weCAN Digest March 2019

Media monitoring of the latest news about the media and advertising markets of Central and Eastern Europe Croatia Journalists Take to Streets Over Court Pressures Reporters and media outlets in Croatia will protest in Zagreb on Saturday about the number of lawsuits filed against them – including by the national broadcaster – which they say is undermining their freedom. Mar 1 https://balkaninsight.com/2019/03/01/croatia-journalists-take-to-streets-over-court-pressures/ Estonia election: opposition party wins but far-right support doubles Estonia is on track for its first female prime minister after the opposition liberal Reform party won the general election, outpacing the governing centre-left party, and a surging far-right party buoyed by a backlash from mostly rural voters. Mar 3 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/03/estonia-election-centrist-parties-far-right Croatian Journalists and PM Continue Argument about Media Freedom The Croatian Journalists Association (HND) Executive Board on Monday dismissed in the strongest terms Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's statement about HND president Hrvoje Zovko, noting that Plenković was denying that critical journalism in Croatia was exposed to pressure and was trying to discredit Zovko. March 5 https://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/34488-croatian-journalists Exclusive: Romania's opposition seeks Huawei ban in telecom infrastructure Romania’s biggest opposition party will trigger a public inquiry into Huawei’s contribution to critical infrastructure and seek to bar it from 5G network development due to mounting security concerns, its IT expert said on Tuesday. Mar 5 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-romania-china-huawei-tech-exclusive/exclusive-romanias-opposition-seeks-huawei-ban-in-telecom-infrastructure-idUSKCN1QM2H8 OSCE Representative Désir concerned about numerous lawsuits against journalists in Croatia and disputes involving public service broadcaster HRT The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed his concern about the high number of lawsuits filed against journalists and news outlets by politicians and public officials in Croatia and an ongoing dispute involving the public service broadcaster HRT. Mar 6 https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/413483 Journalists Are Living in Fear in Republika Srpska Bosnia has a thriving media sector, but those who refuse to become mouthpieces for the government increasingly find themselves in exile or under police protection. Mar 6 https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/06/journalists-are-living-in-fear-in-republika-srpska-bosnia-dodik-press-freedom/ Czech media firmly in domestic hands On January, the Czech online daily idnes.cz informed that the news platform Info.cz merged with the news aggregator Zdroj.cz. This merger is one of the latest manifestations of series of M&As on the Czech media market. Mar 7 https://financialobserver.eu/ce/czech-media-firmly-in-domestic-hands/ RFE/RL “Schemes” Journalists Attacked by Local Officials in Ukraine Two RFE/RL Ukrainian Service journalists, reporter Katerina Kaplyuk and cameraman Borys Trotsenko, were attacked today by two officials of the village council of Chabany, located just south of the capital, Kyiv in Kyiv Region. Trotsenko was diagnosed with a concussion and his camcorder was damaged in the attack. Mar 6 https://pressroom.rferl.org/a/schemes-journalists-attacked-chabany-ukraine/29807421.html Polish government to draft bill to limit private labels by large retailers Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has announced his government will draft a bill that will "make it more difficult for large retailers to sell products under their private labels" in a bid to increase the profit margins of Polish food producers that supply their products to retail chains. Mar 6 https://iegpolicy.agribusinessintelligence.informa.com/PL219514/Polish-government-to-draft-bill-to-limit-private-labels-by-large-retailers Facebook removes fake accounts that tried to stir hate and political division in the UK and Romania The social media giant said in a blog post Thursday evening on its blog that it took down 137 Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages and groups in the U.K., and another 31 Facebook accounts, pages and groups in Romania. Mar 8 https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/08/facebook-removes-fake-accounts-that-tried-to-stir-hate-in-uk-romania.html Austria protests over Ukrainian ban on reporter from its state broadcaster Austria on Friday summoned the Ukrainian ambassador over his country’s decision to bar the Kiev bureau chief for the Austrian national broadcaster ORF, calling the move an act of censorship. Mar 8 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-ukraine-reporter/austria-protests-over-ukrainian-ban-on-reporter-from-its-state-broadcaster-idUSKCN1QP1U3 Fidesz's media empire just became even more centralised Until now, the only formal link between the almost 500 media outlets operating within the giant media conglomerate assembled last November by oligarchs close to Fidesz was their proprietor, the Central European Press and Media Foundation (KESMA). Not anymore. Mar 8 https://index.hu/english/2019/03/08/kesma_fidesz_media_government_centralisation_propaganda_liszkay_mediaworks_meszaros/ Russia internet freedom: Thousands protest against cyber-security bill Thousands of people in Russia have protested against plans to introduce tighter restrictions on the internet. A mass rally in Moscow and similar demonstrations in two other cities were called after parliament backed the controversial bill last month. Mar 10 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47517263 Facebook sues Ukrainian hackers who stole user info via personality quizzes Facebook filed a lawsuit Friday against two Ukrainian nationals who allegedly used personality quizzes to steal user information. The hackers, Gleb Sluchevsky and Andrey Gorbachov, required users to download browser extensions to operate the quiz apps, which scraped data from Facebook pages and posted ads once they were loaded onto the browser. Mar 12 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-sues-two-ukrainian-hackers-for-stealing-user-information-via-personality-quizzes/ 'Distracted boyfriend' couple star in Hungary pro-family ads Hungary's new family policies are being promoted by one of the internet's best-known dysfunctional couples. The government of Viktor Orban is bringing in a "family protection action plan", which includes tax breaks for mothers of multiple children. Mar 13 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47557217 Telemach monopoly challenged in Bosnia The Association of Cable Operators and Distributors of Bosnia & Herzegovina (AKOP BiH) has called on state