Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world
PMA Statement
Public media must unite to support RTHK
The worsening situation for media freedom and the forced closure of newspaper Apple Daily in Hong Kong has received a great deal of international coverage worldwide in the past week. Reporting of what is happening in Hong Kong is critical and as public media organisations your combined reach can alert the world to the desperate reality of the situation there. Broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) has a Charter which enshrines its role as a public broadcaster. But day after day we are witnessing the pressure that colleagues there are increasingly facing, with staff being called to make pledges of allegiance to the state and the likelihood of producers becoming personally liable for production costs of programmes that are cut at the last moment.
PMA is providing regular and detailed updates on the situation at RTHK. Public media is always more powerful if it has a united voice and we urge you to ensure that coverage of what is happening at RTHK receives as much airtime as the wider situation in Hong Kong.
Discover recent Hong Kong statements in the ‘Global Headlines’ section below.
What is...
Our weekly explainers for key public media terms, phrases and values.
Week 25: What does the DIGITAL DIVIDE look like?
From the price of technology to the rural-urban divide, not everyone has equal access to digital services. This concept of inequality of access is referred to as digital divide and can be influenced by a person’s geography, income, age, education level, and other demographics. When it comes to news, the digital divide remains a significant challenge globally, as more broadcasters make use of digital services to reach their audiences. The digital divide can look like unequal access to educational resources, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when British families were “locked out of education” due to the associated costs of the tech needed to access online learning. The UN has warned that the digital divide will become “the new face of inequality” without decisive action by the international community. But public broadcasters are doing their part to combat the issue. The United States’ PBS has developed a collaboration between public broadcasters and local school systems to broadcast educational programmes on local stations as part of a homeschooling service. By investing infrastructure, collaborating with both the public and private sectors, and listening to the demands of disadvantaged communities, public media organisations can help to bridge the digital divide and meet their mandate of being accessible to all.
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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...
Populism, The Pandemic and The Media – Live Book Launch
My Virtual Jericho: How has the media, worldwide, contributed, fuelled or fought this populism. Cheerleaders? Critics? Supplicants? This book examines those questions in 360 degrees with a. distinguished cast of authors from journalism and academia.
What we're listening to...
Channel 4 facing privatisation?
The Media Show: Chief executive [of Channel 4] Alex Mahon on the broadcaster’s future.
New public media plan enters uncharted waters
RNZ Mediawatch: The clock is ticking for the government’s proposed new public media entity. The next step is a business case and a new charter being drafted behind closed doors. But RNZ already has a charter that’s now under review – and could bring greater scrutiny of [the] government’s plan.
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Global Headlines
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ALGERIA: Algeria Revokes France 24 Accreditation as Pressure on Media Mounts
VOA News: Algeria’s decision to revoke the accreditation of France 24 over its coverage of long-running pro-democracy protests signals the pressure that media in the North African country work under, analysts say.
EGYPT: All 10 Egyptian journalists named in RSF letter detained arbitrarily, UN says
RSF: The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has concluded that all of the ten journalists named in a letter it received last year from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are or were detained arbitrarily.
MALAWI: Kasakula spits fire: Stop gossiping and politicking
Nyasa Times: The newly-minted Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Director-General, George Kasakula, has sternly warned the public broadcaster’s staff to desist from politicking and gossiping because they have a duty to serve Malawians and not just a selected few.
MOROCCO: Trial of Moroccan journalists raises fears of repression
Reuters: New hearings took place on Tuesday in the trials of two dissident journalists in Morocco accused of sexual assault, whose detention rights groups see as evidence of increasing state repression and a push to silence dissent.
NAMIBIA: NBC employees’ interdict under PSUN representation withdrawn
NBC News: An urgent application by some NBC employees to compel the corporation to stop the deductions from their salaries as a result of their participation in the legal strike has been withdrawn, in the Windhoek High court due to the lack of jurisdiction.
NBC News: Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) will cover events of political parties contesting the upcoming by-elections in the Opuwo constituency scheduled to take place next month but in accordance with the amended COVID 19 regulations aimed at curbing the spread of the pandemic.
