Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world
As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues, the need for community solidarity and mutual support has never been greater. But this support requires quality, fact-checked and evidence based news and information.
With this in mind, the Public Media Alliance has compiled an extensive and growing list of resources featuring recommended tools, advice and sources for journalists and the public alike. The resources can be found via the link below or in the Tools section of our website.
If you have any recommendations, please let us know.
PSM Innovations
RFI Afrique: Using WhatsApp to disseminate news across the continent
RFI Afrique’s innovative use of WhatsApp has been found to reach audiences across the continent, push back against disinformation, and combat accessibility challenges in Africa.
Since 2019, France’s international radio broadcaster, Radio France Internationale (RFI), has used WhatsApp as a way of disseminating trusted news and information to people across Africa.
RFI has a large audience in the continent, and broadcasts news in French and fifteen other languages, including Kiswahili, Hausa and Fulfulde, worldwide, 24 hours a day. Through a dedicated WhatsApp thread offered by RFI Afrique daily, subscribers receive a selection of articles and other content, such as programmes and reports from RFI. It means they “don’t miss anything that made the news on the continent”, said Sinatou Saka, the project lead at Radio France International (RFI), specialising in podcasts and new technology.
Messages containing news are manually sent to the thousands of people who have subscribed to the offer. According to Ms. Saka, “we are addressing people who are in countries where internet is still very expensive.” Because of this, content is usually text-only and not shared via voice notes or other audio-visual media, to address challenges surrounding lower bandwidths.
Read more about RFI Afrique’s innovative use of WhatsApp
We also want to hear about your local public media coverage! Email us!
As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, public media are rapidly adapting to best cover the crisis on a local level while also providing for educational needs and vulnerable groups as isolation policies are introduced.
We want to hear from our members about what you are doing to best cover the crisis on a local level. Email us using the link below.
Coronavirus: Resources & best practices
Essential resources for sourcing and reporting news about the coronavirus pandemic
What we're watching...
Ukraine in Flames #93: How do Ukrainian journalists work during the war?
Ukraine Media Center: More than 30 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been killed since the start of the Russian large-scale invasion in February 2022. Some of them were doing their job to keep the world informed about the atrocities committed by Russian troops on Ukrainian soil. Some joined the ranks of the military to protect their country with a weapon in hand. Either way, the life of media professionals in Ukraine have changed dramatically after February 24. Ukraine In Flames #93 talks to the representatives of the field to find out how they carry on with their work, what challenges they face and how they keep bringing us the most important thing – the truth.
What we're listening to...
Turkey’s ‘Disinformation’ Law Will Devastate Media Freedom, Experts Predict
Balkan Insight: In a Twitter space discussion hosted by Balkan Insight, media experts said Turkey’s new draft ‘disinformation’ law will do huge damage to what remains of media freedom in the country.
Set the reminder and join us tomorrow to get insights on Turkey’s new disinformation law and its effects on the media
With us to comment @Marien__R, @barisalt, @orhan_sener_, @obefintlig, and @SezinOney, interviewed by our correspondent @HFiratBuyuk https://t.co/RXNx9D0RVi
— Balkan Insight (@BalkanInsight) June 29, 2022
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Global Headlines
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EGYPT: After the coup: Egypt’s media landscape in crisis (Analysis)
The New Arab: Since Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi seized power in a 2013 military coup there has been a ruthless crackdown on press freedoms, with only a few voices left attempting to survive the hostile environment.
EGYPT: Egyptian TV presenters who smear journalists at the government’s behest (Report)
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has published a 27-page report entitled “President Sisi’s puppets” showing how leading pro-government TV anchors and state-controlled media in Egypt are used to launch and then amplify smear campaigns against the few journalists still critical of the government.
CPJ: Gambian authorities should adopt the reforms recommended by the country’s Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC)—including ensuring journalists are not prosecuted for sedition—work to swiftly hold former President Yahya Jammeh and members of his “Junglers” death squad to account for their crimes against journalists, and end the culture of impunity in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.
GBC: GBC Online’s Editor-in-Chief, Rebecca Ekpe, is among a cohort of selected Journalists globally invited to participate in the Universal Rights Group’s Media Engagement Programme for the 50th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva Switzerland.
KENYA: Next phase of KBC’s modern transformation on course, Acting MD says
KBC: Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) Acting Managing Director Samuel Maina says the national broadcaster is keen on adjusting to the emerging digital trends in order to reach a wider audience.
