The International Journalism Festival weekly round-up. Stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter, by following our Telegram channel, or by joining us on Facebook and Twitter.
Belarus: Authorities raid country’s largest independent news outlet. On May 18, agents of the Belarusian Financial Investigation Department (DFR) raided the regional offices of TUT.BY and searched the homes of several of its journalists, including the apartment of Editor-in-Chief Maryna Zolatava, who was taken to the DFR for interrogation. According to TUT.BY, at least 12 of its employees were arrested throughout the day, among them editors but also an accountant and department managers.
Unsure when a video or photo was taken? How to tell by measuring the length of shadows. Importantly, it’s not necessary to know the actual height of the object casting the shadow. What matters is only the proportional length of the shadow compared to the object.
How newsrooms can do less work – but have more impact. We’ve published a lot of articles about innovative things that news organizations are doing. But you know what our most popular piece by far has been? An article about how one news organization stopped doing things.
There can be no free press unless journalists are able to do their jobs safely. It’s no longer enough for us to think about safety through the prism of physical security. We need to consider our colleagues’ mental well-being, too.
Israel bombs building in Gaza City housing AP and Al-Jazeera offices. “This latest attack on a building long known by Israel to house international media raises the specter that the Israel Defense Forces is deliberately targeting media facilities in order to disrupt coverage of the human suffering in Gaza,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.
Slapped down. Six journalists on the legal efforts to silence them.
Facebook News rolls out in Germany. The participating German publishers are home to a strong and diverse range of outlets, representing more than 100 beloved editorial brands.
What our survey said… Society of Freelance Journalists polls its members. We asked freelancers around the world how the pandemic had shaped their work and what their career aims were for 2021.
New laws requiring social media platforms to hire local staff could endanger employees. Governments around the world are considering legislation designed to provide greater control over social media.
MDIF Ventures to invest $1 million in young independent media companies. Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) today launched MDIF Ventures to invest $1 million in young and growing media companies with a positive social impact and the potential to scale. MDIF Ventures will invest in projects located or serving audiences in countries where access to free and independent news and information is under threat. It will make equity investments in approximately 12 companies in 2021.
Photo credit: Homoatrox, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons