12 December 2018
News organisations across the world have marked the one-year anniversary of the jailing of two Reuters journalists in Myanmar.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were convicted of breaching the country’s official secrets act, despite a lack of credible evidence against them and in the face of international condemnations from governments and civil society organisations.
On 12 December, fellow journalists and others working in the international news industry came together to demonstrate their solidarity with Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo as our selection of images shows.
At the AIB, we too have marked the anniversary. We have raised the issue with the Myanmar Ambassador in London – although we have yet to receive any acknowledgement or response from the Embassy. Along with other organisations involved in media freedom, we will continue to seek the release of the Reuters journalists, as well as pressing home the need for media freedom through a new collaborative venture that the AIB is developing with its Members across the world.
4 December 2018
The 14th AIBs, the annual competition for factual television, radio and online productions, were awarded in London on 7 November 2018.
Attended by producers, journalists, editors and media executives from all over the world, this glittering evening celebrates success in journalism, sports coverage, children’s factual TV, podcasting and more. Read the winners and finalists book here, and get a feel for this important evening in our highlights video.
23 November 2018
With the UK-EU Brexit Political Declaration published, the Association for International Broadcasting has been examining the possible effects on cross-border broadcasting.
We’ve issued a briefing note to our Members, and next week we’ll be attending specialised meetings on Brexit-related channel licensing on behalf of our Members.
Talk to us about how the AIB is helping Members on Brexit and other mission-critical issues.
15 November 2018
As the political temperature over the UK withdrawal from the EU heats up, the AIB has published a briefing note for Members on issues around channel licensing arising from the Draft Withdrawal Agreement that was published on 14 November.
This is part of the Association’s work for its Members on this critical issue for TV channels distributed across Europe with licences in the UK or another EU Member State.
“It’s important that broadcasters understand what options are available after the UK leaves the European Union,” says Simon Spanswick, AIB CEO. “At the AIB it’s one of our top priorities as we work to ensure that our Members are not disadvantaged as a result of the UK leaving the EU. We’re continuing to monitor the situation and convene meetings with key officials as this fluid situation develops.”
The AIB work on Brexit-related issues, and all the other services it provides, are available exclusively to Members of the Association. Contact Tom Wragg at AIB headquarters to discuss the benefits of AIB Membership.
1 October 2018
First regional awards event recognises key programmes about challenges facing Asia and the Pacific
The inaugural Association for International Broadcasting Asia-Pacific Sustainability Awards have been presented to the winners at a ceremony held in Taipei.
These new awards – sponsored by
Radio Taiwan International – recognise the best coverage of sustainability issues in the region on television and radio. This is the first year that the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) has organised a regional element of its annual awards for factual productions across television, radio and online. Known as the AIBs, these awards are now in their fourteenth year and are highly regarded in the global broadcasting industry.
The shortlist for the Asia-Pacific Sustainability Awards included programmes from DW TV, Al Jazeera, Red FM, Mediacorp and Radio New Zealand. Each production investigated issues around sustainability in an area that’s home to two-thirds of the world’s population. Climate change, equality, poverty, waste and other issues around sustainability are real and tangible challenges on a daily basis for many of the citizens of the Asia-Pacific region.
“As the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals mark their third anniversary, the AIB wanted to demonstrate the importance of the media in ensuring that facts and events relating to these challenges reach global audiences,” said Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “We were delighted to see a wide range of entries from broadcasters within and outside the region, showing that relevant stories about the Asia-Pacific region and the challenges it faces are receiving the attention they deserve.”
Philippa Tolley, Executive Producer of RNZ’s “Insight” receives her award from John Maguire, Director of International Relations, France Médias Monde, and AIB CEO Simon Spanswick
The winner of the radio award was Radio New Zealand for its programme Insight: Climate Change – Politics and Actions. The judges noted the depth of investigation and incisive story-telling in this episode that focused on the archipelago of Hawaii. It reported on how the islands are reacting to the effects of global warming particularly in light of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.
The television award went to Mediacorp’s Channel 5 for an edition of Talking Point – Can We Ban the Bag? The judges were impressed by the way the programme involved Singaporeans in better understanding their voracious appetite for single-use plastic bags. They noted the clever involvement of the public and the way that context was provided to viewers.
Sharon Roobol, Executive Producer, Al Jazeera English, receives the highly commended certificate for “Earthrise: Eco-cremation”
A high commendation went to Al Jazeera English for Earthrise – Eco-cremation. This dealt with the challenge of adjusting custom and practice around the difficult subject of death, examining the fact that 8.5 million Hindu[s] deaths mean more than 50 million trees are being cut down each year to provide wood for funeral pyres. The judges praised the way the programme makers dealt sensitively with the subject.
The awards were presented in Taipei at a gala dinner that also marked the 90th anniversary of AIB Member Radio Taiwan International. AIB Executive Committee deputy chair John Maguire (director of international relations at France Médias Monde) joined AIB CEO Simon Spanswick on stage to present the winners with their awards.
The rest of this year’s AIBs – across 20 categories ranging from daily journalism to children’s factual – will be presented at the annual awards dinner in London on 7 November hosted by Bloomberg Television’s Mark Barton. The sell-out event is attended by journalists, editors, producers and senior executives from media companies throughout the world and marks a high point for programme markers on the international calendar. This year, the event partner is Al Jazeera Media Network, while Celebro Studios and Signiant are sponsors.