NAMIBIA: Spreading Covid-19 lies could cost you
The Namibian: IT appears many people need reminding that under the health regulations in place to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, people can be criminally charged and fined for spreading pandemic-related falsehoods.
NIGERIA: Court restrains Nigeria from prosecuting Twitter users: Activists
Al Jazeera: Local rights group, along with dozens of Nigerians, had gone to Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States to fight the ban.
NIGERIA: Nigeria’s government wants to gag the press (Paywall)
The Economist: A draft law echoes the old days of dictatorship.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC pins hopes on streaming, ad revenue to take it through tough years ahead (Paywall)
News24: The SABC said it will begin seeing the results of its turnaround strategy through advertising revenue and entering the streaming space.
SOUTH AFRICA: SABC WELCOMES CHANGE TO UNFAIR MUST CARRY REGULATIONS (Press release)
SABC: At public hearings held by ICASA today, the SABC welcomed draft regulations requiring that Multichoice and other pay-TV operators may only carry SABC channels “subject to commercially negotiable terms”.
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa: SABC Launches 24-Hour Sports Channel
Broadcast Media Africa: South Africa’s public broadcaster, SABC, inaugurated its 24-hour sports channel on Thursday, June 24, promising to bring innovative and fascinating sports content via free-to-air broadcasts and online streaming.
TANZANIA: Tundu Lissu: Tanzania media freedom ‘was in prison’ under President Magufuli
The Standard: Tanzania Opposition leader Tundu Lissu has described the media space in Tanzania under the late President John Pombe Magufuli as a prison.
ZAMBIA: Killings and brutal crackdown against dissent set the tone for August election
Amnesty International: Years of intensifying repression have pushed Zambia to the brink of a human rights crisis ahead of August’s presidential elections, Amnesty International said today.
REGIONAL: In Africa, Punitive Laws to Curb Misinformation Aren’t Working
The Wire: Many laws passed in recent times are not aimed at correcting false information, but restricting freedom of speech by punishing publications.
AFGHANISTAN: Govt Criticized for Limiting Access to Information
TOLOnews: Meanwhile, lawmakers in Parliament have said that the government should cooperate with the media in terms of access to information instead of imposing restrictions.
CHINA: In China, the media doesn’t hold the powerful accountable. It ensures those in power hold on to it
CNN
CHINA & HONG KONG: China dismisses concern for Hong Kong freedom after tabloid closure
Reuters: China’s foreign ministry on Friday rejected comments by U.S. President Joe Biden that the closure of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper signaled intensifying repression by Beijing in the semi-autonomous city.
HONG KONG: ‘Apple Daily’ journalists say ‘press freedom is dead’ in Hong Kong
Deutsche Welle: Journalists at the pro-democracy “Apple Daily” told DW they never expected Hong Kong’s Beijing-loyal government would shut down a major media outlet. The newspaper was forced to close after authorities froze its assets.
HONG KONG: Closure of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily Is “Death Knell for Independent Media”
PEN America: PEN America CEO says closure is casualty of the stranglehold China’s government has placed on Hong Kong.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong pro-democracy media buckles under China pressure (Watch)
BBC: The continued targeting of pro-democracy journalists and publications is sending a chilling message to Hong Kong’s media, with experts warning of a devastating impact on press freedom in the city. The BBC’s Andreas Illmer reports.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s RTHK fires veteran radio phone-in host as more shows are axed
HKFP: The embattled public broadcaster has been accused of “biased reporting” by pro-Beijing figures and earlier this year was ordered by the authorities to tackle “deficiencies” in editorial management.
HONG KONG: How Press Freedom Is Being Eroded in Hong Kong (Paywall)
New York Times: The forced closure of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper is the latest worrisome sign for journalists in the Chinese territory.
CBC News: Opposition newspaper forced to shut down after China seizes $2.3-million US in assets, arrests owner, staff.
INDIA: How vaccine misinformation keeps growing in India (Paywall)
Times of India: Using multiple social media platforms and tricks to beat moderators, anti-vaxxers are spreading rumours about people turning impotent or magnetic after jabs.
