Our weekly round-up of public service media related stories and headlines from around the world.
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ANGOLA: Angolans deprived of two critical TV channels
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) regrets that the public in Angola are now denied all possibility of viewing two TV channels owned by Portugal’s SIC media group – SIC Noticias and SIC Internacional – which have been outspoken in their coverage of Angola.
EGYPT: Egypt bans Medium as media crackdown widens
AlJazeera: Dozens of websites, including opposition publications, banned since May 24 in ‘clear attack on media’, watchdog says.`
EGYPT: How surveillance, trolls, and fear of arrest affect Egypt’s journalists
CPJ: As Egypt’s crackdown on the press extends to social media and other communication platforms, many journalists say phishing attempts, trolling, software to monitor social media posts, and a draft law that would require registration for social media users is making them think twice before covering sensitive issues.
GAMBIA: MFWA, Partners Commence Comprehensive Media Reform Initiative in The Gambia
MFWA: The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the Gambia Press Union (GPU), in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications Infrastructure (MoICI) of The Gambia, have commenced a comprehensive media sector reform initiative in The Gambia.
KENYA: Time to protect journalists (Opinion)
The Standard: Despite gains in technology and known as hub for foreign journalists in the region, the sense of Kenya as a safe haven for local journalists has changed dramatically in recent years.
MALAWI: MCP opposes calls for MBC to be underfunded
Malawi 24: Calls to have Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) underfunded resurrected during Public Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting in Blantyre but Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has opposed the calls arguing the state broadcaster needs to be independent.
NIGERIA: Nigeria: The Nation Misses Yet Another Digital Migration Deadline
via All Africa: Nigeria is expected to conclude its migration from analogue to digital broadcasting by June 17, 2017. A process popularly referred to as Digital Switch-Over (DSO), the country had, hitherto, missed two attempts: June 17, 2012 and, principally, June 17, 2015, the date set by the International Tlecommunications Union (ITU) for member nations to switch over.
NIGERIA: US$ 26 Million Spent On 620,000 Set-Top Boxes For Nigerians, So Far
Broadcast Media Africa: Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) – the body in charge of the broadcast media industry in the country – has confirmed it has spent $26 Million (US) to procure 620,000 set-top boxes so far for the Nigeria digital switchover programme.
Via All Africa
SOUTH AFRICA: Hlaudi Motsoeneng fired from SABC after disciplinary hearing
Citizen: The former SABC COO faced charges of misconduct and breaking the terms of his employment contract.
SOUTH AFRICA: World’s Press Calls for Renewed Solidarity in the Wake of Threats to Independent, Free Media in South Africa
WAN-IFRA: The Board of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), meeting in Durban, South Africa on 7th June 2017 ahead of the 69th World News Media Congress, has called on the South African government to ensure an environment that better protects media freedom and the independence of journalists, notably in the face of proposed legislation that threatens a free press.
SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudan closes its borders to foreign reporters
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the South Sudanese government’s announcement that it is refusing to issue or renew visas for 20 foreign journalists because their coverage is regarded as overly critical.
ZAMBIA: Turkey, Zambia engage on media
ZNBC: Turkey has asked Zambia to finalise the media and information agreements between the two countries in order to address the challenges faced by the media industry.
REGIONAL: BBC Hausa: Adikon Zamani unveiled as new female-focused programme
News Ghana: Adikon Zamani (Contemporary Veil) is a new radio programme from the BBC Hausa team which will highlight the day to day challenges facing women in the Hausa-speaking parts of the world.
AFGHANISTAN: Afghanistan launches first all-women TV channel
Deutsche Welle: In an attempt to highlight the rights of Afghan women, the country has recently launched its first all-women TV channel.
AFGHANISTAN: RSF calls for more protection for journalists in Afghanistan
RSF: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned about an increase in threats and violence against media personnel in Afghanistan, where six media workers have been killed and ten journalists have been injured in the past few weeks, and others have been threatened by the Taliban in several provinces.
AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijan crackdown on media becomes dramatically more brutal
Via IFEX: The Institute for Reporters’ Freedom of Safety (IRFS) condemns the authorities of Azerbaijan for a new wave of attacks on freedom of expression in the country.
CHINA: Chinese Censors Have New Target: Celebrity News
The New York Times: Whether read openly and voraciously or behind closed doors, celebrity gossip plays an integral role in the entertainment world, connecting stars and the big businesses that back them to an audience eager for the juiciest of details.But to some officials in China, the bloggers that report those tidbits play another role: a threat to public order.
CHINA: Full Text: Action Plan of Promoting BRICS Media Cooperation
Xinhua
INDIA: DD India to become English news channel, DD News only Hindi
Business Standard: Public broadcaster Doordarshan’s international channel – DD India – is all set to turn into an English news channel, while the bilingual DD News may soon air only Hindi news.
INDIA: In India, TV will account for more than half of daily media consumption
TheDrum: According to the latest forecast by eMarketer, digital will take up nearly a third of daily media time in India. This year, the average adult will spend an estimated 1 hour 18 minutes per day with digital media. Total time spent with media among the adult population in the country will grow by 5.1% in 2017.
INDIA: Needed: A Contemporary Public Broadcaster To Relate To The India Story
Swarajya: The new CEO of Prasar Bharati shares his vision for a state-of-the-art public broadcaster that will appeal to the younger audience as well as cruise through digital transformation.
INDIA: Shashi Shekhar Vempati wants to put Prasar Bharati on par with BBC, Al Jazeera
LiveMint: Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati on his agenda at the helm, revival of Doordarshan, and plans to put Prasar Bharati on a global stage.
JAPAN: Will the Japanese media stand up for press freedom?
Columbia Journalism Review: At a Time When Democratic Values are under siege around the world—most notably in the United States—Japan’s leadership is vital. But Japan can’t lead if press freedom, a central pillar of its democracy, continues to be eroded.
KAZAKHSTAN: Kazakhstan: a showcase for shrinking civic space
Open Democracy: The Nazarbayev regime is using informal and formal methods to squeeze out NGOs, independent media and trade unions. Western governments should pay attention.
MALDIVES: Police question Vnews editor over ‘misleading’ headline
The Maldives Independent: Vnews senior editor Ahmed Rifau was summoned for questioning at the police headquarters Saturday night over a headline about the arrest of a senior opposition figure.
MYANMAR: Ethnic Media in Burma
The Irrawaddy: After reforms by Myanmar’s post-2011 government, the landscape for both mainstream and ethnic media has changed dramatically, with new media outlets blooming.
MYANMAR: Myanmar officials pledge to reform law used to jail journalists
CPJ: Legislation to remove criminal penalties from a law used to imprison journalists on defamation charges will soon be introduced in Myanmar’s legislature, a senior official of the Ministry of Information told a visiting delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists yesterday.
MYANMAR: Myanmar: One year under Suu Kyi, press freedom lags behind democratic progress
CPJ: “One year into State Counsellor Suu Kyi’s de facto leadership, and despite hopes that the former political prisoner and pro-democracy icon would leverage her resounding mandate to roll back military power and strike down draconian laws, the situation for journalists has not materially improved, according to Myanmar-based journalists who spoke with CPJ.”
PAKISTAN: Journalist Bakhshish Ahmad shot dead in Harripur: police
Associated Press of Pakistan: A journalist Bashshish Ahmed was shot dead on Sunday by unidentified gunmen Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, district Harripur and journalist community protesting against the killing and demanding the early arrest of culprits.
PAKISTAN: Pakistan’s alarming social media death sentence
Deutsche Welle: In a first verdict of its kind, a Pakistani court sentenced a man to death for committing blasphemy on Facebook. But rights groups say the government is using blasphemy as an excuse to muzzle free speech in the country.
