1 June 2019
UK Foreign Secretary: Media Freedom is key to holding political leaders to account
Speaking at the71st World News Media Congress in Glasgow on 1 June 2019, the UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will argue that a free media is not a “Western” value but instead forms a pillar of a thriving society, benefiting people around the world.
Mr Hunt will say that media freedom is crucial to holding political leaders to account.
He will say:
“Democracy and freedom of expression mean nothing unless independent journalists are able to scrutinise the powerful – and discover the stubborn facts – however inconvenient this might sometimes be for politicians on the receiving end.
“If we want to embrace the opportunities of a free society, encourage the open exchange of ideas, and pass informed judgement on our leaders peacefully through the ballot box, then we must defend the institution which enables all of this.”
Mr Hunt will highlight the dangerous global climate for journalists and warn against complacency in the UK. He will say:
“Last year, 99 journalists were killed and another 348 locked up by governments.
“In April, Lyra McKee was murdered by dissident republicans in Northern Ireland.
“The senseless killing of a talented young journalist showed that here in the United Kingdom, we have no cause for complacency.”
Speaking ahead of the Global Conference for Media Freedom in London in July, the Foreign Secretary will highlight the power that the international community wields in holding those who act against journalists to account. He will say:
“We cannot physically stop journalists from being locked up for doing their jobs.
“But we can alert global public opinion and make sure the diplomatic price is too high.”
Highlighting the international support for Burmese journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who reported a massacre in Rakhine State for Reuters News Agency he will say:
“From their cells, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in April.
“Then, last month, they were freed after the President of Burma granted a pardon and the country’s civilian leaders wisely acted to correct a grave failure of due process.
“The generals gained nothing from their actions because the facts emerged anyway.”
The Foreign Secretary will host a major conference on 10-11 July to bring together global leaders, shine a spotlight on media repression, and build a coalition of governments committed to a stronger diplomatic response when media freedom is curtailed.
Image: Flickr under a Creative Commons license
31 May 2019
The 12th annual Global Media Forum took place in Bonn on 27-28 May, organised by Germany’s international broadcaster DW.
Bringing together more 2,000 delegates from all parts of the world, the lively conference examined everything from AI to the future of local journalism under the title Shifting Powers.
Pointing to one potential future, a robot was in conversation with DW executive
Guido Baumhauer (pictured left) while the relationship between media and politics was examined by a panel including
Lord Michael Dobbs, the British politician who wrote the original House of Cards novel (photo above).
With lively conversation and debate, and the unique opportunity to meet journalists and media executives from some of the most hard-to-reach places on the planet, DW’s Director-General Peter Limbourg says that the Global Media Forum is being positioned to become the media equivalent of the Munich Security Conference. A bold ambition – and it’s one that’s quite likely to be achieved.
30 May 2019
Members of the Association for International Broadcasting have written to key suppliers to the broadcasting industry urging greater engagement over cyber security. The letter calls on suppliers to broadcasters to ensure that their products – which form critical parts of the broadcast chain – have high-levels of robust security that will help to mitigate the effects of cyber attacks.
The letter is a result of work by the AIB Cyber Security Working Group to identify key issues of concern within Members of the Association for International Broadcasting about the current state of security provided within equipment. The Working Group has been active for the past four years, drawing together the Chief Information Security Officers and Chief Technology Officers across a wide range of AIB Members. Its purpose is to share intelligence about threats and to share knowledge about ways to mitigate attacks on broadcasters.
“The number of attempts to breach the security of broadcasting networks is constantly increasing,” says AIB Cyber Security Working Group chairman and CISO at Arqiva, Denis Onuoha. “Yet the supply side of the industry is not accelerating its work on developing robust security at the same rate. This disconnect is something that the AIB – and other industry associations – is striving to end. We want suppliers to the broadcasting industry to understand the concerns and the needs of broadcasters across the world and to work across the sector to improve security.”