INDIA: Indian leaders fail to understand danger of new IT rules (Opinion – Paywall)
Nikkei Asia: Critics cite future threats to country’s role as ‘world’s largest democracy’.
INDIA: No relief to digital news portals as Delhi HC refuses to stay new IT Rules
India Today: The Delhi High Court on Monday declined to stay the Centre’s May 28 notice asking digital news portals to comply with the new IT Rules 2021, saying it was not inclined to grant any interim relief to the petitioners.
JAPAN: NHK president’s switch to reappoint exec with gov’t ties sparks internal outcry
The Mainchi: The president of Japanese public broadcaster NHK retracted a plan to have an executive director step down and replaced with a proposal to reappoint him, sparking criticism within the organisation as the executive is said to have close ties to the government.
MALAYSIA: Malaysia: Emergency Fake News Ordinance has severe ramifications for freedom of expression (Analysis)
Article 19: ARTICLE 19 finds that the Fake News Ordinance is a problematic governmental measure because it not only revives the draconian provisions of the 2018 Act but also takes some of them further into areas that are irrelevant to public health or the COVID-19 pandemic.
MYANMAR: Myanmar journalists endure attacks for reporting the coup
Global Voices: Around 87 journalists have been arrested since the February coup in Myanmar as of June 17 . Most journalists have fled their homes, and some even managed to escape to neighboring countries. Meanwhile, banned independent media outlets were forced to go underground in order to continue their work.
MYANMAR & AUSTRALIA: Burmese journalists need our support: MEAA
Mirage News: Australia must do more to support Burmese journalists who have been forced to flee Myanmar following the military coup in February.
PAKISTAN: The Unprotected Women Journalists of Pakistan
Wear Your Voice: Many challenges test the resilience of Pakistan’s small but thriving community of women journalists, including significant gender wage gaps, stifled career progress, lack of sexual harassment policies, and lack of other common facilities.
PAKISTAN: Fawad urges early implementation of PTV, PBC’s joint up gradation projects
Via Pakistan Press Foundation: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday stressed for early implementation of Pak-Japan joint projects of modernization and technical up gradation of Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC).
PHILIPPINES: Alternative news websites hit by alleged state-backed cyberattacks: digital forensics
ABS-CBN News: Two alternative news organizations cried foul Wednesday after a Sweden-based digital forensics group uncovered a barrage of potentially state-backed cyberattacks against their websites.
PHILIPPINES: Trust in news from social media decreases, ABS-CBN reach tumbles in 2021 Reuters study
Rappler: The share of Filipinos who trust news from social media decreases from 22% to 20%, according to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism’s Digital News Report 2021.
SOUTH KOREA: Korean court sides against Netflix, opening door for streaming bandwidth fees from ISPs
TechCrunch: A court case in South Korea has ended in a loss for Netflix and a victory for ISPs in the country…
SOUTH KOREA: Launched KBS KOREA, the center channel for Koreans around the world (Korean)
KBS: Listen to news from your home country through KBS from all over the world! KBS KOREA Channel Starts July 1st.
THAILAND: Thai PBS ranked No. 1 in brand trust from Digital News Report 2021 by Reuters Institute (Thai – Press release)
Thai PBS: Thai PBS has been ranked No. 1 in Brand Trust Scores in the Digital News Report 2021 survey by Reuters Institute for YouGov, an internet market research and analytics company.
REGIONAL: SOUTH EAST ASIA: Call for stronger protections for media workers amid Covid-19 (Statement)
IFJ: Members of the South East Asia Journalist Union (SEAJU) network call on governments to do more to protect media workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic and more adequately support journalists as frontline workers.
AUSTRALIA: ABC celebrates NAIDOC Week and First Nations stories through the voices of Indigenous staff (Press Release)
ABC: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander journalists and presenters at the ABC have come together to celebrate NAIDOC Week by sharing their personal experiences and highlighting the importance of Indigenous storytelling all-year round.
