Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world
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What is...
Our weekly explainers for key public media terms, phrases and values.
Week 43: What does PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM look like?
Public interest journalism is essential for the establishment of a safe, healthy, and fully-functioning democracy. It supports civic life through rigorous, independent, and truth-speaking reporting that places the well-being of society at the heart of its work. Public interest journalism is not about reporting what the public may want to know, but rather what they need to know. As such, it is a core tenet of public service media in fulfilling their obligations to uphold democracy and accountability in the name of the public they serve. As organisations that do not necessarily rely on clicks for revenue, PSMs are well placed to carry out this important function. The BBC’s recognition of this was integral to the establishment of the Local Democracy Reporting Service. But determining what constitutes public interest journalism is not always straightforward, and it may involve journalists engaging with serious ethical considerations such as one’s right to privacy, or potential harms such as national security risks. Public interest journalism can look like The Pandora Papers, a collaborative journalism project that exposed the financial secrets of former and current world leaders. It can also look like investigative journalism work – such as those from recent Nobel Peace Prize laureates Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov – that expose corruption and abuses of power, highlight social inequalities, and provide a platform for debate and civic engagement. While working in the public interest is already embedded in public service media values, it is essential that more media outlets take on a similar mandate.
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Coronavirus: Resources & best practices
Essential resources for sourcing and reporting news about the coronavirus pandemic
What we're watching...
By/With/For Youth: Inspiring Next Gen Public Media Audiences
Joan Ganz Cooney Center: “Today the Cooney Center is announcing an ambitious new phase of By/With/For Youth: Inspiring Next Gen Public Media Audiences, an effort to support public media stations around the country as they work to engage tweens and teens. In partnership with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the project aims to help stations to support the creation of meaningful content by, with, and for young people, and to help public media meet the unique educational, community, and civic needs of today’s youth.”
Attacks on journalists are increasing (German)
ZDF: Journalists are increasingly being attacked verbally or physically at demonstrations and other public events. Why is that and how do journalists deal with it?
What we're listening to...
Climate change reporters share the challenges of covering Argentina, South Africa, the Philippines
WBUR: Journalists around the world continue to face challenges translating the science and urgency of climate change. Here & Now’s Robin Young convenes a roundtable of reporters from Argentina, South Africa and the Philippines to hear about the stories top of mind on their beats — from sea level rise to drought — as world leaders meet for COP26 in Glasgow.
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Global Headlines
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DRC: 110 journalists attacked in DR Congo since January 2021
Africa News: The International journalist organization known as the journalist en danger (JED), has alleged 110 journos have been attacked in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the beginning of this year.
EGYPT: Billboards advertising Al Jazeera reappear in Egypt
Middle East Monitor: Several pictures of billboards advertising Al Jazeera are back in the streets of Cairo and are circulating around social media.
GHANA: Media owners and regulators urged to promote safety of female journalists in Ghana
GBC: Research shows an upsurge in attacks that undermine the safety and security of female journalists in particular across the world. The situation in West Africa and Ghana is no different.
KENYA: Spacecom adds Kenya DTT from AMOS-17
Advanced Television: Israel-based satellite operator Spacecom has won a contract from the Kenya Broadcast Corp’s Signet DTT service.
MALAWI: MBC launches sexual harassment policy (22 October)
Malawi 24: Following evidence that its former Director General sexually harassed women, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has launched a Sexual Harassment Workplace Policy.
NAMIBIA: NBC, NAMCOL sign agreement to air educational programmes
NBC: The Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) signed a three-year agreement to air educational content on the NBC radio, television and multi-media platforms.
NIGERIA: BON Wants Broadcasters – Not Local Government – To Collect Radio And TV Licence Fees
Broadcast Media Africa: The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) has advocated for launching a legislative process that will restore the collection of local radio and television licence fees to broadcasters instead of Local Government Councils.
SIERRA LEONE: Sierra Leone: Media, security agencies sign MOU to enhance cooperation for safety of journalists
MFWA: Media stakeholders in Sierra Leone have climaxed a roundtable discussion with all the security agencies in the country with the signing of an MOU to enhance cooperation and mutual understanding in order to promote the safety of journalists.
SOMALIA: Somalia remains most dangerous for journalists as threats rise globally
The East African: Violence, state impunity and threats to journalists appear to go hand in hand, according to new findings by a press freedom lobby.
SOUTH AFRICA: The media (just about) got election coverage right, but challenges remain
The Daily Maverick: This week we focus on the role of our media in an election period, including some strengths and some weaknesses, in order to highlight how important the media is to free and fair elections.
SUDAN: Press freedom under siege after military coup in Sudan
RSF: What with journalists being arrested, state media placed under military control and the Internet disconnected, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the clampdown by the armed forces in Sudan and its serious consequences for the freedom to report the news and for access to information.
TANZANIA: Hopes Fade in Tanzania for Greater Press Freedom Under Hassan
World Politics Review
ZIMBABWE: Journalists reaffirm co-regulation of the media as way forward
MISA: “Self-regulation of the media was at the “core” of securing a conducive operating environment and improving professionalism in the media sector”.
ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe’s Digitisation Switch-Over Project Is Floundering As Govt. Struggles To Raise Funds
Broadcast Media Africa: The government of Zimbabwe’s failure to release funding timeously in the country’s digitisation project, which aims to speed up the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, has caused the project to be four years behind schedule.
REGIONAL: Media Freedom Group Calls on SADC Countries to Repeal Internet Laws
VOA: Advocates for media freedom say nations in the Southern Africa Regional Bloc, SADC, are enacting restrictive cyber laws that have a chilling effect on journalism and freedom of expression.
AFGHANISTAN: Journalists shot, beaten, and detained in Afghanistan (2 November)
CPJ: The Taliban must thoroughly and swiftly investigate the attacks on Afghan journalists Abdul Khaliq Hussaini and Alireza Sharifi and the beating and detention of Zahidullah Husainkhil.
AFGHANISTAN: UN lauds courage of Afghan journalists, calls for end to crimes against them
ANI News
CHINA: China accused of blocking media access to Winter Olympics
The Guardian: Foreign media say authorities have blocked requests for access and harassed reporters.
CHINA: Chinese state firm weighs bid to take over SCMP from Alibaba (Paywall)
Bloomberg
CHINA: Jailed Wuhan journalist Zhang Zhan nominated for RSF press freedom award
The Guardian: The detained Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan has been nominated for a Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom award for courage, recognising her work reporting from Wuhan in the early weeks of the pandemic.
HONG KONG: Almost half of journalists considering leaving Hong Kong, citing decline in press freedom – survey
HKFP: Working conditions have markedly worsened for journalists in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed its national security law for the city last June, an anonymous survey conducted by the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) has found.
HKFP: Beijing has expressed “strong disapproval” of a survey by Hong Kong’s foreign press club showing growing challenges for reporters under the national security law.
INDIA: COVID and Indian media’s credibility crisis | Context India (Watch)
Al Jazeera: When COVID-19 hit India, it tested all of the country’s institutions, exposing deep flaws in some sectors – especially the vast media sphere. That is the focus of the third episode of Context India.
CPJ: On October 27, India’s Supreme Court ordered a “thorough inquiry” into the government’s alleged use of Pegasus spyware to monitor journalists and others by secretly surveilling their cell phones.
INDIA: Press Freedom and the Indian Judiciary
Unbias the News: Article 19 of the Indian Constitution declares: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” But threats to the press continue despite this constitutional guarantee.
KAZAKHSTAN: As press freedom shrinks in Kazakhstan, journalists are standing up for civil liberties
Waging Nonviolence: Following Russia’s lead, the autocratic Kazakh government is moving to control social media, forcing journalists to defend their profession.