KENYA: Online disinformation stokes tensions as Kenya elections near
Thomson Reuters Foundation: Platforms like TikTok, Facebook and Twitter are failing to effectively police abusive content ahead of Kenya’s high-stakes election, warn digital rights groups.
NIGERIA: What Nigerian media must do to be sustainable – Experts
Premium Times: The experts spoke at a conference about the future of the media in Nigeria, particularly its viability and profitability.
SENEGAL: Laws to tackle ‘false news’ must meet international standards
ARTICLE 19: ARTICLE 19 and eight other civil society groups and individuals call on the Senegalese authorities to repeal Article 255 of the penal code, which criminalises the publication of false news, and to bring it into line with international standards.
SOUTH AFRICA: ASO DATE UNCONSTITUTIONAL – A WIN FOR ACCESS TO INFORMATION, A WIN FOR DEMOCRACY! (Press release)
Media Monitoring Africa: Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) and the SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS) welcome the judgement by the Constitutional Court that the implementation of the process to switch off the analogue signal by the Minister of Communication and Digital Technologies, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni is deemed to be tainted with irrationality and therefore unconstitutional, invalid, and set aside.
SOUTH AFRICA: Digital migration: court delay upholds information rights of poor South Africans
The Conversation: South Africa’s Constitutional Court has decided to strike down the government’s plans to end old-style analogue television broadcasting at the end of June. The decision upholds the right to information, which poor South Africans would have been denied as government has been slow to roll out the devices they need to access the new digital signal.
SOUTH AFRICA: ‘SABC3 needs to survive’: Channel boss on courting millennials, a new Top Billing and The Masked Singer SA (Paywall)
News24
SOUTH AFRICA: SIU and SABC to take on Hlaudi Motsoeneng in court in bid to recoup R21m (Paywall)
News24
SOUTH AFRICA & ZIMBABWE: “Too much propaganda”: Zimbabwe’s pirates of the airwaves look to SA
African Arguments: The state-owned ZBC no longer has a monopoly, but that doesn’t mean free-to-air TV in Zimbabwe is any more diverse or varied.
TUNISIA: Tunisian Journalists Face Police Intimidation and Jail Time for Doing Our Jobs
Nieman Reports: As President Kais Saied consolidates his grip on power, Tunisia — and its media — are sliding backward from hard-won democratic gains.
AFGHANISTAN: Self-exiled Afghan journalists left in the lurch in Pakistan
Via IFEX: Afghanistan Journalists Center continues to urge the international community to support the safe resettlement of at-risk Afghan journalists and media workers.
CAMBODIA: Government needs to pass Access to Information Law
IFJ: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association (CamboJA), in calling on the Cambodian government to accelerate the finalisation of the draft and deliver it to the National Assembly for approval.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong Restricts Coverage of Xi Visit, Major Celebration
VOA News: Journalists frustrated as they are banned from covering city’s biggest political event of 2022.
HONG KONG: Twenty-five years after handover to China, Hong Kong press freedom more threatened than ever
RSF: A quarter of a century after the handover of British Hong Kong to China, independent journalism has never been so threatened. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges the international community to apply more pressure on the Chinese regime to restore full press freedom in the territory.
INDIA: How long will Twitter stand by as ‘online violence’ curtails our right to know? (Opinion)
The Guardian: The plight of journalists like Rana Ayyub exposes the failure of big tech to tackle threats and harassment, especially against women
INDIA: India Arrests Media Fact-Checker, Sparks Press Freedom Concerns
VOA News: Police in Delhi have arrested the Muslim co-founder of a fact-checking website for allegedly “hurting religious sentiment” of Hindus.
INDIA: Journalists pitch for organising legal aid for colleagues facing FIRs
The Print: Senior journalists on Monday suggested organising legal aid in different cities for mediapersons who have been a “target” of a “plethora of FIRs” and “raids by the Enforcement Directorate”.
INDONESIA: Regulations will severely impede internet freedom
ARTICLE 19: Both regulations contain content moderation provisions which are inconsistent with internationally-recognized human rights, including the freedom of expression and to hold opinions without interference online.
JAPAN: NHK sales decrease and profit increase 21 financial results (Paywall – Japanese)
Mainichi
MALDIVES: Maldives New ‘Evidence’ Law Undermines Media Freedom
Human Rights Watch: In a serious setback for media freedom, the Maldives parliament today enacted legislation allowing courts to force journalists and media outlets to reveal their sources.
