Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.
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ALGERIA: Tunisian Reuters and TRT journalists detained, expelled during Algeria protests
CPJ
EGYPT: Egypt’s Soap Opera Clampdown Extends el-Sisi’s Iron Grip to TV
The New York Times: In his desire to wield sweeping power, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt has suppressed politics, cowed the media and jailed legions of opponents.
ETHIOPIA: New era for Ethiopia’s journalists
RSF: On the first anniversary of Abiy Ahmed’s installation as prime minister, Ethiopia no longer has any journalists in prison and hundreds of previously banned media outlets are now permitted.
GAMBIA: Gambian Authorities Withdraw Intrusive Screening for Accreditation of Journalists
MFWA: A controversial policy to subject journalists covering the Presidency to intensive security screening has been withdrawn following a backlash from the media.
GUINEA BISSAU: Guinea-Bissau radio station closed on provincial governor’s orders
RSF: The branch of Africa FM in the city of Bafatá, 150 km east of the capital, Bissau, was closed by police yesterday morning on governor Dundu Sambu’s order
SOUTH AFRICA: ACM’s case against SABC dismissed with costs
SABC News: Judge Willem Van Der Linde has dismissed the African Content Movement’s (ACM) case against the SABC with costs. The ACM had brought an urgent application in the High Court in Johannesburg, to compel the SABC to broadcast its manifesto live in Durban on Saturday.
SOUTH AFRICA: Political parties criticise SABC on election coverage
SABC News: The ATM, BLF and the ACM say the public broadcaster is tasked with protecting democracy by exposing the public to the views of new parties.
TANZANIA: Speaker’s Order Undermines Media Freedom Says Mct
Via All Africa: The Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) on Thursday, April 4, said the decision by the Speaker of the National Assembly Job Ndugai to bar journalists from interviewing MPs, who walked out of the debate chamber was an infringement of media freedom.
WEST AFRICA: FOE Situation in West Africa: Assaults, Detentions Blight March 2019
MFWA: Five journalists and two bloggers were detained in five incidents in the turbulent month of March 2019, which also saw four journalists assaulted in two separate incidents in West Africa.
ZAMBIA: How China got a huge stake in Zambia’s media
Deutsche Welle: Many Zambians claim that China is taking over some of their government’s key institutions – but which ones and how true is it? DW looks into the digital migration project which gave a Chinese media conglomerate a huge stake in Zambia’s national broadcaster.
CHINA: ‘We are a tech company’: how the South China Morning Post is rethinking the future of media
The Drum: The South Morning China Post (SCMP) now sees itself as a product technology company that trades in truth, according to the publisher’s chief operating officer.
HONG KONG: New extradition law would enable China to capture journalists in Hong Kong, warns media watchdog
HKFP: The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has said that an update to Hong Kong’s extradition laws could enable China to get hold of journalists in Hong Kong with all kinds of unfounded charges, and bring an end to the limited freedom of speech that Hong Kong still enjoys.
KYRGYZSTAN:The Teenage Investigative Reporters Taking on Corruption in Kyrgyzstan
GIJN
INDIA: Modi TV, Modi app, Modi rallies: How brand Modi plays in Indian election
Reuters: If Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins this spring’s general election, as is widely expected, it will also be another massive victory for the marketing machine created to amplify Brand Modi into every Indian living room.
INDIA: India a major market for the podcast industry but lacks awareness
Money Control: A podcast show by Cyrus Broacha now has its own official skill on Amazon Alexa
INDIA: WhatsApp: The ‘black hole’ of fake news in India’s election
BBC: WhatsApp, India’s most popular messaging platform, has become a vehicle for misinformation and propaganda ahead of the upcoming election. The Facebook-owned app has announced new measures to fight this but experts say the scale of the problem is overwhelming.
JAPAN: ITV Studios, Oxford Scientific, NHK team for 4K natural history
Rapid TV News: The distribution arm of ITV, ITV Studios Global Entertainment and its subsidiary, Oxford Scientific Films (OSF), a producer of natural history, factual and science content are teaming with Japanese public broadcaster NHK on a new 4K natural history programme.
JAPAN: NHK’s first 8K Broadcasting System to be displayed at NAB
Broadband TV News: Four months after NHK debuted the world’s first 8K broadcasts, the Japanese public broadcaster is taking its 8K satellite broadcasting system to NAB 2018 in Vegas.