MYANMAR: Junta Adds Tougher Penalties to Myanmar Broadcast Law
VOA: Myanmar’s military council has amended the country’s broadcasting law in a move that rights groups and lawyers say will further restrict the media.
PAKISTAN: National Assembly approves journalist protection bill
Geo: The bill paves way to establish an independent commission for the protection of journalists and media professionals.
PAKISTAN: TV channels directed to flash political map of Pakistan before 9pm bulletins
Dawn: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has directed all public and private TV channels to flash the political map of Pakistan before airing news bulletins at 9pm.
PAKISTAN: Website launched to highlight violence against media
Dawn: The Pakistan Journalists Memorial is an EFS project that aims to highlight atrocities committed against media professionals in Pakistan, as well as recognise the contribution and sacrifice of the brave individuals who lost their lives in the line of duty.
PHILIPPINES: Death of reporter in Philippines highlights dangerous conditions for journalists (Listen)
NPR: NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks with former investigative reporter Sheila Coronel about the sometimes deadly conditions that journalists in the Philippines work under.
PHILIPPINES: Media freedom is the lifeblood of Philippine democracy — and it’s under threat
East Asia Forum: If there’s a silver lining for the Philippines’ beleaguered democracy, it’s that its increasingly autocratic president, Rodrigo Duterte, is limited to a single six-year term by the country’s constitution.
TAIWAN: Google endows fact check hub
Taipei Times: Taiwan FactCheck Center chairman Hu Yuan-hui said that media literacy is more important than ever in times of COVID-19 disinformation.
AUSTRALIA: ABC managing director David Anderson announces funding injection for regional bureaus
ABC News: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has unveiled plans for major investment in rural and regional journalism.
AUSTRALIA: Australian journalism needs more than better protection, it needs better standards
The Conversation: Regulation is fragmented, and the Press Council is short of funds.
AUSTRALIA: Twitter says any move by Australia to ban anonymous accounts would not reduce abuse
The Guardian: Any move by the Australian government to crack down on anonymous accounts on Twitter would be ineffective and fail to reduce the amount of abuse on the platform, the social media firm has said.
AUSTRALIA & US: America’s public broadcasters are thriving – here’s what Australian media can learn from them
The Conversation: Contrary to what some think, US public broadcasters are well-funded. Public radio stations bring in US$1.3 billion in annual revenue – most of it generated from their audience.
FIJI: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation Achieves 100% Vax Target
Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union: With all its staff being fully vaccinated, FBC hosted its Diwali celebrations marking the festival of lights.
NEW ZEALAND: Asian creatives and women directors under-represented in local screen projects (Press release)
NZ On Air: Asian creatives and female directors continue to be under-represented in locally made screen content, according to a recent NZ On Air study.
NEW ZEALAND: Avoiding the mistakes of the past in trans rights coverage (Listen)
RNZ: During the homosexual law reform campaign 35 years ago plenty of inflammatory, derogatory and sometimes downright bigoted portrayals of gay people were published and aired in our media. … Are our media repeating the same mistakes reporting controversies over transgender peoples’ rights today?
NEW ZEALAND: Facebook ‘support’ for NZ media won’t include paying for content
Stuff: Meta, formerly Facebook, has said it won’t be paying New Zealand news publishers for their content and has instead offered to run training programmes to “support” the local media industry.
NEW ZEALAND: Rising to the challenge of creating better media content for Asian New Zealanders (Press release)
NZ On Air: NZ On Air is seeking support from media content creators and media platforms to better serve the needs of Asian New Zealanders, following new research.
REGIONAL: New USP research paper explores journalism culture in the region
Asia Pacific Report: What are the views of Pacific journalists on professional ethical issues and what pressures affect their work? What is the age, experience, qualifications and gender breakdown of the Pacific journalist corps?
ALBANIA: The struggles of Albania’s 30-year-old media landscape
IPI: Anti-defamation package and new information agency pose fresh challenges.