PAKISTAN: Body formed to finalize Journalist Protection (Amend) Bill: Marriyum
Via Pakistan Press Foundation: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Friday that a special committee, comprising representatives from the ministries and media organizations concerned, had been formed to finalize the Journalist and Media Professionals Protection (Amendment) Bill 2022.
PHILIPPINES: ABS-CBN Philippines’ story of transformation: ABU-Rai Days
Radioinfo: The Head of ABS-CBN News, Regina Reyes, speaking at ABU-Rai Days, told the story of how her broadcast company lost its broadcast licences two years ago because the previous president, “didn’t like our content.”
SOUTH KOREA: KBS 31st Audience Member Competition (Press release – Korean)
KBS: KBS is openly recruiting members of the 31st KBS viewership to act on behalf of the viewers . The KBS Viewers Committee is an organization established to protect the rights and interests of viewers in accordance with the Broadcasting Act . The term of the 31st Audience Committee selected this time is 2 years from September 1 , 2022.
SRI LANKA: Stop the suppression of journalists in Sri Lanka (25 June)
Via IFEX: The Free Media Movement says the actions of Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department against journalists and activists violate the citizens’ right to freedom of expression.
THAILAND: Thai PBS organizes a forum under the context “Reduce inequality” on 8 July. If interested, register to join the event for free! (Press release – Thai)
Thai PBS: Thai PBS in collaboration with the Office of Science Promotion Board Research and Innovation (OSMEP) jointly organized a seminar “Open the Door to Inequality” will meet on Friday, July 8, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. at Samyan Mitrtown Building, 5th Floor, North Side, Phayathai Road, Wang Mai Subdistrict, Pathumwan District, Bangkok.
AUSTRALIA: ABC brand campaign marks 90 years of connecting Australians (Press release)
ABC: The ABC today launches a new brand campaign in line with celebrations to mark the broadcaster’s 90th year. Focused on connecting Australians, the creative content pieces will showcase and highlight some of the different communities the ABC engages with across it’s services.
AUSTRALIA: ABC News services to be screened across Qantas network (Press release)
ABC: ABC audiences will enjoy access to ABC News services when travelling on Qantas flights and in lounges after a new agreement was signed by the two organisations.
AUSTRALIA: ACMA urges content providers to address audiences expectations
RadioInfo Australia: In a new position paper released today, the Australian Communications and Media Authority has called on broadcasters and other professional content providers to address the expectations of today’s audiences, no matter how they listen, watch or read content.
AUSTRALIA: The ABC is turning 90. Here are five big trends that will shape its next decade
ABC: As the ABC’s Innovation Lab hosts the first of a series of media industry symposiums in Sydney this week, Paul Donoughue gives an insight into how content, platforms and audience demands might change in the next decade.
AUSTRALIA: In conversation with Michelle Rowland –a representative of ‘modern Australia’ (Listen)
SBS: Federal Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland spoke to SBS Urdu on various topics, including the government’s plans for Australia’s changing media landscape.
The Guardian: Communications minister Michelle Rowland says Coalition ‘completely lied’ about 2013 funding cut which harmed broadcaster.
NEW ZEALAND: Gavin Ellis: Heavy work ahead on Aotearoa NZ’s Public Media Bill (Opinion)
Asia Pacific Report: The Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill — introduced to Parliament this week — will have a long journey before it is fit for purpose.
NEW ZEALAND: Misinformation is a threat and affecting NZ, Jacinda Ardern says ahead of Nato speech
Stuff: As Nato member states finalise their strategy for how to deal with security risks in their region, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has stressed the significance of fiction masquerading as fact – an issue she sees as a major security threat.
NEW ZEALAND: New minister in charge at a pivotal media moment (Listen)
RNZ Mediawatch: Legislation to create a new public media entity entered Parliament this week. Mediawatch talks to the new broadcasting minister Willie Jackson about how that will work, the future of Māori media – and how he has given mainstream media a hard time as a broadcaster himself down the years.
REGIONAL: Chinese foreign minister’s visit helped erode Pacific media freedom
ASPI: The first stop of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent Pacific trip was Solomon Islands, where journalists have been complaining about their treatment since the government swapped diplomatic allegiance to Beijing from Taipei in 2019. Media freedom has deteriorated, and journalists say leaders are now taking their cues from China.