JAPAN: NHK WORLD-JAPAN gains nationwide cable carriage in Germany
Rapid TV News: The 24-hour international English-language channel from Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK WORLD-JAPAN has launched on Vodafone Deutschland, Germany’s largest cable operator.
JAPAN: Public broadcaster to reinstate former exec with close ties to Abe administration
The Mainichi: Public broadcaster NHK has decided to reinstate former executive director Yuji Itano, whose close ties to the government have been called into question, in an extremely rare move, those close to the broadcaster said.
The Kathmandu Post: Amid a series of moves at controlling news publishers and limiting access to information, the government now has moved a step further which, stakeholders say, is in violation of the country’s constitution.
PAKISTAN: Proposed media regulator provokes strong criticism in Pakistan
CPJ: Pakistani journalists are a fractious lot. The unions have split into competing factions. TV networks snap at each other on air. So it takes something really threatening to prompt journalists to come to a common point of view.
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s ‘fake news’ laws upset tech giants and stoke censorship fears
The Japan Times: Tech giants have reacted with horror after Singapore proposed laws against “fake news” allowing authorities to order the removal of content and impose hefty fines, in what critics say is an assault on free speech.
SOUTH KOREA: ‘Provide sign language in live disaster reports’
The Korea Times: Activists calling for disabled people’s rights rallied in front of the National Human Rights Commission building in downtown Seoul, Tuesday, calling on the country’s news broadcasters to provide proper sign language interpretation ― especially at times of crisis.
TAIWAN: RSF calls on the UN again to accredit Taiwanese journalists
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls again on the United Nations to authorise Taiwanese journalists and media to cover its events, including the World Health Assembly in Geneva by the end of May.
AUSTRALIA: Australia passes social media law penalising platforms for violent content
The Guardian: Labor supports legislation in response to Christchurch shooting that threatens jail for executives, despite media companies’ concerns.
AUSTRALIA: Forty years in public broadcasting — what has and hasn’t changed (Opinion)
ABC: By editorial director Alan Sunderland
AUSTRALIA: Netflix won’t tell Australian stories. We need the ABC for that, says Mark Scott
The Guardian: Reality TV is a poor relation to telling Australian stories the way drama does, former ABC managing director warns
AUSTRALIA: NZ shooter videos media probe continues
9News: The Australian communications watchdog is yet to determine whether broadcasters breached media rules by showing some video footage of the Christchurch mosques shooting.
AUSTRALIA: The ABC didn’t receive a reprieve in the budget. It’s still facing staggering cuts
The Conversation: Despite some reprieve in the 2019 federal budget, the ABC is still in dire financial straits. More job losses and a reduction in services remain on the agenda.
FIJI: Fijian apology versus media freedom (Audio)
RNZ: Media commentator Gavin Ellis talks to Kathryn about the Fiji Prime Minister’s apology to three wrongfully-detained New Zealand journalists, claiming it rings hollow when it comes from the man responsible for the dire state of media freedom in Fiji.
FIJI: Fiji: Three New Zealand journalists freed, following arrest
IFJ: They were arrested after they tried to interview a Chinese resort developer accused of environmental desecration of an island in the Mamanucas.
NEW ZEALAND: Social media advertising ban appears to be over(Audio)
RNZ: A voluntary ban on advertising on Facebook in the wake of the live-streamed Christchurch mosque shootings appears to be over for some advertisers.
BOSNIA: Changes to Bosnian Serb Public Order Law Worry Journalists
Balkan Insight: Independent media in Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity fear planned amendments to the public order law will restrict them in their work and hamper freedom of expression in general.
FRANCE: Arte mobilizes to defend its specificity in public broadcasting (France)
Les Echos: The president of the European economic interest group, in charge of the television channel’s programming, wrote to the Minister of Culture, fearing that Arte’s independence would be jeopardized. Internally, the concern is intense.
FRANCE: Public broadcasting: the interparliamentary group on the visibility of Overseas territories proposes to establish quotas (French)
FranceInfo: The interparliamentary report on Overseas Territories’ Visibility in the Public Broadcasting Sector proposes setting quotas and planning for sanctions in the event of non-compliance.
FRANCE: Public media: The president of the CSA is for a “dedicated, durable, and stable” funding (French)
CB News: The president of the Superior Council of the Audio-Visual sector, (CSA) Roch-Olivier Maistre, defended again Monday the maintenance of a dedicated, perennial and stable funding for the public service, and for the good health of all the French audiovisual sector, whereas a minister recently proposed to remove the TV license fee.