BELARUS: Belsat TV’s followers are ‘extremist’, says Belarus’ Interior Ministry
Euronews: Citizens who subscribe to Belsat’s social media channels are liable for prosecution, the ministry said.
BELARUS: Government moves to stamp out remaining independent media
IPI: International community must not lose focus on severity of crackdown.
DENMARK: New organization for DR’s collaboration with external producers (Press release – Danish)
DR: DR’s new digital development plan sets the direction for digital development DR in the coming years.
FINLAND: Yle expands election co-operation – tailor-made service will be piloted in regional elections (Press release – Finnish)
Yle: Yle’s co-operation with commercial media will expand in the regional elections in 2022. In addition to the election machine, Yle is now, for the first time, also offering a results service for the use of a commercial media partner.
FINLAND: Yle strengthens Finnish culture – the new Culture Gala celebrates culture from side to side
Yle: During the Korona period, Yle’s role as a strengthening of Finnish society and culture has been emphasized. Held for the first time with partners, the Cultural Gala will reward Finnish culture after an exceptional period.
FRANCE: FranceTV Publicité has broadcast more than 100 segmented TV campaigns (French)
CB-News: One year after the broadcast of the first addressed TV spots, FranceTV Publicité took stock of segmented TV.
FRANCE: Presidential election 2022: continuous news channels in the face of extremist speeches (French)
Le Monde: While the most radical comments and the buzz attract an ever-increasing audience, the editors fear giving too much visibility to figures like that of Eric Zemmour.
GERMANY: 25 years of ARD / ZDF online study (Press release)
ZDF: After the Corona low, on-the-go usage increases again / streaming and the media libraries continue to ensure more media usage on the Internet
GERMANY: Attacks on journalists are increasing (Watch – German)
ZDF: Journalists are increasingly being attacked verbally or physically at demonstrations and other public events. Why is that and how do journalists deal with it?
GERMANY: RSF files lawsuits against spying on journalists by German intelligence agencies
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Germany has initiated legal action against the German intelligence agencies with the aim of curtailing their ability to hack into journalists’ digital communications and thereby spy on their activities.
GREECE: Greece’s Proposed Law Threatens Press Freedom
Byline Times: Increasingly, right-wing and authoritarian governments are taking action to stop the spread of disinformation – while using fake news themselves to sow distrust and entrench power.
HUNGARY: Hungarian Fact-checking Site to Be Set Up with European Commission’s Support (28 October)
Hungary Today: With the support of the European Commission, Magyar Jeti Zrt, publisher of 444.hu and Qubit, is launching a Hungarian fact-checking site in cooperation with French news agency AFP. The project is set to combat fake news and misinformation and aims to reinforce media literacy.
ITALY: Italian prosecutor’s claims against Guardian reporter flagged by human rights watchdog
The Guardian: Calogero Ferrara’s libel suits against Lorenzo Tondo marked as potential intimidation on Council of Europe ‘safety platform’.
KOSOVO: Kosovo Pressed to Secure Journalists’ Safety After Attacks in North
Balkan Insight: After Wednesday’s attacks on journalists by Serb protesters in northern Kosovo, the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, AJK, says it is pressing Kosovo’s authorities to guarantee journalists’ safety in such critical situations.
POLAND: Polish state-owned giants seek to take over national daily
The First News: The state-owned oil and gas firm PKN Orlen and insurance company PZU have been in talks to take over Gremi Media, publisher of the national newspaper Rzeczpospolita and the capital markets daily Parkiet, a news portal has reported.
ROMANIA: Romanian Parties Splash State Cash on Media and PR
The Balkan Insight: New data show Romania’s two main parties are spending more than half of their state subsidies on media and ‘propaganda’, trying to guarantee themselves a good press.
ROMANIA: Unlocking the crisis from TVR and Radio Romania (Romanian)
Adevarul: The main parties in the Parliament want to speed up the resolution of the situations from TVR and Radio Romania, institutions left without management and where salaries can no longer be paid.