ALBANIA & NORTH MACEDONIA: UNESCO provides mentoring for media outlets in Albania and North Macedonia to strengthen fact-checking skills in their work
UNESCO: As a part of its EU-funded project “Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey – Phase 2,” UNESCO cooperated with independent fact-checking organisations across the region to conduct in-house training on digital journalism with a particular focus on fact-checking, cybersecurity, data journalism and visualization.
BELARUS: RSF shocked by humiliating methods used against journalists
RSF: The latest journalists and media workers to be arrested in Belarus are being forced to make confessions that are filmed by officials with the internal affairs ministry and are posted online.
BULGARIA: Bulgarian secret services: Russia pays public figures to spread propaganda
Euractiv: The Bulgarian secret services have data showing that Russia pays about €2000 (BGN 4,000) per month to public figures, journalists, and politicians to spread its propaganda in the country, a government spokesperson and head of the prime minister’s office, Lena Borislavova told Darik radio over the weekend.
ESTONIA: TVP World launches in Estonia
Broadband TV News: The Polish public broadcaster’s English language international information and news channel TVP World is now available as a free-to-air (FTA) service in Estonia.
FRANCE: At Radio France, the great precariousness of young recruits (Paywall – French)
Le Monde: Chain of short contracts for several years, extended hours, exhaustion and abuse in certain local stations… Young journalists are “strained” by the “planning”, a system set up in public service radio.
FRANCE: France Télévisions: the national newsrooms vote a motion of no confidence against Laurent Guimier, director of information (Paywall – French)
Le Monde: The motion was voted by nearly 83% of the votes cast on France 2 and France 3, and by 93% on the web editorial staff of Franceinfo.
FRANCE: Visualize what the audiovisual license fee for French public media represents, set to disappear (French)
FranceInfo: Amount, beneficiary media, comparison with our neighbors… Franceinfo returns in infographics on the audiovisual license fee that Emmanuel Macron has promised to abolish.
GERMANY: Retro offer thanks to digitization of cinematic memory (Press release – German)
ZDF: ZDF puts all 32 episodes of Günter Gaus’ Grimme Prize-winning interview series “Zur Person” by Günter Gaus, which was created between 1963 and 1966 and founded between 1963 and 1966, online in the ZDFmediathek.
GERMANY: Warning strike at SWR today – refusal to compensate for inflation – threatens to interfere with collective bargaining autonomy (Press release – German)
Landesbezirk Baden-Württemberg: Several thousand permanent and freelance employees of Südwestrundfunk (SWR) have been called on today from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the first warning strike in the current wage round of public broadcasting.
GREECE: MFRR partners welcome acquittal of journalists in Novartis criminal case
IPI: Criminal case points to far deeper issues for press freedom in Greece.
GREECE: Self-Censorship and Govt Obstruction Hasten Greek Media’s Decline (Paywall)
Balkan Insight: Lack of access to information, self-censorship, obstruction of journalists and state surveillance characterize the state of the media landscape in Greece today. T
ICELAND: New RÚV code of conduct (22 June – Press release – Icelandic)
RÚV: Ríkisútvarpið’s new code of ethics has come into force, but the rules are the result of a review and revision of older rules.
IRELAND: Industry insiders give their opinion on RTÉ: ‘There is generally a failure of imagination and innovation’ (Paywall)
The Irish Times: Broadcasters and other interested parties give their opinions on the national institution and its future.
MALTA: Increased ‘risk’ for political independence of media in Malta – report
The Shift News: Increased concern about the political independence of the media in Malta was among the issues highlighted in the annual report by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), which also praised The Shift’s transparency and independence in the national media landscape.
NETHERLANDS: Extra measures for more press safety (Press release – Dutch)
Rijksoverheid.nl: Press freedom in the Netherlands is under pressure. Intimidation, violence and threats impede journalists in their work. That is why State Secretary Uslu (Culture and Media) and Minister Yesilgöz-Zegerius (Justice and Security) are taking additional measures to protect press freedom in the Netherlands.
NETHERLANDS: NPO response to CvdM report on future broadcasting system (Press release – Dutch)
NPO: The Media Authority presented a report on Tuesday in which it argues for a major reform of the public broadcasting system. This is the NPO’s response to that report.
NORWAY: Listen with the children: The children’s podcasts you must bring with you this summer (Press release – Norwegian)
NRK: NRK Radio has a myriad of fun podcasts for children this summer.