PAKISTAN: Threat To Free Speech
The Nation: Baksheesh Elahi’s murder in Haripur, is yet another attack against the journalist fraternity and by extension, free speech in the country.
AUSTRALIA: ABC under fire as calls for quotas on local content gain traction
The Australian: Kim Dalton accuses the ABC of a lack of accountability ‘around Australian content’.
AUSTRALIA: China’s Communist Party seeks news influence through Australian media deals
ABC News: As concerns mount over Beijing’s grip on Australia’s Chinese-language media, the Communist Party is working to shape the narrative of mainstream outlets too.
NEW ZEALAND: ‘Fake news’ unlikely to gain presence in NZ media, says journalism panel
Asia Pacific Report: Seasoned journalists and academics have warned “fake news” could invade New Zealand’s media if journalists do not remain vigilant.
TONGA: Review into Tonga broadcaster sacking set for next week
Radio New Zealand: The judicial review into the sacking of the general manager of Tonga’s state broadcaster has been set for next Tuesday.
TONGA: Tonga broadcaster saga prompts media freedom discussion
Radio New Zealand: Media freedom has come under the spotlight in Tonga ever since the prime minister threatened the public broadcaster over his dissatisfaction of their reporting.
WEST PAPUA: Wansolwara student journos report on West Papua human rights struggle
Asia Pacific Report: Media access to West Papua, where more than half a million of its indigenous people have reportedly been killed over five decades, remains restricted.
ALBANIA: Albania: Propaganda suffocates the news, just weeks before the general election
ECPMF: Although Article 84* of the Albanian Electoral Code strictly forbids propaganda, as in comments or other political stances within news bulletins in the audio-visual media, a lot of Albanian radio and television outlets are using the electoral campaign month (ahead of Albania’s General Elections of June 25, 2017) to sell their broadcast-time to any political party or subject willing to pay.
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Crunch time for Bosnian pubcaster
Broadband Tv News: The international community is coming together in a last ditch attempt to save the Bosnian public broadcaster BHRT.
FRANCE: France Télévisions: a French ‘Netflix’ in September 2017 (French)
Clubic: The public broadcasting group, France Télévisions, had intended for several years to walk on the borders of Netflix, the American SVOD service, and its competitors. Delphine Ernotte, at the head of France Télévisions, managed it, not without challenges, after difficult discussions with the production companies.
FRANCE: France Télévisions gauges the pulse of its viewers (French)
L’Express: They want a bold, reliable, positive, educational television … The viewers have multiple, sometimes contradictory, demands that France Televisions will endeavor to satisfy at the end of an unprecedented consultation, conducted all over the country.
FRANCE: France 24 news now available on Télé 20 (French)
Le Nouvelliste: France 24 is strengthening its presence in Haiti thanks to an agreement reached with the television channel Télé 20.
GEORGIA: Georgian journalists’ bag protest over reporter’s arrest
BBC News: Georgian journalists have worn bags on their heads in solidarity with a dissident Azerbaijani reporter who was allegedly abducted in Tbilisi a week ago.
GERMANY: Concept of the enemy II – “lying press” and journalistic self-assertion
ECPMF: Since the end of 2015 the number of politically-motivated attacks on journalists in Germany has reduced. Unfortunately that does not mean that we can sound the all-clear.
GERMANY: ZDF Enterprises takes stake in World Media Rights
Televisual: Germany’s ZDF Enterprises has made its first investment in a UK production company, acquiring a 32.5% minority stake in World Media Rights.
ITALY: Rai, Mario Orfeo will be the new managing director (Italian)
Il Sole 24 Ore: RAI’s new managing director is Mario Orfeo, actual director of TG1. The Board of Directors announced it this morning and then voted on the nomination officially, after a consultation with the members gathered in a plenary meeting.
KOSOVO: Kosovo Coalition Divided over Criminalising Defamation
Balkan Insight: The largest coalition campaigning in the Kosovo elections is divided over a controversial proposal to reintroduce criminal penalties for defamation.