AUSTRALIA: ABC’s 7.30 to recognise Indigenous place names in programming
The Sydney Morning Herald: ABC’s flagship current affairs program 7.30 will start using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander names when it introduces places on its program in a move to improve representation of the Indigenous community in its programming.
The Conversation: The huge cuts to Australian journalism over the past decade have decimated mentoring in the industry. This is not easy to see with the naked eye but it has a huge impact on what gets produced.
AUSTRALIA: Australian media: number of people reading news in print has halved since 2016
The Guardian: The number of people accessing news in print has halved since 2016, with 80% of Australians saying they have not read a newspaper or news magazine in the past week.
The Conversation: Facebook used to be a goldmine for news media companies. But since the tech giant changed its algorithm in 2018, news firms have drifted away from Facebook, particularly digital-native publications.
AUSTRALIA: Viewers will be unable to stream ABC shows without a login from July 2021
The Sydney Morning Herald: Logging in to watch television has cracked the final holdout. In July the ABC will make personal accounts mandatory for anyone who wants to use iview, the national broadcaster’s streaming platform.
NEW ZEALAND: New public media plan enters uncharted waters (Listen)
RNZ: The clock is ticking for the government’s proposed new public media entity. The next step is a business case and a new charter being drafted behind closed doors. But RNZ already has a charter that’s now under review – and could bring greater scrutiny of government’s plan.
NEW ZEALAND: BSA research reveals different attitudes to discrimination and denigration on TV/radio (Research)
BSA: Attitudes towards discrimination and denigration on TV and radio appear to be changing with younger New Zealanders showing a lower tolerance for it than older generations, according to new research from the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA).
NEW ZEALAND: New public media entity not just about ‘smashing’ RNZ and TVNZ together
RNZ: Work on a new public media entity continues at pace, but the head of the governance group says it’s not about “smashing” RNZ and TVNZ together.
REGIONAL: Facebook campaigns against misinformation in the Pacific
RNZ: Facebook says it has launched a public education campaign to combat health-related misinformation in the Pacific Islands region.
REGIONAL: Protecting the Pacific’s information environment (Opinion)
Asia & the Pacific Policy Society: Pacific states must ensure that quality reporting and independent media organisations can continue to bring accurate, important stories to communities throughout the region, Steve Sharp writes.
AUSTRIA: Is Austria facing its own Orbán moment?
Euractiv: The ‘Orbánisation’ of Austria has become a standing term in the Austrian political discourse. But what is behind the allegations about vanishing media and judiciary independence in the Alpine republic?
BELARUS: Belarus: Plane hijack journalist moved to house arrest
Deutsche Welle: The country’s opposition leader said that despite the “good news,” Raman Pratasevich and his girlfriend were still “hostages.” The EU stepped up sanctions on Belarus this month.
BELARUS: Belarusian Association of Journalists Under Investigation as Media Crackdown Spreads
VOA News: For months, the Belarusian Association of Journalists has documented unprecedented attacks and arrests of reporters covering unrest since last year’s election. But now, the Minsk-based organization has found itself the subject of an investigation.
CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech Television helps: on Wednesday it will organize a special benefit concert for Moravia (Czech – Press release)
Česká Televize: Czech Television will organize benefits to help villages affected by the tornado.
DENMARK: Danish media club together to make US tech giants pay for news (Paywall)
Financial Times: The media industry in Denmark is pioneering new negotiating tactics with Google and Facebook over payments for news, with newspapers, broadcasters and internet companies joining forces to negotiate with the technology groups as a copyright collective.
FINLAND: Finland has highest trust in news media, global study finds
Yle: The report noted that overall trust in news media in Finland increased by nine percentage points from last year to 65 percent.
GERMANY: ARD and EKT join the DVB Project
Broadband TV News: German public service broadcaster ARD and set-top box manufacturer EKT are joining the DVB.