FRANCE: The Court of Auditors deplores a “waste” at the EC public broadcasting (French)
Le Journal du Dimanche: The Court of Auditors delivered a very strict report on the management of social and cultural activities at France Télévisions, Radio France and INA. It points to a “waste of public resources” which goes “to the detriment of employees”.
NiemanLab: “How Origo, a website staffed by pro-government flunkies, will help Hungarian journalism ‘thrive’ is hard to imagine.”
IRELAND: RTÉ’s Irish language output ‘seriously deficient’ – Languages Commissioner
RTÉ: The Official Languages Commissioner, An Coimisinéir Teanga has said RTÉ is “seriously deficient” in the amount of Irish language television programming it produces and it is in breach of the language provisions of the Broadcasting Act 2009.
ITALY: Italy’s migrant beat beset with smear campaigns, harassment
CPJ: The online harassment of journalists, especially those covering politicized issues such as migration, has worsened in Italy since a populist, anti-immigrant coalition comprising the Five Star Movement and the far-right party Lega came to power in elections last year.
LATVIA: LTV executives quit before taking up their positions
LTV: Two people named to senior positions within Latvian Television (LTV, part of the same public broadcast organization as LSM) said April 8 that they would not be taking up their jobs after all.
NORWAY: Digital radio listening on the rise in Norway
Advanced Television: In December 2017, Norway became the first country in the world to switch off national FM radio. The aim was to provide a better radio offering to listeners and create a sustainable position for radio in the face of rising competition from digital media and online services.
RUSSIA: Russia: IFJ Voices Concerns over New Law on Fake News, Respect for State, Officials and Society
IFJ: Under this law, the “flagrant” disrespect for the state, public authorities, official symbols and society can result in fines of up to 300,000 roubles (US $ 4600) and imprisonment for up to 15 days while the publication of “fake news” can be punished with fines up to 1.5 million roubles.
CPJ: The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Russian parliament to drop legislative amendments that would ban the distribution of foreign print media in the country without government permission.
IFJ: Following calls for anti-government protests at the Serbian private TV Pink offices, the International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) today joined their Serbian affiliates NUNS, UNS and SINOS in urging protesters to refrain from all forms of violence against journalists and appealing to all stakeholders to ensure journalists’ safety and the protection of the media’s property.
SLOVAKIA: Calls for Slovakia’s new president to respect press freedom
CPJ: The letter called on Čaputová, a lawyer and anti-corruption civil rights activist who was elected Slovakia’s first female president on March 30, to use her authority to ensure the safety of journalists in light of increasing rhetoric against the press, including verbal attacks by former Prime Minister Robert Fico.
SPAIN: The RTVE News Councils are committed to the public contest (Spanish)
infoLibre: They affirm in a statement that after the general elections, the process to choose a new direction with objective criteria of merit, trajectory and ability must be retaken.
SPAIN: The workers of RTVE’s technical areas in Madrid vote in favor of going on strike on the closing date of the electoral campaign (Spain)
infoLibre: They claim to recover the amortized positions, new hirings and to halt external hirings
UK: BBC News staff told not to tweet personal views after LGBT debate
The Guardian: Email from director of news comes after some staffers publicly complained about BBC coverage
UK: BBC Triggers Its Brexit Plan In Order to Keep Broadcasting to the EU
Bloomberg: The BBC is moving some of its broadcast licenses to the Netherlands so it can keep transmitting across the European Union in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to people familiar with the matter.
UK: How one bereaved son is helping to change how family killings are reported
The Guardian: Now, after a year of campaigning, Hart is forcing a change to guidelines on media coverage that will encourage a greater accuracy in reporting domestic homicides.
UK: Social media bosses could be liable for harmful content, leaked UK plan reveals
The Guardian: Exclusive: Long-awaited government white paper proposes regulator to enforce duty of care and fine offenders
UK: Stories by numbers: How BBC News is experimenting with semi-automated journalism
BBC News Labs via Medium: BBC News Labs’ Roo Hutton explains how we’re experimenting with semi-automated journalism to bring you even more relevant local stories.
UKRAINE: Ukrainian broadcaster announces start of talks with presidential candidates over debates
UNIAN: Both candidates have agreed to hold the debates, the broadcaster chief said.
REGIONAL: The Impressive State of Investigative Reporting in the Baltics
GIJN: “Even with large Russian-speaking populations situated smack in the middle of the Russian-funded propaganda and disinformation zone, the countries are showing rigorous development in investigative reporting, which has grown in popularity since Russia’s 2014 invasion into Ukraine.”
