand Awareness
Inside Radio: It may be time for public broadcasters to rethink their marketing messages. In a word of caution to public broadcasters, a new survey says that one in four radio listeners can’t recall the name of a public radio station—meanwhile, nearly all listeners can identify a commercial station. Thankfully, a good strategy play can reverse the trend.
Social Media and International Development: Academic Texts
Social Media for Development: A selection of academic texts for those studying the relationship between social media and international development.
Study Pins Fake News Plague on Limited Attention Spans, Information Overload
Motherboard: As social networks grow louder, picking quality memes grows harder.
Tool for journalists: Enigma Public, for finding and analysing public datasets (Tools)
Journalism.co.uk: This free platform lets users explore public datasets to find the information they need for their next project or investigation.
What happens when a big news company makes a small bet on “slow innovation”?
NiemanLab: How do you keep a focus on issues that may be “No. 6 on the list”? How do you make sustained progress on the things that may not impact the bottom line this quarter, but are important for the medium term?
WhatsApp rises as a major force in news media
BBC: WhatsApp is becoming one of the prevailing ways people discover and discuss news, according to a study.
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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.
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