ROMANIA: Romania joins EU black sheep over declining media freedom
Euractiv: Romania’s independent media community is feeling increasingly pessimistic over a series of journalistic violations and what they consider backsliding due to political figures, making it the latest in a growing line of EU countries to experience problems with media freedom.
RUSSIA: ‘Hundred new laws restricting press freedom have been passed in Russia’ (Watch)
Swissinfo: Russian-Ukrainian journalist Galina Timchenko has been living and working in Latvia for years. There she founded an online multimedia platform that continues to write what the Russian media is no longer allowed to publish due to tough Russian censorship regulations.
RUSSIA & UKRAINE: How the Russian Media Spread False Claims About Ukrainian Nazis (Paywall)
The New York Times: In the months since President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called the invasion of Ukraine a “denazification” mission, the lie that the government and culture of Ukraine are filled with dangerous “Nazis” has become a central theme of Kremlin propaganda about the war.
SLOVAKIA: Lubos Machaj to head Slovak pubcaster
Broadband TV News: Lubos Machaj has been elected the new general director of the Slovak public broadcaster RTVS by the country’s parliament.
SPAIN: Crisis in RTVE: the councilors appointed by the left and right ally against President Pérez Tornero (Spanish)
El Confidencial Digital: Last Wednesday, June 22, Vertele revealed that, for the first time, the main directors of the Corporation had turned their backs on various proposals by President Pérez Tornero.
SPAIN: RTVE signs an association agreement with the European cultural chain ARTE (Spanish)
El Confidencial Digital: The European cultural channel ARTE, which celebrates its 30th anniversary, has approved at its General Assembly held in Strasbourg an association agreement with RTVE that will enable, among other things, participation in joint co-productions.
SWEDEN: Gigantic research work behind SVT’s Election Compass (Blog – Swedish)
SVT: Our audience likes news about politics. This applies not least to an election year. But among all the outbursts, crises and revelations, it is a publication that always has a greater impact than others.
SWEDEN: SVT strengthens preparedness (Blog – Swedish)
SVT: Local, digital VMA is now being started, among several other things, to strengthen preparedness.
SWEDEN: Updated policy for opinion polls (Press release – Swedish)
Sveriges Radio: From 22 June 2022, Ekot will establish a new standard for opinion polls that will be reported. Klas Wolf-Watz and Fredrik Furtenbach report on this updated policy here.
UK: BBC delivers progress on Impartiality Plan (Press release)
BBC: The BBC is today updating progress on its 10-point plan which is designed to further enhance standards across the Corporation.
UK: Ofcom may extend TV ad breaks in review of broadcasting rules
The Guardian: Regulator considering changes to ad rules in light of growing competition from online streaming platforms.
UK & UKRAINE: BBC News Ukraine marks 30th anniversary amid Russian invasion (Press release)
BBC: As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues to hold the global centre stage, the BBC is marking 30 years of serving its Ukrainian-speaking audience.
UKRAINE: Frontline diary: A day in the life of a Ukraine war correspondent
CPJ: Ruslan Smieshchuk, a reporter for privately owned Ukrainian TV channel Inter, had long dreamed of being a war correspondent when he covered his first conflict, the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, for local Odessa TV channel ATV. Now he hopes that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war will be his last battlefield assignment.
UKRAINE: How EBU Members rallied to help keep Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC on air
EBU: The life-or-death difference made by the availability of reliable, trusted information has come into sharp focus throughout the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, the conflict has also highlighted the spirit of solidarity among EBU Members, with Europe’s public service media community going the extra mile to ensure their colleagues in Ukraine can continue their essential work.
UKRAINE: Ukraine’s struggle to balance media freedom with national security interests
Euractiv: Calls for adherence to journalistic ethics while reporting from Ukraine are increasing amid multiple potential instances of attacks on civilian and military targets that followed the publication of data relating to the targets, but the Ukrainian authorities are struggling to find a balance.
REGIONAL: EBU president and VP re-elected
Broadband TV News: Delphine Ernotte-Cunci and Petr Dvorak have been re-elected to serve a second two-year mandate as president and VP of the executive board at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
REGIONAL: “We Should Side with Democracy:” Why the War in Ukraine is Existential for Baltic Journalists
Nieman Report: Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Baltic states’ independent media reckon with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
ARGENTINA: They highlight the historical struggle of the press union and the role of public media for informational sovereignty (Spanish)
Grupo La Provincia: Political and union leaders, legislators and human rights organizations highlighted the role of the public media in defending the right to communication, four years after the start of what the secretary general of the Argentine Federation of Press Workers ( Fatpren), Carla Gaudensi, defined as a “historic struggle of the press union to defend jobs and information sovereignty”.