RUSSIA: Russia Ups Pressure on Independent Media
VOA: Russia is increasing pressure on independent Russian media by legislating the systematic labeling of many of them as “foreign agents,” a category that in Russia is historically associated with the idea of “enemies of the state.”
SERBIA: Serbia’s Vucic Dismisses Critical Congressional Letter About Corruption, Media Freedom
RFE/RL: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has dismissed a letter written by several U.S. lawmakers criticizing the growth of corruption and decline of media freedom in the Balkan nation during his leadership.
SLOVENIA: Public and commercial broadcasters join forces against Covid
STA: In an unprecedented move, Slovenia’s public broadcaster and the biggest commercial TV company have joined forces to air a joint programme on Covid-19 in a bid to help find a solution amid the worsening crisis.
SLOVENIA: Slovenian Press Agency wins funding reprieve — for now
Politico: The Slovenian Press Agency (STA) has signed an agreement with the country’s government communication office which will allow it to access state funding this year, amounting to a reprieve in a dispute which has fuelled concerns about the independence of the press in Slovenia.
SPAIN: RTVE will stop entering 170 million euros with the new Audiovisual Law (Spanish)
El Confidencial Digital: Large telcos will no longer have to pay the fee and the new platforms will not cover even 10% of the money that the Corporation received.
SPAIN: Spain’s RTVE continues to lose ground
Broadband TV News: Slightly more than half (54%) of Spaniards watched one of publicly owned RTVE’s channels as of the second quarter this year.
SWEDEN: A TV house for the future (Blog – Swedish)
SVT: In the TV house at Gärdet in Stockholm, lots of fantastic TV has been produced since the late 60s. We are now streamlining the house by reducing the space and creating a work environment that is adapted to modern TV production.
SWEDEN: Aspirant programme on SVT News (Press release – Swedish)
SVT: The purpose of the aspirant program is to develop talents that can contribute to the independent news journalism of the future and provide more perspectives to the audience.
SWEDEN: Three nominations for Swedish Radio for the Stora Journalistpriset (Press release – Swedish)
Sveriges Radio: Six of Sveriges Radio’s employees are among the nominees for the Grand Journalist Award 2021. The documentary series “The disloyal care assistant” and “Vipeholmsanstalten” are nominated as Narrator of the Year and “Bank leaks” in the Innovator of the Year category.
SWEDEN: Today, this year’s nominations for the prestigious Grand Journalist Award were revealed. Lilla Aktuellt (SVT / UR) are nominated in the category Innovator of the Year (Press release – Swedish)
UR: At a time when the audience has access to an endless range and where the competition for time has never been greater, Lilla Aktuellt has changed and managed to get more 8- to 12-year-olds to choose news in new formats on different platforms.
UK: Battle under way over ministers’ attempts to silence journalists
The Independent: ‘Threatening people … will ensure that improper behaviour continues,’ warns campaigner.
UK: BBC earns £300,000 from Saudi oil firm despite net-zero pledge
The Guardian: Fossil fuel advertising on overseas output jars with DG’s call to ‘dial up the focus on sustainability’.
UK: BBC Radio to launch a new Indie Development Fund
BBC Media Centre: Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer, has today announced the launch of a fund specifically targeted at the audio Independent Production Community.
BBC Media Centre: Today we’re announcing our commitment to the Climate Content Pledge – a new joint initiative with 11 other UK broadcasters and streamers. It recognises the crucial responsibility broadcasters have to help audiences understand the solutions to tackle climate change.
UK: BBC suffers funding blow as licence fee looks set to be frozen
Digital TV Europe: UK pubcaster the BBC faces having its funding frozen for the next two years in a move that will severely impact its ability to compete with its media competitors.
UK: Channel 4 sale plans put back as opposition mounts
The Times: A decision to privatise Channel 4 is facing delays after the new culture secretary Nadine Dorries was overwhelmed by opposition to a sale of The Great British Bake Off broadcaster.
