BBC says some services may go dark as coronavirus crisis develops

13 March 2020

BBC says some services may go dark as coronavirus crisis develops

British MPs have been told by the BBC Director General, Tony Hall, that some services could be “out of action” if the corporation’s newsrooms are hit by large-scale outbreaks of the coronavirus. However, Lord Hall said that the BBC is “intent on keeping absolutely everything open”.

Plans on how to copy with a service being out of action are under review, but the BBC is “gaming out” what would happen if large numbers of staff go sick or have to self-isolate. Hall said “you could imagine a local station or some other part of our news operation being out of action for a period.”

The BBC’s local radio and TV services have far fewer staff than its national and international services and so have less capacity to cope with widespread sickness. Lord Hall told the MPs that “at the moment we are intent on keeping absolutely everything open, all our networks going, because we know that globally, nationally and locally, people turn to us for information, as they did during the floods [that hit many parts of the UK in February and early March].”

Lord Hall’s remarks come as many broadcasters are tackling multiple issues, from what to do about cancelled sports events to how to keep operational areas clean and safe. One international broadcaster has reported that a member of staff has been identified as having coronavirus — but only after coming into contact with a number of staff and having used shared studio facilities. As the AIB noted in its coronavirus briefing to Members [https://aib.org.uk/Resources/Members/COVID-19/Coronavirus-AIB-briefing-020320.pdf] it is vital that shared equipment is kept rigorously clean with the use of anti-bacterial wipes on every piece of kit, from edit suite keyboards to headphones. The AIB will be updating its coronavirus briefing from time to time to reflect experiences of many AIB Members, and updated advice from governments around the world.

UN Special Rapporteurs condemn harassment of BBC Persian staff

11 March 2020

UN Special Rapporteurs condemn harassment of BBC Persian staff

Four UN Special Rapporteurs have issued an unprecedented joint statement condemning the harassment of BBC Persian staff and their families.

The statement issued on 11 March 2020 at the UNHRC in Geneva states:

“Journalists working for the BBC Persian Service and other Farsi-language news outlets outside Iran have faced threats, criminal investigations, unlawful surveillance, freezing of assets, defamation and harassment by Iranian authorities. Several journalists have also been targeted for going public about the harassment and seeking protection from the UN.

“Their families residing in Iran have faced harassment and intimidation by Iranian authorities. In some cases, family members were deprived of their liberty and held in degrading conditions, and ordered to tell their relatives to stop working for the BBC.

“Reports also indicate a pattern of gender-based harassment, targeting women journalists since 2009, and including the dissemination of false stories, spreading of rumours and slander, usually with highly misogynistic contents and threats of sexual violence.

“These allegations are extremely concerning and if confirmed, would indicate that the Iranian authorities are prepared to use force extra-territorially, in violation of international law. Harassment, surveillance, death threats against journalists, within and outside domestic boundaries violate international human rights law, including the right to physical integrity, the right to life and the right to freedom of expression.

“When these acts are conducted extra-territorially, as with BBC Persian Services, these acts violate international law regulating the use of force in times of peace. These ultimately constitute serious threats to global security and thus demand strong reactions on the part of the Governments of the countries where BBC Persian Service journalists reside.

“We reiterate our earlier calls to the Iranian Government to cease the intimidation, harassment and threats, including death threats, against BBC and other journalists working outside Iran for Farsi-language news outlets, as well as reprisals against their family members in Iran, which may constitute multiple violations of Iran’s international human rights obligations under international law.

“We call on the States to immediately take action in implementing safeguards to protect the integrity of journalists, their families and their profession.

“The human rights experts urged all States where these journalists are residing, such as the United Kingdom, to protect their personal integrity, and that of their families and their profession. Governments must uphold their responsibility to protect and duty to warn. Governments must respect and ensure the right to life and to reasonably foreseeable threats and situations that can result in loss of life.”

The four Special Rapporteurs are UN experts on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; human rights in Iran and human rights defenders. They are:

(1) Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions – Agnès Callamard
(2) Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression – David Kaye
(3) Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders – Michel Forst
(4) Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran – Javaid Rehman

In another significant development, BBC Director General Tony Hall issued an appeal to Mr Ali Bagheri Kani, the recently appointed deputy of International Affairs of the Judicial System of Iran and Secretary of the High Council for Human Rights.

In a video message, Tony Hall said: “We made an urgent appeal to the UN in 2017 about the collective punishment of BBC Persian journalists and their families by the Iranian authorities. Since then, we have gained wide support from the EU, the UN and many countries that defend free expression. We appreciate their backing. We hope that the appointment of Ali Bagheri Kani as the new head of High Council for Human Rights in Iran can open a new chapter in relations between the Iranian authorities and the BBC.

“Two years ago we offered to talk directly with the Iranian government in a constructive way to find a new way forward. Mr Bagheri Kani could go some way to address the concerns of the international community if he is willing to accept this offer in a positive spirit, without conditions. I very much hope he does.”