BRAZIL: Legal ruling condemns Jair Bolsonaro to compensate journalist Patricia Campos Mello for misogynistic offenses (Spanish)
IFJ: The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, must pay 35,000 reais (approximately 6,700 dollars) in compensation to the communicator Patricia Campos Mello of the São Paulo newspaper, for accusing her of obtaining information through sexual favors.
COLOMBIA: Señal Colombia receives an award for “Inclusive Media” at the León Zuleta Awards (Press release – Spanish)
RTVC: Through the LGBT Work Table, the León Zuleta Awards granted this recognition to the RTVC brand for the documentary Les Otres. Another reason for #OrgulloRTVC.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: IAPA concerned about the rise of anti-press freedom bills in the Dominican Republic (23 June)
Sipiapa: The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) expressed concern over several bills in the Dominican Republic that insist on the criminal nature of defamation, including in cyberspace, and overprotect leaders from criticism. All this having a chilling effect on press freedom and journalistic work.
ECUADOR: Attacks on the press were recorded in the framework of the national strike (Spanish)
IFJ: During the 18 days that the national strike in Ecuador was held, the National Federation of Journalists of Ecuador disseminated the data collected by the Communication Council, which reported 83 alerts and 139 journalists and media attacked.
MEXICO: Mexican Journalist Is Shot to Death; 12th So Far This Year
VOA News: A journalist was shot to death Wednesday in northeastern Mexico as he was leaving his house with his 23-year-old daughter, who was seriously injured, according to state prosecutors and the newspaper that employed him.
PERU: THOSE INVESTIGATED ATTACK FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION (Statement – Spanish)
IPYS: IPYS reiterates its rejection of the bill that clearly violates freedom of information approved by the Council of Ministers, which would criminalize journalistic publications on judicial investigations.
TURKS & CAICOS AND BAHAMAS: Flow TCI signs Three Year Deal with Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation ZNS added to Flow TV Channel Line Up
Magnetic Media: Flow TCI, full-service communications and entertainment provider, has announced a three-year partnership with the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB), enabling Flow customers to bring the popular channel ZNS to their Flow TV channel line-up starting in July 2022.
VENEZUELA: IAPA denounces the complicity of private companies in censoring media in Venezuela
Via IFEX: IAPA denounces the collaboration of private telecommunications companies with the Venezuelan government to censor and block online media outlets and to intercept the telephone communications of journalists, opponents, and citizens critical of the regime.
VENEZUELA: Media Freedom Coalition statement on Venezuela (Statement)
Media Freedom Coalition: The undersigned members of the Media Freedom Coalition express their deep concern over the lack of media freedom in Venezuela.
ISRAEL & PALESTINE: Shireen Abu Aqleh: Israeli gunfire probably killed journalist, say US investigators
The Guardian: US investigators believe Israeli army gunfire probably killed the Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, although a forensic analysis of the bullet was inconclusive.
JORDAN: Government imposes more severe restrictions on freedom of expression
GC4HR: Freedom of the press and expression has been limited by the Jordanian government throughout the years with journalists and media organisations facing constant surveillance, similar to neighbouring countries. However, according to research by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jordanian government has been cracking down even more so on journalists by passing new legislation further limiting freedom of expression inside the Kingdom.
The New Arab: Female journalists in Idlib remain steadfast in face of myriad challenges; from regime bombing to oppressive measures imposed by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, to the deeply patriarchal society which rejects women working.
TURKEY: Turkey blocks access to the websites of Voice of America and Deutsche Welle
CNN: Turkey has blocked access to the Turkish websites of foreign media Deutsche Welle and Voice of America, the country’s media watchdog announced on Friday.
TURKEY: Turkey’s ‘Disinformation’ Law Will Devastate Media Freedom, Experts Predict
Balkan Insight: In a Twitter space discussion hosted by Balkan Insight, media experts said Turkey’s new draft ‘disinformation’ law will do huge damage to what remains of media freedom in the country.
TURKEY: Turkey’s latest attempt at online censorship has backfired
TechRadar: Following the news that Turkish authorities blocked German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) on June 30 amid licensing issues, the search for the site has skyrocketed among citizens.