GERMANY: Extraordinary meeting of the WDR Broadcasting Council: How much culture would you like? (German)
Süddeutsche Zeitung: It is an unusual process: next Tuesday, the WDR Broadcasting Council will hold an extraordinary meeting. More than a third of its 60 members requested this three-hour special meeting. At the meeting of the entire plenary session, the WDR’s programming mandate will be discussed very publicly and how the largest of the ARD state broadcasters intends to fulfill this in the future.
GERMANY: Protest of the radio play authors: ARD offers a round table (German)
Süddeutsche Zeitung: The ARD countered an open letter from radio play authors about poor working conditions with references to false claims and stylistic behavior. But there is a conciliatory offer.
HUNGARY: EU Commission: Hungarian LGBTQ+ bill violates tech and media laws
Politico: The EU Commission has stated that their rules will not permit Hungary to take down LGBTQ+ content because it is a protected by fundamental rights.
IRELAND: Trust in news media rose over past year, report finds Ireland
RTÉ News: Trust in news media has increased over the past year, according to the annual Reuters Digital News Report.
IRELAND: RTÉ, Virgin Media and TG4 join forces to voice concerns about place on digital platforms
The Irish Independent: RTÉ and TG4 have joined forces with commercial operator Virgin Media in a plea to the chairman of the Future of the Media Commission about the prominence of Irish channels on streaming and on-demand services.
ITALY: Italy urged to reform defamation laws
IPI: The International Press Institute (IPI) has joined its MFRR partners in calling again on the Italian Parliament to undertake comprehensive reform of the country’s defamation laws to bring them in line with international standards on freedom of expression. The call comes as the Italian Constitutional Court issued a ruling underscoring the need for change.
KOSOVO: Kosovo’s Broadcaster at Crossroads as MPs Ready to Sack Board
Balkan Insight: As parliament readies to dismiss the board of RTK because of nepotism and mismanagement, experts say the next board must not be politicised and drawn from members of the ruling party.
RUSSIA: Students in Russia fight for press freedom
Deutsche Welle: Four writers and editors of the online student magazine ‘Doxa’ are currently under house arrest for criticizing the Russian government. But for the young journalists, accepting censorship is out of the question.
SLOVENIA: International NGOs call for protection of media freedom during EU presidency (Paywall)
STA: Several international NGOs promoting freedom of the press have called on the Slovenian government to refrain during the presidency of the EU Council from attempts to undermine initiatives that aim to improve the conditions for freedom of the press in EU member states and in EU candidate countries.
SLOVENIA: Slovenia’s EU Presidency must not obstruct efforts to improve media freedom in Europe
RSF: Prime Minister Janez Janša and his government have repeatedly shown disregard for media freedom. Organisations defending press freedom and journalists call on the Slovenian government to commit to refraining from attempts to undermine initiatives aimed at improving the situation of press freedom in EU member and candidate countries during the EU Presidency.
SPAIN: Competition proposes the creation of an inter-institutional working group for the renewal of the Framework Mandate of RTVE (Spanish)
Audiovisual451: Cani Fernández, president of the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC), has highlighted in the Senate Subcommittee in charge of drafting the proposal for a Framework Mandate to the CRTVE, the importance of its renewal, precisely at a time of great changes in the audiovisual environment so that CRTVE has the opportunity to become a benchmark in the sector.
SPAIN: Pérez Tornero: “Correcting the drift that started long ago will be difficult, but we will succeed” (Spanish – Press release)
RTVE: The president of RTVE, José Manuel Pérez Tornero, has assured today in Congress that “correcting a drift that began several years ago is difficult, it will cost us, it will be difficult, but we will succeed”.
SPAIN: RTVE is looking for a new tool to measure the audience of its digital content (Spanish)
El Confidencial Digital: RTVE is looking for a new measurement tool for RTVE Digital. And all this despite the fact that the Corporation decided last April to renew the contract with the American Comscore to continue measuring its digital audience.
UK: BBC is worth ‘storming the Bastille’ to save, says Melvyn Bragg
The Guardian: Broadcaster speaks out against threats to corporation, saying it will never be reinvented if destroyed.
UK: BBC Three relaunch comes under Ofcom scrutiny
Broadband TV News: Ofcom is inviting views on plans by the BBC to return BBC Three to a linear channel.