BRAZIL: Bills in Brazilian Congress propose classification of violence against journalists as heinous crime
Journalism in the Americas: In Brazil, one of the ten countries with the highest rate of impunity in crimes against journalists worldwide, three bills underway in Congress propose to toughen the criminal treatment of perpetrators of violence against journalists and press professionals.
COLOMBIA: National Television Board approves $ 7.6 billion for special public TV projects (Spanish)
Conexion Capital: The National Television Board, JNTV, approved resources for the financing of 24 special projects for Colombian Public TV for more than $ 7.6 billion pesos that will benefit eight regional channels.
COLOMBIA: New resources for public television (Spanish)
LaFM: More than 29 billion pesos will be used to strengthen the sector.
JAMAICA: RJRGLEANER Group announces management changes
RJR News
MEXICO: Aggression against journalists on the rise in Mexico
Los Angeles Times: Being a journalist is one of the most dangerous occupations in Mexico and the situation is on the rise with a journalist attacked every 16 hours and 99 percent of the cases going unpunished, the press freedom group Article 19 said Tuesday.
IFEX: Arbitrary detentions, physical and verbal repression, threats, closures of facilities, thefts of equipment and even ostensible kidnappings…
VENEZUELA: Uncertainty and risk for journalists stranded at Venezuelan border
CPJ
SAUDI ARABIA: At least four more journalists arrested in Saudi crackdown
CPJ: The four journalists were among at least 12 activists and writers detained by Saudi authorities on April 4, according to The Associated Press and the London-based human rights organization Al-Qst.
YEMEN: Rights violations against journalists continue in Yemen
Middle East Monitor: The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) has announced that there were at least 28 documented rights violations against its members during the first three months of 2019, Anadolu reported on Monday.
CANADA: Canada mulls crackdown on social media firms unless they do more to combat election meddling
Reuters: The world’s major social media companies are not doing enough to help Canada combat potential foreign meddling in this October’s elections and the government might have to regulate them, the cabinet minister in charge of ensuring a fair vote said on Monday.
CANADA: The Faces of Inclusion
CBC/Radio-Canada: In June 2018, colleagues across the country participated in 53 local events to exchange perspectives about and highlight our corporate value of inclusiveness.
CANADA: What does the media get right, wrong, and how it can improve telling Indigenous stories
CBC News: Turtle Island Reads is an initiative celebrating stories written by and about Indigenous peoples.
NiemanLab
US: Georgia House Republicans file bill to create state Journalism Ethics Board
AJC: A group of House Republican lawmakers filed legislation this week to create a state Journalism Ethics Board to develop “canons of ethics” for journalists in Georgia.
GPB Media: Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) today announced the extension of its 19-year partnership with Discovery Education, the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.
US: New PBS policy will locally limit national content on station’s digital platforms (Paywall)
Current: PBS will soon prevent member stations from digitally distributing national content beyond their broadcast service areas, which the network says will help avoid viewer confusion and strengthen station brands.
US: These two major investigations reveal the power dynamics in American media and politics
Poynter
Between ‘swarms’ and ‘security’: How media report on migration (Watch)
Aljazeera: A Listening Post special on migration and the media’s role in framing this era-defining story.
NiemanLab: “The relationship between us and the publishers is different in a surface where we’re showing the content on the basis of its being high-quality, trustworthy content.”
Lessons in newsroom innovation from Perugia
Journalism.co.uk: Innovators from the Financial Times, CNN, NRK and RISJ shared their knowledge of how to kickstart deep, lasting changes inside news organisations
Old, Online, And Fed On Lies: How An Aging Population Will Reshape The Internet
BuzzFeed News: Older people play an outsized role in civic life. They also are more likely to be online targets for misinformation and hyperpartisan rhetoric.
Taking local news to the really local level: Using location data to deliver relevant local news
NiemanLab: “We were glad to see hundreds of people install the app and also give it permission to access their location and motion.”
To reach a wider audience, expand fact-checking to broadcast news
IJNEt
Tools for teaching media literacy
IJNET: Unsure how to make your students more news fluent? We created this list of seven educator resources to help students become better information consumers and sharers.
When social media audiences are not interested in facts, how can journalists report the truth?
Journalism.co.uk
Why we’re making the age of our journalism clearer at the Guardian
The Guardian: To improve transparency and contextualise our journalism accurately even off platform, we’ve introduced two specific changes
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Header image: TV-Studio. Credits: freie-kreation/istock.
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