Hot topics click link for more
News reporters are drilled in expecting the unexpected. They must, of course, fill the proverbial news hole. Sometime this means producing nice packages on flower shows or birthday parties. Even there, surprises can happen.
Reporters from newspaper Ukrainska Pravda traveled to the Eastern industrial hub city of Dnipro last Sunday (February 13) ostensibly to cover the birthday of famous Ukrainian Ihor Kolomoysky. European media watchers will recall that Mr. Kolomoysky may or may not own Ukrainian broadcasting company 1+1 Media Group, through PrivatBank, and briefly held a minority stake in Central European Media Enterprises. He’s also very wealthy, largely from the oil business. Dnipro is his hometown. All of this makes creates a bit of news value. (See more about media in Ukraine here)
As Ukrainska Pravda investigative reporter Mykhailo Tkach and photojournalist Yaroslav Bondarenko scouted out the area around Dnipro International Airport that Sunday afternoon they were approached by five big guys, who turned out to be bodyguards for Alexander Petrovsky. In most reports he is referred to as a businessman, in others “crime boss.” His nickname is Narik, Ukrainian colloquial for “junkie.”
One of the bodyguards pulled a knife on Mr. Bondarenko, applying it to the video device to extract memory cards and chips. Mr. Petrovsky began to rant that Mr. Bonarenko “could be a saboteur. We go out, they are standing there, filming on camera. They take down planes and everything that is and is happening. Don’t let him go anywhere.” A video of the episode was to the Ukrainska Pravda website. Local police, who seemed to ignore the knife incident, identified suspects and opened an investigation, said Ukraine media news portal Detector Media (February 18).
Also this week (February 16) a district court in Simeropol, in Russian-occupied Crimea, sentenced Crimea Realities reporter Vladislav Yesypenko to six years in prison. He had been arrested in March 2021 for espionage for Ukrainian intelligence services and transporting explosives, which he denied. While in confinement he was tortured by electrocution, electrodes attached to his ears, said lawyer Dmytro Dinze and forced to make a confession on Russia-controlled TV channel Crimea 24. Crimea Realities (Krym Realii) is a regional news portal of US Congress-funded RFE/RL Ukrainian service. Crimea 24, related to Russian state-owned Russia 24, was removed from YouTube in 2020 for rampant disinformation.
For a certain set of journalists conflict zones are the raison d’etre. Nothing excites them more than rubbing shoulders, so to speak, with fighters, generals and commanders, who are almost as cool as dictators. There are, however, limits. We all saw how international news crews quickly vacated Afghanistan as Taliban extremists settled in.
As such, the big story this month is the possibility of armed conflict in Ukraine and the Russian Federation. A expected flashpoint is the Donbass, the eastern Ukraine regions of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, seized by the Russian Federation in 2014. It remains under the control of separatists with fealty to Russia. Its leader - Denis Pushilin - has recently entertained journalists. (See more about conflict zones here)
Ukraine authorities are quite displeased that a news crew from French television broadcaster TF1. The National Security and Defence Council asked the Ukraine Security Service to check the “illegal trip,” reported Ukrainian news portal New Voice (February 14). “Journalists of the French TV channel TF1 have disseminated manipulative materials that discredit Ukraine in the international arena," grumbled the National Security and Defense Council in a statement. Denis Pushilin was interviewed (February 7) in Donetsk, during which he blamed Ukraine authorities for the “hostilities. (See more about media in Ukraine here)
TF1 reporters Liseron Bouboul and Gilles Parrot, accompanied by Reuters reporter Anton Zverev, crossed into the Donbas via a Russian checkpoint as entering from Ukraine is forbidden. Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy recently (February 8) asked foreign news media not to give the Donbas militants a platform.
Publishers and broadcasters have benefitted greatly from digital technologies. So have other sectors; from transportation and finance to eduction and public health. Individuals, too, reap the benefits of quick and easy digital communications. While the efficiencies are overwhelmingly positive risks are abundant. There are bad people with bots out there.