UK: Channel 4 pushes back against privatisation after record results (Paywall)
Financial Times
UK: Channel 4: rather than privatising public service media we should be expanding it online (Opinion)
The Conversation: In the ‘post-truth’ age, what is needed is more public service media, not less.
UK: Nicholas Watt: Second man charged after BBC reporter chased
BBC News: A second man has been charged after a BBC journalist was chased and shouted at by protesters near Downing Street.
UK: New plans to boost Britain’s broadcasters and protect viewers on video-on-demand channels (Press release)
Gov.uk: Viewers and listeners across the country are set to benefit from plans to support British broadcasters and make the media landscape fit for the 21st century.
UK: Selling off Channel 4 is a terrible idea. Here’s a better one (Opinion)
The Guardian: Yes, it’s time for a change – so why not merge the channel with the BBC to turbo-charge public service broadcasting?
UK: The great British broadcasting shake-up – all you need to know
The Guardian: The culture secretary Oliver Dowden has announced major plans to shake up the British broadcasting landscape, including the potential sale of Channel 4 and tightening regulations governing content on streaming services such as Netflix.
REGIONAL: RSF urges Russian and Belarusian authorities to end practice of forced confessions by journalists
RSF: A month after Belarusian journalist Raman Pratasevich’s spectacular arrest and his three subsequent forced public confessions of guilt, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the return of forced confessions in Eastern Europe and urges the authorities to put an immediate end to this practice.
GENERAL: SLAPPs are misuse of justice systems aimed at intimidation of journalists, EP report says
The Shift News: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation constitute a misuse of Member States’ justice systems and legal frameworks and are often “meritless”, “frivolous” and initiated for the purpose of intimidation, harassment, and psychologically pressuring journalists and members of civil society.
GENERAL: Media sector eyes opportunity to rebalance relations with online platforms
Euractiv: From advertising revenue to content moderation, the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) is set to shape a number of areas in which media industry actors have been calling for change, particularly in their relation to online platforms.
ARGENTINA: Attacks on press freedom in Argentina (Spanish)
La Nacion: A Fopea report shows an alarming growth in aggressions and intimidations against journalism since the pandemic broke out.
BRAZIL: Brazil: Denouncement of the persecution and harassment in EBC (Spanish)
IFJ: The National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ) and the Union of Professional Journalists of the Federal District (SJPDF) denounced that Víctor Ribeiro and Gésio Passos are suffering acts of harassment and persecution by the management of the Brazilian Communications Company. Both are National Radio workers and union leaders.
BRAZIL: Government plans to have EBC privatization notice by the end of 2022 (Portuguese)
Poder360: The special secretary of the PPI (Partnership and Investment Program) , Martha Seillier, said this Monday (June 28, 2021) that the government intends to have the EBC (Empresa Brasil de Comunicação) privatisation notice analysed by the TCU (Court of Communication) Federal Accounts) until the end of 2022.
BRAZIL: The public values the work of the press during the pandemic, study shows (Portuguese)
Folha de S. Paulo: In Brazil, 54% say they trust journalism, according to the Reuters Institute…
COLOMBIA: Four journalists threatened with death in Córdoba, Colombia
LatAm Journalism Review: “The Ombudsman’s Office and the Montería Journalists’ Circle rejected the threats against journalists Rafael Gómez, Édgar Astudillo, Organis Cuadrado and Rafael Moreno, who have been covering news about public order in Alto Sinú and San Jorge, where there are presence of groups outside the law.
HAITI: Suspended head of referees at Haitian FA denies plotting to kill journalist
The Guardian: The suspended vice-president and head of referees at the Haitian Football Federation has denied claims of attempting to arrange the killing of a journalist.
MEXICO: Before his murder, Mexican journalist was using RSF to beg authorities for protection
LatAm Journalism Review: “The director of the Noticias Minuto a Minuto news website and Panorama Pacífico TV in the southern state of Oaxaca, Gustavo Sánchez Cabrera was in close contact with RSF in the weeks prior to his death. A specialist in covering local politics, crime and court cases, he knew another attack against him was imminent and he feared for his life.