UK: In its centenary year, the BBC looks vulnerable (Paywall)
The Economist: The British government and American streamers are the main causes.
UK: Ofcom: ‘Ethnic-focused services highly-valued’
Advanced Television: TV channels and radio stations aimed at minority ethnic communities are highly valued by viewers and listeners, according to a new study published by UK broadcast regulator Ofcom, although certain content gives audiences cause for concern.
UK: Watchdog stopped ministers breaching neutrality code in top BBC and BFI hires
The Guardian: Exclusive: Regulator asked interview panellists to be replaced as they were ‘not sufficiently independent’.
UK, GERMANY & SWEDEN: The challenging quest for diversity in British, German and Swedish Newsrooms
EJO
UKRAINE: Kyiv Post in crisis as owner fires entire staff
IPI: The IPI global network today expresses grave concern over the move by the business tycoon owner of the Kyiv Post to immediately suspend publication of Ukraine’s largest independent English-language newspaper and fire its entire newsroom.
REGIONAL: Nordicom to examine technology giants’ influence over Nordic news media
Nordicom: The Nordic Council of Ministers for Culture have commissioned Nordicom to write a report on the influence of the technology giants on developments in Nordic private news media.
REGIONAL: Nordvision fund (Opportunity – Norweigan)
Nordvision: ‘The fund receives its income from cable distribution of the NV companies’ programs in the Nordic countries. The fund’s funds are earmarked for Nordic co-productions and co-operation projects, and aim to strengthen Nordic cultural co-operation.
Deadline 10 November 2021.
REGIONAL: World Decent Work Day: Better conditions for journalists working from home
EFJ: On the occasion of the World Decent Work Day on 7 October, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has launched a report “Journalists working from home? a labour rights perspective for a hybrid future”.
ARGENTINA: Bags on Public TV: five officials of the channel were prosecuted (Spanish)
Perfil: Five former Argentine Radio and Television (RTA) officials and a set designer were prosecuted for the crime of “fraud against the public administration” for the cash withdrawal of more than 11.4 million pesos for the production of a series called “Los Belgrano’s forbidden loves”, for La TV Pública.
ARGENTINA: FOPEA asks to guarantee “federal, plural and diverse content” in public media (Spanish)
Revista Analisis: The Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA) urged “those responsible for the public media to guarantee a federal, plural and diverse content.” They explained that “this historic request of the organization becomes relevant in the final stretch of an electoral campaign.”
BOLIVIA: Bolivia denounces losses of 1.1 million euros in public media due to Áñez’s mismanagement (Spanish)
Europapress: The previous government of Jeanine Áñez committed between November 2019 and October 2020 an economic damage to the state media valued at more than 8.9 million Bolivians (1.1 million euros), as denounced by the current Executive of the president, Luis Arce, in a recent report.
BRAZIL: Bolsonaro government starts privatization of EBC
Brasil247: The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) opened a public call last Friday (5) with the objective of mapping companies that may participate in the formulation of studies for the privatization of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC).
BRAZIL: Brazil: a journalist received hundreds of threats for investigating police actions in a massacre (Spanish)
IFJ: Marcelo Hailer has been receiving threats through social networks since Sunday, after publishing an article in Forum magazine about an operation that resulted in 25 deaths.
COLOMBIA: Peace stations, much more than a task of the agreement (Spanish)
Radio Nacional: Five years after the agreement, 11 peace stations are currently operating producing more than 1,200 decentralized hours per month.
GUYANA: Community Journalism (Editorial)
Stabroek News
HAITI: Angry at big media portrayals of Haiti? I’ve got news for you (Opinion)
The Haitian Times: As Haiti once again makes the news, many of our readers, Haitians in general, have been outraged by the depiction of their beloved homeland in the mainstream media.
MEXICO: ARTICLE 19 confirms torture by state authorities of Coahuila as the cause of death of journalist Juan Nelcio (Spanish)
Article 19
MEXICO: Mexico: IPI calls for immediate investigation into latest journalist murders
IPI: Fredy López Arévalo and Alfredo Cardoso killed within days of each other.