Not every cyber attack is successful. However, the high-profile attacks that have been revealed clearly demonstrate the havoc that can be wreaked when defences are breached. The costs involved in recovering a broadcasting operation following a successful attack run into tens of millions of dollars, while the reputational damage is potentially even more damaging.
“As a global trade association, it is in our DNA to support Members in dealing with challenging subjects, such as cyber security,” comments AIB chief executive, Simon Spanswick. “There is often a reluctance to discuss cyber security, or a hope that an attack ‘won’t happen to me’. This is misguided as it is only through collaboration that the questions that the industry faces can be successfully navigated. The AIB wants to ensure that none of its Members have to deal with the aftermath of a cyber attack and that is why the Association is calling on the supply side of the industry to engage.”
Through its Working Group, the AIB is now in regular contact with the national security services in a number of countries in order to share knowledge and expertise. The Association is developing plans for the creation of a broadcast cyber security research unit within the information security department of a major UK university that will develop a live broadcast production and transmission laboratory where undergraduate and postgraduate research into security of equipment will be undertaken in conjunction with industry.
“All the work that the AIB undertakes on cyber security is of benefit both to Members and the wider industry,” continues Spanswick. “That’s why we’re encouraging the active and supportive involvement by the supply side in our cyber security initiatives. It’s only by working together that the industry can combat the very real threats that exist.”
29 May 2019
London 29 May 2019
Viewsat, one of the fastest-growing operators within the global broadcast and transmission services industry, today announced that it is joining the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB).
As a truly global player, Viewsat is showing its support for the international broadcasting media by becoming an active member of this unique business community.
“Becoming a Member of the AIB comes at an exciting time for Viewsat, as we recently announced expansion in two business areas: fully managed playout and delivery to any platform anywhere. We want to play a more active role in the broadcast community and the AIB membership gives us precisely that,” commented Sandra Squire, Viewsat Business Development Director.
Viewsat’s Chief Executive Officer, Awaes Jaswal, added “As we continue to expand our reach and services across the globe, Viewsat is pleased to show our support for the vital industry we are part of by becoming an active member of the AIB. At a time of great market change, organisations like the AIB are important for bringing businesses together to share experiences and create collaborations.”
“We are pleased to welcome Viewsat, as a Member of the Association for International Broadcasting,” said Simon Spanswick, AIB chief executive. “As part of the AIB ‘family’ Viewsat will benefit from the expertise and knowledge that the Association has developed over the past quarter century and will bring new service opportunities to their fellow members.”
About Viewsat
Viewsat was founded in 2006 with one aim in mind: “To empower broadcasters of all sizes across the globe by delivering television and radio content without compromise.”
Viewsat delivers excellence to clients through its managed playout and broadcast satellite services. With satellite platforms and fibre networks, which are augmented through strategic partnerships, its facilities provide access for downlink, uplink or turnaround services to customers across the world.
Viewsat has established a comprehensive global communication delivery network to enable programming to be backhauled and distributed to almost every corner of the globe, it currently has over 170 services on air, including satellite broadcasting services across its satellite network, OTT services, and managed playout & pop up channel services
About the AIB
The Association for International Broadcasting – AIB – is a non-profit, non-government, industry association founded in 1993 to represent, promote and assist its members. It currently has a membership of over 60 companies in around 30 countries, including major broadcasters serving audiences of hundreds of millions of people each week.
With a reach of over 27,000 communicators and media professionals, AIB is a unique centre of information about international broadcasting, covering TV, radio, online and mobile. AIB researches regular market intelligence briefings for its members and provides client-specific consultancy and project support. Members receive an extensive package of services throughout the year.
Specialist AIB Member Working Groups provide support in areas such as cyber security, sustainability and audience research.
The Association’s annual awards for factual content – the AIBs – reward the best productions across video, audio and online. Now in their 15th year, the AIBs attract entries from broadcasters and production companies in around 40 countries.
24 May 2019
A court in Egypt has ordered the release from prison of Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein. He has been held for almost two and a half years.
The court ordered his release on Tuesday 21 May, with a different court hearing an appeal by the prosecution on Thursday 23 May. This second court upheld the earlier decision to release him.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, Hussein’s lawyer Taher Abul Nasr said his release “is expected to take place within days”.