NICARAGUA: Carlos F. Chamorro: “The objective was to capture me” and “silence me” (Spanish)
Confidencial: The Daniel Ortega regime tries to silence the independent press and “there are no security guarantees,” says Chamorro, who left the country.
NICARAGUA: Persecution in Nicaragua: the vice president and first lady threatened the press and called the journalists “talking magpies and terrorists” (Spanish)
Infobae: Human rights activists described Rosario Murillo’s statements as an “outrage at the highest level” of freedom of expression. “They are a reliable demonstration that a State of terror rules,” they denounced.
NICARAGUA: Three years of deteriorating press freedom in Nicaragua
CJR: In April of 2018, Daniel Ortega, the president of Nicaragua, announced reforms to the country’s social security benefits. Protests erupted, following years of discontent with the increasingly repressive regime. The Ortega government responded with brutal crackdowns on protesters, political opponents, and the independent press that still have not abated.
REGIONAL: CDEMA and United States Embassy Host Social Media Workshop for Journalists
CBU: On Wednesday, June 16, the United States Embassy in Barbados along with other U.S. Embassies in the English-speaking Caribbean, joined the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to host a virtual session titled, “Producing Effective Video for Social Media.”
IRAN: BBC appeals to UN over Iran’s harassment of Persian service staff
BBC: The BBC has complained to the UN about Iran’s harassment of staff at the BBC Persian service.
IRAN: US government blocks Iran-affiliated news websites
BBC News: The US has taken down dozens of Iranian and Iran-linked news sites which it accuses of spreading disinformation. The sites were replaced on Tuesday with notices saying they had been “seized” as part of a law enforcement action. They included Iran’s state-run English-language channel, Press TV.
PALESTINE: Palestinian media rally for protection after assaults by police
Al Jazeera: Human rights groups in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah announce the formation of a legal team to follow up on the attacks on journalists.
PALESTINE: The PA is clamping down on public and press freedoms, but in whose interests?
Middle East Monitor: The Palestinian Authority’s murder of opposition figure and political activist Nizar Banat in the occupied West Bank is still reverberating around the local political, security, and media arenas.
SYRIA: Syria: workshop on the safety of journalists (French)
IFJ: In collaboration with its affiliate the Syrian Journalists Union (UJS), the IFJ organized a consultation workshop on strengthening the professional safety of journalists and media workers on June 23, 2021 in Damascus.
TURKEY: EU Commitment to human rights in the EU-Turkey relations must be strengthened (Letter)
ECPMF
TURKEY: Turkish officials defend journalist’s violent arrest at Istanbul Pride march
Al-Monitor: Eyewitnesses describe photographer Bulent Kilic being shoved to the ground, his hands cuffed behind his back as police placed their feet on his spine and demanded his press card.
CANADA: Between Us: Spring Highlights
CBC/Radio-Canada: Following on from this year’s Annual Public Meeting, CBC/Radio-Canada launched a monthly newsletter aiming to bring audiences a deeper insight into the range of offers and services that the broadcaster provides. It also demonstrates the progress it is making in its commitments, such as its diversity and inclusion Commitments.
CANADA: CBC sets new diversity requirements for independent productions (Paywall)
Globe and Mail: CBC says it will only commission new programs in which nearly a third of the key creative team is made up of members of under-represented communities.
CANADA: Google Canada signs deals with 8 publishers, will pay news organizations for content
Global News: Google Canada has signed agreements with eight Canadian publishers for a new product and licensing program that will pay news organizations to create and curate journalism.
CANADA: Ottawa outlines new legislation to define and crack down on online hate speech
CBC News: Proposed legislation would define hate speech as ‘detestation or vilification of a person or group’.
CANADA: ‘Like an open-air cage’: Police restrict reporters’ access to Canadian anti-logging protests
CPJ: As demonstrators in the Canadian province of British Columbia protest the logging of one of the province’s last old-growth forests, located in the Fairy Creek watershed on Pacheedaht First Nations territory on Vancouver Island, journalists have been impeded from covering the story.