The joint statement by four Special Rapporteurs follows a recent escalation in harassment of BBC Persian staff and their families which has coincided with a crackdown on dissent within Iran and featured express threats being made by state officials to the safety of BBC Persian journalists outside Iran. The UN experts are concerned at reports of serious threats, including death threats, against journalists between January and February 2020.

BBC Persian journalist and NUJ member Rana Rahimpour addressed the UNHRC in Geneva on 9 March (pictured above, courtesy Doughty Street Chambers). She told delegates she had received a message threatening that she, her children and her husband would be assassinated within a month. Threats were also addressed to her elderly parents based in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a warning that they were “within reach”. The message also said that Ms. Rahimpour will be the first employee of the BBC to be killed, and, after her assassination, it will be the turn of other BBC employees.

Women journalists have been regular targets of the Iranian authorities since 2009. Attacks are carried out through the dissemination of false stories, rumours and slander, usually with highly misogynistic content. The threats received by women also tend to include references to sexual violence. As well as threats to BBC Persian staff and their families, similar intimidation has reportedly been extended to other international media organisations, journalists and their families.

Seamus Dooley, NUJ assistant general secretary, said: “The personal testimony of BBC Persian journalists is shocking to hear. Our members working at the BBC and other Persian media outlets have been facing very serious threats to their personal safety, their colleagues and their families, simply for doing their job. It is particularly shameful for the Iranian authorities to target journalists’ children and elderly relatives. The NUJ continues to build a global coalition in support of those affected and we will keep campaigning until the harassment stops.”

BBC Persian employees and their families in Iran have been harassed and intimidated as a direct result of their association with their work at the BBC since 2009. In 2017, Iran introduced a legal injunction preventing BBC Persian staff, former staff, and some contributors, from selling or buying property – in effect freezing all their assets. In July 2017, the Iranian government started criminal investigations into the activities of journalists and other staff working for BBC Persian, alleging their work constituted a crime against Iran’s national security. The injunction continues to deprive them of their human rights under principles enshrined in the Iranian Constitution and punishes their extended families.

The BBC has been engaging with various international institutions since 2017 as a result of the harassment. The legal and advocacy campaign has gained wide support and attention at the UN, European parliament and numerous nation states.

Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC and Jennifer Robinson, international counsel for the BBC World Service at Doughty Street, say: “Iran’s systematic targeting and harassment of BBC Persian staff and their families has long undermined freedom of expression, attacking journalists for their reporting on Iran and aiming to prevent Iranians receiving independent and impartial news on events in Iran and from around the world.

“These new threats against BBC Persian are deeply disturbing and must be condemned in the strongest terms. They strike at the most basic rights of the journalists and their families, including their rights to life and security. Too many journalists are killed each year because of their work. For this reason, states must take measures to prevent and protect against threats like those made against BBC Persian to ensure that journalists can do their jobs without fear.”

March 2020 AIB global industry briefing published

11 March 2020

March 2020 AIB global industry briefing published

The latest global media industry briefing has been published by the AIB, dispatched to over 27,000 readers in 150+ countries around the world.

This regular briefing provides a summary of leading news from across the media and broadcast sectors internationally. The stories we publish are just a handful of those that come through the AIB Secretariat and are used to constantly build and refine our global knowledge of the media industry in markets across the world.

This bulletin includes stories – unsurprisingly – about coronavirus and its effects on the media industry, as well as selected news from AIB Members and the wider industry, including appointments made by media companies in different geographies.

Sign up to receive the briefing each time it’s published straight to your email in box.

AIB Cyber Security Working Group chair talks to Feed

4 March 2020

AIB Cyber Security Working Group chair talks to Feed

The chair of the AIB’s Cyber Security Working Group, Denis Onuoha, has been talking to Feed magazine about the need for broadcasters to come together to protect their infrastructure from devastating cyber attacks.

Onuoha – Chief information Security Office at UK transmission company Arqiva – is driving the work of the AIB Working Group to ensure that member companies are able to defend themselves from nation states and kids in bedrooms who – for different purposes – might seek to take a broadcaster off the air.

There are increasing numbers of attacks, some more successful than others, on broadcasters across the world and this pressing need is what’s driving the AIB Working Group to deliver real, tangible help to AIB Member companies. One example is the work with Royal Holloway University of London to develop a Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence for broadcasting.

Read the article here and talk to the AIB about how the work that we’re doing can help your organisation.

Plug pulled on international media conferences

4 March 2020

Plug pulled on international media conferences

UPDATED 9 March 2020

The media industry is a people business and for many years that has meant getting together at key events to meet colleagues, exchange ideas and share experiences. The coronavirus is rapidly putting a stop to this.

High profile events are falling victim to the virus as governments impose restrictions on large-scale gatherings (such as the Swiss did that led to the cancellation of the immense Geneva International Motor Show) and as organisers ask themselves whether bringing large numbers of speakers and delegates from across the world is worth the risk.