POLAND: PIKE asks Polish parliament to reject licence fees law amendments
Broadband TV News: The Polish Chamber of Electronic Communications (PIKE) has made a direct appeal to the country’s parliament (Sejm) to reject amendments to the law governing receiver licence fees.
RUSSIA: How Russia’s State Media Covers The Opposition Movement
NPR: NPR’s David Greene talks to media critic and blogger Alexey Kovalev, who writes a blog called “The Noodle Remover” in which he exposes Russian propaganda.
SPAIN: Gandia announces that it will reopen local public television (Spanish)
Levante: The station was closed by the Partido Popular (PP) in 2011, a month after Arturo Torró took office as mayor.
SPAIN: Inter-Island Council begins the creation of a DTT service for training and educational purposes (Spanish)
La Vanguardia: The plenary of the Council of Tenerife has today approved the file by which it has agreed to start the procedure for the implementation of the public digital terrestrial television service (DTT) in order to broadcast a thematic channel of formative and educational content.
SPAIN: Hispasat and RTVE show 4k content under the red button
Broadband TV News: The Hispasat 4K Festival and RTVE make new 4K content available to the public through the Botón rojo (red button) application.
UK: Alex Mahon named as chief executive of Channel 4
Televisual: Alex Mahon is to succeed David Abraham as the next Chief Executive of Channel 4. Currently CEO of vfx business Foundry, Mahon was previously CEO of Shine Group.
UK: EXCLUSIVE: BBC Worldwide inks multiple CEE deals
Broadband TV News: BBC Worldwide has completed a number of key agreements with broadcasters across Central & Eastern Europe (CEE).
GENERAL: Content portability rules adopted in Europe
Digital TV Europe: The European Council (EC) has adopted new rules that allow consumers who pay for online TV subscriptions in their home territory access them elsewhere in the EU.
GENERAL: European Parliament discusses democracy and challenges in journalism
EFJ: The future role of media is under question – new online media companies are emerging, print advertising is in decline and there is more and more talk about ‘fake-news’, which contributes to losing readers’ trust. The Greens in the European Parliament organised on Wednesday (07/06/2017) a Democratic Discourse with experts discussing the new trends in the digital news landscape and how journalists and media outlets are living up to them.
REGIONAL: W. European VoD market worth €6.7bn by 2020
Advanced Television: The VoD market in Western Europe will be worth €4.25 billion this year, representing an annual growth of 16 per cent.
REGIONAL: Arte defends decision on European anti-Semitism documentary
Deutsche Welle: The Franco-German TV channel’s director has denied charges of censorship and anti-Semitism lobbied at the broadcaster. His defense also hinted at tensions between German broadcasters.
BARBADOS: UNESCO & PMA Social Media Guidelines Workshop & Meeting
PMA: The Public Media Alliance will run a unique social media workshop for Caribbean journalists this June, offering participants the opportunity to contribute to a new set of guidelines for the region.
CUBA: The intersection of cinema and journalism
Al Jazeera: In Cuba, the government has long used journalism as a tool of propaganda – and for that, until recently, it has been largely unapologetic.
PANAMA: New data journalism project in Panama aims to promote culture of transparency in the country
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: Daily obstacles motivated Panamanian journalists Ana Graciela Méndez and Alfonso Grimaldo to create El Tabulario – a project, launched at the end of May, which collects, analyzes and disseminates public data with the aim of promoting transparency in the country.
VENEZUELA: IFEX-ALC alarmed by widespread attacks on media, protesters in Venezuela
IFEX: Since public demonstrations began in March, there have been over 160 violations of the right to freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the right to seek, receive and impart information.
VENEZUELA: Journalists Board Buses to Challenge Venezuela’s Censorship
The Wall Street Journal: With other media outlets closed down or under government control, a group is bringing independent news to the country’s beleaguered bus-riders.