Az-Zahra Hussein, his daughter, said in a Facebook post her father will be released “with precautionary measures”, and will soon be transferred to a police station from the prison.
Gamal Eid, the executive director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, said under Egyptian law Hussein must be freed within 24 hours.
“This is a final court ruling but the problem is that security forces tend to delay releases when they do not like those freed,” said Eid, adding in some previous cases the execution of the release order took several months.
The journalist has been in custody since 2016 without formal charges, trial or conviction.
Hussein was accused of “incitement against state institutions and broadcasting false news with the aim of spreading chaos”, allegations he and Al Jazeera Media Network deny.
21 May 2019
CEO John F. Lansing issued the following statement:
The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and its networks are mandated by law to abide by “the highest professional standards of broadcast journalism” (22 USC 6202). All of its networks, including the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), support the Agency’s mission of informing, engaging, and connecting people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. Adhering at all times to the journalistic values of accuracy, fairness, and balance is fundamental to that mission.
In May 2018, OCB aired a blatantly anti-Semitic video segment about George Soros that was deeply offensive and wholly inconsistent with USAGM’s professional standards and ethics. Upon learning of the situation in October, I ordered a thorough and multi-faceted review of OCB content, operations, and personnel.
As part of this wholesale review, a panel of independent experts examined an extensive sample of OCB content to identify and address any patterns of unethical, unprofessional, biased, or sub-standard journalism. The results of that panel are presented in this report.
In addition, the Agency internally reviewed OCB’s journalistic standards, editorial processes, and personnel practices. Furthermore, a comprehensive human resources investigation of the incident was completed and the agency has terminated, or is in the process of disciplinary action against, employees and contractors who have been deemed responsible. Collectively, these reviews highlight some urgent needs at OCB – particularly in shoring up journalistic principles and practices.
With reform in mind, I have assembled a joint USAGM-OCB working group to take up and carry out the recommendations from these reviews. To start, the working group will focus on five areas:
- Updating journalistic standards, reinforcing editorial processes, and producing relevant; engaging and balanced journalism consistent with the legislative mandate;
- Clarifying strategy and strengthening leadership;
- Bolstering workforce planning and personnel management;
- Ensuring the right balance of media platforms and effective distribution of content into Cuba; and
- Deepening coordination and collaboration with USAGM and its other networks.
We commit to making this process collaborative and transparent. We will be reaching out to stakeholders to solicit their input and will report out our progress and next steps at quarterly intervals.
These efforts are part of a longer arc of modernization and reform at OCB. In June 2018, Tomás Regalado was appointed as Director of OCB. Tomás brings to this leadership position an impressive journalism career and a history of public service, having served as City Commissioner and two-term Mayor of Miami. Since day one, Tomás has led on an ambitious program of revitalization for OCB, and he will remain a key driver of these continued reform efforts.
In addition, OCB appointed a new Central News Director to lead the newsroom in reinforcing editorial and ethical standards and implementing long-term newsgathering strategies. USAGM has also initiated the search for a Standards and Best Practices Editor, a new position at OCB, to provide oversight of OCB’s editorial and journalistic processes.
In the interim, the Voice of America (VOA), which operates as a separate news operation but is also under the USAGM umbrella, has sent their Editor for News Standards and Best Practices to Miami to conduct mandatory training for all OCB employees involved in content and programming. VOA is required by law to produce fair and unbiased journalism. It has a rigorous set of standards for stories and social media, and has established editing and production practices that enforce these standards. Additional training covering fairness, objectivity, balance and bias in coverage will be required for all OCB employees going forward; the Anti-Defamation League has already provided training for staff.
I know that the path ahead will not be easy, but I – and all of USAGM – stand committed to the challenge. OCB is at all times required to adhere to the highest standards of professional journalism and any deviation from that is unacceptable. Our audience in Cuba has an urgent need for news that is representative of the highest professional standards, and we will not let them down.
(Source: USAGM press release)