Cancellations include the 2020 International Journalism Festival scheduled to take place in the Italian city of Perugia (pictured) in early April, MIPTV in Cannes, scheduled to open on 30 March and the WSIS Forum that was due to open on 5 April in Geneva. The Journalism Festival was due to see 470 speakers gather from across Europe, Africa, North America and Asia. In a statement, the organisers said: “The health and safety of festival speakers, attendees, volunteers, staff, suppliers as well as that of the citizens of Perugia is and must remain our top priority.”

Google and Facebook have also been proactive and cancelled events they had planned, including the Google News Initiative Global Summit and the F8 conference.

We expect to see the cancellation of other events scheduled for March, April and May. The writing’s on the wall for some major trade events as companies pull out of attending to protect their staff from possible contamination. Video equipment supplier AJA has announced that it will no longer attend NAB in Las Vegas in April. Other companies will inevitably follow suit.

The Middle East CABSAT exhibition and conference, scheduled to open in Dubai on 31 March, has also been postponed. The organisers have now said that it will take place between 26 and 28 October 2019.

ConnectAsia incorporating BroadcastAsia has been postponed from June until 29 September, when it will run until 1 October.

Indian media conclave FICCI-FRAMES has also been postponed from mid-March to an as yet undefined date in the future.

News organisations are starting to restrict travel to conferences and other discretionary trips. CNN issued a memo to staff on 2 March restricting all work travel and limiting events staff to what it describes as “absolutely critical” personnel. According to the New York Times, CNN boss Jeff Zucker has to approve any intercontinental travel by any CNN staffer.

The EBU is cancelling large-scale meetings, such as its Sport Assembly that was due to take place in Malta in mid-March.

The virus presents headaches for media companies large and small. Should news crews be deployed? Can location filming of drama series continue? How can sport coverage continue at large-scale international events? These are challenges that have a real impact on the ability of broadcasters and production companies to operate as normal and serve audiences today and for the rest of 2020.

It is clear that precautions need to be taken to protect staff from infection. Simple steps for anyone in an operational environment can be taken to minimise risk, as we noted in our briefing to AIB Members issued on 2 March. The AIB continues to build a central database of advice that’s being given to staff in a number of large-scale media companies to help ensure that best practice is shared by all AIB Members. Not every organisation has well-resourced occupational health and HR departments, so they welcome practical assistance.

INSI, the International News Safety Institute, has also issued a briefing on coronavirus, available here.

Meanwhile, a glimmer of hope emerges. In February, the Splice Beta conference that brings together journalists, entrepreneurs and others involved in media start-ups in Asia was postponed. Now the organisers have said that it will be going ahead in late September.

The AIB shares their optimism that the situation will normalise over the next few months – at the AIB we’re continuing to plan our events for the second half of 2020.

Final call for journalism fellowship applications: UN Ocean Conference 2020

4 March 2020

Final call for journalism fellowship applications: UN Ocean Conference 2020

As a part of the Ocean Media Initiative carried out by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN), there is a Fellowship programme for journalists interested in covering the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, in June 2020.

The UN Ocean Conference 2020 is focused on supporting the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14), which is to “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” This year’s conference will be focused on how science and innovation can be used to scale up action on ocean conservation. This will be the second UN conference focused on SDG14, with the last event held in 2017.

Selected Fellows will be required to attend the entire length of the conference in Lisbon from 2-6 June. Fellows will also benefit from two days of orientation and special briefings prior to the conference.

EJN will cover non-refundable economy-class airfare, accommodation, meals and transportation costs of selected Fellows. We will also facilitate the press accreditation process and provide any other support relating to the trip. Please note that the process of obtaining any necessary visas is the Fellow’s individual responsibility. Visa costs can be reimbursed, however.

Specially designed activities, including orientation sessions, will explore the key issues to be addressed at the ocean conference. Selected Fellows will also have the opportunity to join a field trip related to the conference themes, attend daily breakfast briefings and interviews with high-level officials. They will also receive editorial support from senior journalists with experience in covering these types of events.

This Fellowship is made possible by funding provided by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Requirements

Selected participants must be professional journalists or represent an established media house. Please note that applications are open to journalists from any country, but we expect to select:

4 Fellows from a Portuguese-speaking country;
1 Fellow to be from the UK;
The remaining Fellows to be from a country in the Global South;

Applicants must also:

Be available to arrive in Lisbon on May 30 so they can attend orientation and stay until June 7;
Commit to participate in all Fellowship activities;
Produce published stories as a result of their participation in this Fellowship. While we don’t require a letter from your editor supporting your application, we will give preference to those who can show an indication that their work will appear in a media outlet.

More information online at https://earthjournalism.net/opportunities/un-ocean-conference-2020-fellowships where there is also an “apply here” link. Closing date is 7 March at 0900 GMT.