NICARAGUA: Nicaraguan journalism, cornered between the ‘laws of silence’ and exile (Spanish)
El País: Ortega’s repressive escalation has installed a news blackout unprecedented since the postwar period. Journalists hide their identity and are left without sources of information inside and outside of Nicaragua.
NICARAGUA: Organisations call on Nicaraguan government to provide guarantees for freedom of independent press
IFEX: We reiterate our solidarity and support for Nicaraguan media outlets and journalists, including those in exile, as they continue to carry out their work of providing information to the country’s citizens, and call on the Nicaraguan authorities to provide guarantees for press freedom.
REGIONAL: ACM on ending impunity for crimes against journalists (Statement)
Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago: The Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) is concerned that while the region’s impunity profile on cases involving journalists and other media workers is not as prominent as is the case in other areas of the world, there exist sound reasons to remain alert.
REGIONAL: Argentina, Mexico and Brazil see the worst setbacks in the IAPA press freedom index
LatAm Journalism Review: The more positive overall picture comes with poor results from three of the largest countries in the region, Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil, which lost the most points in the ranking.
LatAm Journalism Review: A total of 123 journalists were murdered for reasons related to their profession in Latin America and the Caribbean between 2016 and 2020. That places the region in a tie with Asia Pacific as the areas with the highest number of homicides of communicators in that period.
IRAN: Criticism Of Raisi Continues Despite His Good Ties With Media
Iran International: Only two days after a “promising” meeting between Iran’s president and managing editors of reformist newspapers, they continued criticizing his performance.
ISRAEL: Israel’s Top Weatherman Suspended for Crude Sexual Behavior on Live TV
Haaretz: Israel’s top weatherman Danny Roup was suspended from his post Wednesday for standing up next to his female co-host and pretending to unbuckle his belt after she had asked him if he has tattoos.
ISRAEL & PALESTINE: New Palestinian radio station seeks Israeli ears with its Hebrew broadcasts
Times of Israel: The Ramallah-based Jerusalem 24 station says it criticizes both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, ‘but we do it professionally’.
LEBANON: Lebanon’s oldest English-language daily folds amid crisis (2 November)
The Public’s Radio (via AP): Lebanon’s Daily Star newspaper has folded following a years-long financial struggle.
SYRIA: New Film Shows Media Role in Collecting Evidence of Syria’s War Crimes (Watch)
VOA: When it comes to documenting evidence of war crimes in Syria, journalists and civilians have led the way. VOA’s Sirwan Kajjo has more on a new film that tells their story.
TURKEY: New report highlights the extent of censorship online
Global voices: A new report titled Fahrenheit 5651: The Scorching Effect of Censorship, uses the well-known book to explain how a series of amendments made to Turkish law No. 5651 have harmed Turkish freedom of expression.
TURKEY & SYRIA: Syrian journalist Majed Shamaa facing deportation from Turkey over satirical video
CPJ: Turkish authorities should immediately release Syrian journalist Majed Shamaa, end deportation proceedings against him, and allow him to do his job freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
CANADA: CBC comedy ‘22 Minutes’ touts bigger, younger, more diverse cast and writing staff
Toronto Star: “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” is often billed as Canada’s longest-running scripted entertainment series, but this year it’s eager to tout everything that’s new — in particular a larger, younger and more diverse writing staff and cast than ever before.
CANADA: CBC/Radio-Canada earns Olympic Golden Rings bronze for Best Olympic Digital Service
CBC: Public broadcaster had record-high digital audiences during Summer Games in Tokyo.
CANADA: Infrastructure impacts how Indigenous people in the north use media (Paywall)
Media in Canada: MTM oversampled a group that is usually overlooked by many other surveys of media and technology habits.
CANADA: Succession-style feud gripping Canada settled as court sides with Edward Rogers
The Guardian: For weeks, Canadians have been gripped by a messy public feud splintering one of the country’s richest families.