CANADA: CBC NEWS SETS FALL STRATEGY TO BETTER SERVE AUDIENCES ON TELEVISION AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS, INCLUDING THE LAUNCH OF A FREE STREAMING CHANNEL (Press release)
CBC/Radio-Canada: CBC News today announced a new strategic approach to better serve audiences across Canada on both television and digital platforms through an enhanced news offering in the year ahead, including the launch of a free streaming channel.
CANADA: CBC FILMS WILL BRING CANADIAN FEATURES TO WIDE AUDIENCES ACROSS CANADA EACH WEEKEND FROM JULY-OCTOBER ON CBC TV AND CBC GEM (Press release)
CBC/Radio-Canada: Today CBC Films announced the lineup of exceptional Canadian features that will be available for free to wide audiences across Canada on CBC TV and CBC Gem each weekend from July to October, with several acclaimed titles having their Canadian network or broadcast premieres.
CANADA: CRTC sides with Black Montrealer over use of N-word on Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada: A Black Montrealer hopes Radio-Canada will do a better job of considering his community’s reality after the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ordered the public broadcaster to apologize in writing for the use of the N-word on its airwaves.
US: Abortion misinformation in the United States of America (Watch)
Al Jazeera: The criminalisation of abortion in the US comes after a decades long misinformation campaign by Christian media and the far right.
US: Does Justice Clarence Thomas want to overturn a landmark freedom of the press ruling? (Opinion)
The Guardian: On Monday, the supreme court justice issued a worrying signal about his commitment to maintaining press freedoms.
US: NPR & Edison Research: Smart Speaker Ownership Reaches 35% of Americans (Press release – 16 June)
NPR: NPR and Edison Research released the 2022 Smart Audio Report today, showcasing the ubiquity of voice technology in the U.S. The Report highlights the increased usage of voice technology, with 35% of Americans 18+ now owning a smart speaker.
US: NPR board passes ambitious plan to expand digital fundraising, podcast subscript
Current: The NPR board of directors approved an ambitious plan Friday for the network and its member stations to work together on a host of new digital initiatives, including a forthcoming podcast subscription bundle tied to station membership.
US: Survey Captures Public Media Coverage of State Government in all 50 States (22 June)
CPB: Public media stations in all 50 states provide original state government reporting at least weekly when the legislature is in session, and stations in 31 states have increased this coverage to fill the void left by the decline of local newspapers, according to a recent study commissioned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
As free expression slides and authoritarianism grows, how do we reclaim democracy? (Report)
ARTICLE 19: ARTICLE 19’s Global Expression Report for 2022 reveals a bleak picture: Only 15% of the world’s population – or around 1 in every 7 people – live in countries where they can seek, receive, or share information freely and safely. More alarmingly still, the level of democracy enjoyed by the rest of us is back to where it was in 1989.
Hype is a weaponized form of optimism
Nieman Lab: If you believe the headlines, we’ve been living through a decade of historic technological breakthroughs.
Report: Freedom of expression restricted or in crisis for 80% of global population
Press Gazette: Freedom of expression has declined around the world and has, in part, facilitated Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to free speech campaigners.
Rise of disinformation a symptom of ‘global diseases’ undermining public trust: Bachelet
UN News: Societies everywhere are beset by “global diseases” including systemic inequality which have helped fuel a rise in disinformation, or the deliberate spreading of falsehoods, said the UN human rights chief on Tuesday, addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The Everything Virus: Two years of journalists scrambling to make sense of an ever-changing pandemic
Columbia Journalism Review: In early March 2020, Jon Cohen, a veteran journalist who covers infectious diseases for Science magazine, and his wife, Shannon, were debating whether to go to a dinner party at a friend’s house in San Diego, where they live.
The media’s blind spot: Socioeconomic diversity
Journalism.co.uk: While the rest of the world is sitting up and taking note of how class and financial exclusion impacts their work, journalism is stuck in its ways.
Thomson Reuters Foundation, Google’s Jigsaw, Twitter Take Steps to Protect Journalists
AdWeek: New tool TRFilter helps them detect and flag harmful comments and threats, as well as block, mute or save comments at scale.
Transforming how broadcasters serve their audiences: ABU-Rai Days
Radioinfo: In Rome this week, broadcasters from Asia and Europe are getting together to swap experiences and explore how broadcasters are transforming to serve their audiences in the new digital environment.
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