GENERAL: Community radio stations in Latin America discriminated against by law and its advocates face criminal convictions
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: While Latin American community radios have received greater recognition in their countries since the mid-2000s, they remain limited and discriminated against in practice and by law.
QATAR: Al Jazeera fends off hackers
Advanced Television: Al-Jazeera is said to be fighting a large-scale cyber-attack but remains operational, according to reports. Qatar’s state-run television announced that it had shut down its website temporarily “for security reasons” after hacking attempts.
SYRIA: Journalists Challenge Syrian Media to Improve Gender Coverage in War
News Deeply: The Syrian Female Journalists’ Network was founded to ensure better coverage of gender issues and better representation of women in newsrooms in the midst of the country’s protracted conflict. Milia Eidmouni tells News Deeply how they do it.
TURKEY: UN Urges Turkey To Release All Jailed Journalists, Writers, Judges, Academics
Stockholm Center for Freedom: The UN special rapporteur for freedom of expression David Kaye has expressed serious concerns at the deterioration of media freedom in Turkey and urged Turkish government to immediately release journalists, writers, judges and academic who are detained pursuant to counter-terrorism legislation and emergency decrees.
CANADA: How 80-year-old Radio-Canada, the French-language arm of the CBC, is driving innovation from within
NiemanLab: The Digital R&D Lab, started five years ago as one employee’s passion project, serves as an internal incubator for ideas and plays host to digital projects carried out in partnership with non-Radio-Canada groups.
CANADA: Poll shows majority of Canadians disagree with Scheer on CBC
National Observer: Canada’s Conservatives face an uphill battle in the 2019 federal election if their newly-minted leader, Andrew Scheer, uploads his recent anti-CBC rhetoric into his party platform, new research has revealed.The research also found that broadly-speaking, Canadians are concerned about the decline in the quality and quantity of journalism in Canada, and more than half think the federal government should take steps to address it.
CANADA: Watch as CBC London goes ‘live’ for the first time
CBC: People in London, Ontario woke up Monday to a new morning show with local content the focus of the station.
A new model for high-impact investigative reporting
CJR: THE MEDIA—and especially nonprofit media—often struggles to measure the impact of its work, wondering whether it’s worth it at all.
Blame for disinformation falls upon mainstream media (Report)
Journalism Research News: Were it not for the logic of mainstream media, disinformation spreading and media manipulating “far right” groups would have remained in the margins, Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis, both of Data & Society Research Institute, write.
Breaking Down Democracy (Report)
Freedom House: Goals, strategies, and methods of modern authoritarians.
Brits and Europeans seem to be better than Americans at not sharing fake news
NiemanLab: Plus: Even more bad news for fact checking, and how a fake news story spread from a Russian “satire” site to FoxNews.com.
Good News About The News Business
Center for Media, Data & Society: An unexpectedly bright spot in this media landscape is the growth of local and cross-border investigative journalism, including the emergence of scores of local nonprofit investigative journalism organizations.
HDR sets to surpass 4K TV shipments in 2020
IBC: High dynamic range (HDR) features will infiltrate some full HD television sets and help boost 4K’s (UltraHD) momentum, according to a new study.
Here’s what you should consider before using a fact-check rating system
Poynter: One of the hallmarks of fact-checking is to demonstrate whether a claim has been corroborated by facts. Many fact-checking organizations use a rating system when they offer a verdict for a claim they have researched, according to a survey by the Duke Reporters’ Lab. Here are some pros and cons to implementing a rating system, such as the Pinocchio scale used by The Washington Post’s Fact Checker.
Reporting on terror without feeding it (Opinion)
The Guardian: Journalism has legitimate functions to fulfill, but needs to exercise careful judgment.
Why News Organisations Need Ombudsmen
EJO: The recent news that The New York Times is eliminating the position of Public Editor—sometimes called an ombudsman, or reader`s representative—is sad but not at all surprising.
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