CANADA: Time capsule: 14 moments that marked our 85-year history (Blog)
CBC/Radio-Canada: CBC/Radio-Canada was established on November 2, 1936. To mark the 85th anniversary of the public broadcaster, we collaborated with some of our archivists to select moments that marked our history… Not difficult at all, right? While this list isn’t exhaustive, we hope you will enjoy this stroll through time.
US: A year after the election, America has turned the news off
CJR: After a year of voracious consumption fueled by the election, post-election violence and pandemic coverage, americans have turned off the news—on television, online and in print.
US: At COP26, some US newsrooms are finally stepping up. Will it last?
CJR: SOME OF THE BEST NEWS out of Glasgow so far is that the US media is finally paying serious attention to the climate crisis. We’ll see if it lasts, now that US president Joe Biden and other world leaders have left for home.
US: Bipartisan Resolution Marks Second Annual Public Radio Music Day
NPR: U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Chris Coons (D-DE), along with U.S. Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) and Don Young (R-AK), introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to mark November 10, 2021, as Public Radio Music Day.
US: Joan Ganz Cooney Center Launches Project to Engage Public Media Stations, Youth (Press release)
CPB: With CPB support, stations will pilot local projects focused on youth 10-18.
US: Reflect America Fellowship applications are open! (Opportunity)
NPR: NPR has opened applications for its Reflect America Fellowship, a year-long position aimed at bringing a greater diversity of voices to NPR’s news coverage. Applications are open until 11:59 EST p.m. on Dec. 12, 2021.
US: The tax credit to pay the salaries of local journalists is back in the budget bill
Poynter: It’s back in just days after it was dropped from the House version of the bill. Industry experts credit a push from news publishers and owners.
US: Why public media should just say no to Facebook’s money (Opinion – Paywall)
Current
US: Why the media loves labor now (Paywall)
New York Times
90% of car buyers say broadcast radio should be standard in every vehicle (Press Release)
WorldDAB: Broadcast radio continues to dominate as the most preferred source of in-car entertainment across the globe, according to a new international study* released today by Edison Research. Almost all (90%) of the survey respondents say a broadcast radio tuner should be standard equipment in every car, a trend that is consistent across age groups, indicating strong demand among current and future car buyers.
ABU/UNDRR Syndicated coverage of COP26
ABU: The ABU is offering a syndicated coverage of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP 26) for some members of the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU).
CJR at COP26: Inside the biggest story in the world
CJR: A week ago this morning, thousands of people, many of them journalists, gathered at a convention center in Glasgow, Scotland, for the first full day of COP26, a crucial United Nations climate summit.
Don’t read the comments? For news sites, it might be worth the effort.
Poynter: At their worst, the comment sections of media sites are a hellscape representing everything that’s wrong with the internet.
Environmental Journalism, Part 1: Are we all climate reporters now?
IJNET
How journalists can best report on mental health and suicide
IJNET
Report: Global streaming market still growing
Advanced Television: Despite predictions of a pandemic peak, streaming adoption continues to gain ground in almost every single region quarter after quarter, according to the Q3 2021 State of Streaming report from Conviva.
RSF unveils nominees for 2021 Press Freedom Awards
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is unveiling the nominees for the 2021 RSF Press Freedom Awards, which will be awarded on 18 November.
Stalking the messenger: Ending impunity for illegal surveillance
IFEX: It’s thanks to the work of journalists that the crimes of state surveillance were first exposed. Now, they are among those being stalked.
Survivors call on media to rethink coverage of terrorist attacks
The Guardian: Not contacting seriously injured for at least two days or publishing photos of attackers among demands.
Tackling the Information Crisis: Why News is Essential to Sustainability
Nieman Report: By bringing newsrooms closer to their communities we can create business models that tie social impact to financial success.
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Header image: TV-studio. Credit: freie-kreation/istock
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