Earlier this month the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) (February 4) reported a cyber attack on News Corporation and its operations in the UK and the US. The WSJ is published by Dow Jones, a subsidiary of News Corporation, principally owned by the Murdoch family. This cyber attack appears to have targeted personal data and communications of employees, including reporters. The publisher disclosed the cyber attack to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and then to all employees in an email blast. (See more about News Corporation here)
The story was widely reported in the UK, US and elsewhere. News Corporation hired cyber security firm Mandiant to check it out. Publicly they provides few details, which is recommended. In the SEC filing, required of all publicly traded US companies, News Corporation notes the hackers got into “network and information systems” and "third-party providers for certain technology and 'cloud-based' systems and services.” Mandiant vice president David Wong, in a statement, offered: “Those behind this effort have a China nexus.”
As the Beijing Olympic Winter Games got underway, reporters and news crews were warned of possible cyber surveillance. Both Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued explicit warnings. “Leave your devices home,” said the CPJ (January 11). “Assume that everything you do online will be monitored.” (See more about digital transitions here)
In April last year data systems of German publisher Madsack Media Group were hacked in a suspected ransomware attack. Last week (February 9) an attempted cyber hack was reported by Portuguese magazine publisher Trust in News. “The alert and security systems were immediately activated and the situation is being evaluated, but no critical systems were compromised,” said the publisher’s statement. The same week Slovenia’s Pop TV was unable to broadcast for several hours and its streaming service interrupted by a cyber ransom attack, reported Zurnal24 (February 8).
RTL Group continues to push forward its strategic plan. The company is exiting the RTL Croatia business, which has grown to 3 free-to-air TV channels and 5 pay-TV channels plus digital services and a music company. Pending requisite approvals, PPF Group subsidiary Central European Media Enterprises (CME) will take over in the 2nd quarter. The cash contribution is €50 million. RTL will retain trademark rights.
“The sale is in line with our consolidation strategy and the best strategic option for RTL Croatia, its dedicated team and our shareholders,” said RTL Group deputy chief executive Elmar Heggen in a statement (February 14). RTL Croatia was the country’s first commercial television channel, founded in 2004 during the flood of western investment in Eastern Europe. RTL took full control in 2015. Last year RTL Group French subsidiary M6 negotiated to merge with French broadcaster TF1, RTL Nederland began a merger with Dutch media company Talpa Network and RTL Belgium was sold to publisher Rossel and DPG Media. RTL Group is principally owned by publisher Bertelsmann. (See more about Bertelsmann/RTL here)
PPF Group was founded as an investment vehicle for Czech investor Petr Kellner, who died in a helicopter accident last year. PPF completed the acquisition of CME from Time Warner, now WarnerMedia, and founder Ron Lauder in 2020. Didier Stoessel was then named CME chief executive. CME currently operates broadcast outlets in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. (See more about CME here)
In many countries news publishers have benefitted from state support, typically indirect, like postal relief. Once the great digital transition took hold publishers asked for more, including legislative measures to punish the digital sphere. Classified ads disappeared first to websites like Craig’s List, causing publishers to weep. Lucrative multiyear deals for display advertising migrated to far less costly online platforms, causing publishers to scream. Aided by private equity firms, publishers consolidated and pared down operations. All the while, they kept asking for more state support.
A year ago, the Swiss parliament approved a media support plan, with coronavirus effects in mind, to soften the financial blow for newspapers and a select few privately-owned broadcasters. More money would flow to those with the greatest reach. Big Swiss publishers thought it was a good idea, others not so much. (See more about media support here)
The fate of the Swiss media support plan was clarified this past weekend (February 13). Opponents collected the requisite signatures for a question to be added to the popular referendum schedule on whether or not the plan costing CHF 152 million (€144 million) a year. Fueled by a public relations assault by the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party (UDC), Swiss voters said no, almost 55% rejecting the plan. The same right-wing populist parties pushed a referendum to defund public broadcaster SSR/SRG four years ago and massively lost.
All Swiss observers noted that voters in the Swiss-German speaking region generally rejected the measure while those in the French-speaking region generally favored the media support plan. Others noted an urban-rural divide, voters in large cities supporting the plan and those in less-affluent “news deserts” voting against.
|