CANADA: Pandemic proved local news a lifeline (Opinion)
Winnipeg Free Press
US: How Journalism Students Are Filling Gaps in Local News
Local News Initiative: As the local news crisis grows, staffs are thinning out and gaps in coverage are widening. But reinforcements are coming — journalism students doing the work that would otherwise go undone.
US: PBS Elects Paul Hunton to its Board of Directors (Press release)
PBS: PBS today announced the election of Paul Hunton to serve as a member of its Board of Directors. Hunton’s term as a professional director will begin on July 1, 2021. He will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Kim Johnson, who is leaving her position at PBS 12 at the end of June.
US: PBS FY22 budget increases station dues, spending on content and marketing (Paywall)
Current: PBS’ board approved a fiscal year 2022 budget Wednesday that increases station dues and includes higher expenses for content and marketing.
US: PBS, NatGeo, Smithsonian execs offer pitching pointers at Sunny Side
RealScreen: Factual commissioning executives for several networks participated in hour-long online panels at the virtual edition of the Sunny Side of the Doc film festival last week.
US: PBS Programs Win Peabody Awards (Press release)
PBS: Throughout June 2021, the 81st Peabody Award winners were announced. The Peabody Awards honor excellence in storytelling that reflects the social issues and emerging voices of our day. PBS has received six Peabody Awards, more than any other organization.
Politico: In one part of Washington, women are in charge like never before: Four of the largest newsrooms in D.C.—the Washington Post, Politico, the New York Times’ Washington Bureau and Vox—are run by women.
US: What might have happened: NPR sells off cultural programming, new network dubbed ‘NPR Music & Entertainment’ (Feature – Paywall)
Current: In all the excitement about celebrating NPR’s 50th, we’ve managed to lose sight of some of the network’s original aspirations in the arts arena, and some crazy, risk-taking frontier women and men who, like me, had a somewhat different vision for NPR than its present, near-total news identity.
A valuable journalism lesson on how to read data
Poynter
As lockdowns lift, media firms brace for an “attention recession” (Paywall)
The Economist: People have spent a year glued to screens, but now the attention boom is turning to bust.
At least 22 newspapers “murdered” in the past five years
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) knows of at least 22 newspapers throughout the world that were driven to close by governments they annoyed during the past five years – the fate suffered by Apple Daily, Hong Kong’s most popular tabloid, which announced on 23 June that it was shutting down under pressure from the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities.
COVID is still killing journalists around the world
CJR
Reuters Institute: This year’s report reveals new insights about digital news consumption based on a YouGov survey of over 92,000 online news consumers in 46 markets including India, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria, Colombia and Peru for the first time.
DRM to launch new Energy Efficiency Calculator
Asia Radio Today: The DRM Consortium has just developed a comprehensive and user-friendly calculator tool to determine how much energy can be saved by switching transmitters from analogue to digital DRM operation.
Pandemic has increased trust in media: report
France 24: The pandemic has helped rebuild a little of the confidence lost in the media, and pushed news companies even more towards digital, according to the annual Reuters Institute report published Wednesday.
Radiodays Europe 2021: in-person and on-line
Asia Radio Today: Radiodays Europe (RDE) 2021, which had been postponed due to the pandemic will now take place in Lisbon from October 9 to 11, 2021.
Rather than privatizing public service media, we should be expanding it online
Via Nieman Lab: Imagine an advertising-free, non-commercial, not-for-profit internet, with digital archives of public service content available to everyone for an unlimited period from anywhere at any time.
WATCH PARTIES: HOW SHARED VIEWING IS BOOSTING FAN ENGAGEMENT
IBC: Locked down stadiums and the dearth of live event opportunities have seen sports federations, broadcasters and brands begin conducting watch parties for fan organisations and sponsors. IBC365 looks at how watching together has evolved as a solution to keep the fans engaged.
What I Learned from the Nonprofit News Revolution (Opinion)
CJR
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