institutions to tackle the monopoly status enjoyed by Telemach. Mar 14 https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2019/03/14/telemach-monopoly-challenged-in-bosnia/ Slovakia charges man with ordering journalist Kuciak's murder Slovak police have charged a man with ordering the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, prosecutors said on Thursday, a case that triggered mass protests and the resignation of a prime minister. Mar 14 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-slovakia-crime-charges/slovakia-charges-man-with-ordering-journalist-kuciaks-murder-idUSKCN1QV1PN Protesters invade Serbian state TV amid demonstrations across Balkans Protesters broke into Serbia’s state television building for the first time in almost 20 years and Albanian police used tear gas to disperse a crowd trying to break into the parliament on a day of anti-government demonstrations across the Balkans. Mar 17 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/17/protesters-invade-serbian-state-tv-amid-demonstrations-across-balkans Russia's Putin Signs Into Law Bills Banning 'Fake News,' Insults President Vladimir Putin has signed legislation enabling Russian authorities to block websites and hand out punishment for "fake news" and material deemed insulting to the state or the public. Mar 18 https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-signs-fake-news-legislation/29828242.html Why Demands for a Free Press Are Front and Center in Serbia’s Protests For more than three months, thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Belgrade and other Serbian cities to demand free and fair elections, an end to violent attacks against politicians and journalists and investigations into them, and more independent and unbiased reporting in the country. Mar 18 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/27657/why-demands-for-a-free-press-are-front-and-center-in-serbia-s-protests Slovakia’s first investigative journalism centre honours legacy of murdered reporter Almost a year after the murder of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kušnírova, a group of Slovakian journalists came together to continue his work on investigating international organised crime. The non-profit organisation Investigative Centre of Jan Kuciak is the first of its kind in Slovakia. Mar 20 https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/slovakia-s-first-investigative-journalism-centre-honours-legacy-of-murdered-reporter/s2/a736214/ Google Backs Bulgarian Project that Fights Misleading Numbers in News Through Quantum Computing “The project will be one of the first practical applications of quantum computing, allowing us to visualize inaccuracies in data. By providing this extra layer of information, our aim is to help readers make more informed conclusions on the news they consume,” explains Benev, who is also the founder of the AI service company SHYN. Mar 21 https://www.trendingtopics.at/bulgaria/google-backs-bulgarian-project-that-fights-misleading-numbers-in-news-through-quantum-computing/ Next Step in Disinformation: How a Dating App Becomes a Weapon A troubling case may signal that disruptive innovation is already underway in the post-Soviet space, whether by Russia or by others: ruthless operatives in Ukraine have weaponized the dating application Tinder for political purposes. Mar 21 https://www.justsecurity.org/63315/next-step-in-disinformation-how-a-dating-app-becomes-a-weapon/ Slovakia puts squeeze on free press ahead of election Slovakia is seeking to crack down on its domestic media with a new law, ahead of a presidential election run-off later this month. The revisions to the country's press code come amid threats against journalists, and an election campaign between EU commission vice-president, the Smer-backed candidate Maros Sefcovic and liberal anti-corruption lawyer, Zuzana Caputova. Mar 21 https://euobserver.com/justice/144470 Bulgaria's Advance Media Group gets nod to buy Nova Broadcasting Group Bulgaria's Commission for Protection of Competition said on Friday that it has given approval to local Advance Media Group to acquire 100% of Nova Broadcasting Group from Swedish entertainment company Modern Times Group (MTG) and Luxembourg-registered Eastern European Media Holdings. Mar 22 https://seenews.com/news/update-1-bulgarias-advance-media-group-gets-nod-to-buy-nova-broadcasting-group-647557 Oligarchs and their media outlets influence Ukraine’s presidential election Five years since the Euro-Maidan and the Revolution of Dignity fervently rejected systemic corruption and graft, Ukrainian politics continues to experience enormous influence from local oligarchs. In this environment, Ukraine’s presidential election campaign is in full-swing, with the vote scheduled for March 31. Mar 22 http://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/oligarchs-and-their-media-outlets-influence-ukraines-presidential-election/ TVP targets Lithuania The Polish public broadcaster TVP has signed an agreement with Poland’s foreign ministry to launch a TV channel aimed at ethnic Poles in Lithuania. […] It adds that the channel will be in the Polish language and produced by ethnic Poles in Lithuania. Mar 22 https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2019/03/22/tvp-targets-lithuania/ How Russian media saw the long-awaited Mueller report Russia's state media is heavily dominated by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe, with news channels making an issue out of the amount of money spent on it and gloating at its findings. Mar 25 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47695779 Ukraine Denies Entry to Italian Journalist, Says He's Biased Ukrainian authorities have denied entry to an Italian journalist, accusing him of an "anti-Ukrainian" bias. Mar 25 https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/03/25/world/europe/ap-eu-ukraine-italy-journalist.html Viktor Orban says he may resume media attacks on EU institutions Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, has said his government could resume its media attacks on European Union institutions. He made the suggestion on public radio on Sunday. The comments come as his nationalist Fidesz party gears up for European Parliament elections on May 26. Mar 25 https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/24/orban-hits-out-at-critics-over-epp-decision WarnerMedia-Controlled Central European Media Enterprises to Consider Sale, Merger WarnerMedia-controlled Central European Media Enterprises, which runs a stable of television and other media outlets in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, is looking at a sale or merger. Mar 25 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warnermedia-controlled-central-european-media-enterprises-consider-sale-merger-1196786 Latvian television company employee fired after Russia Today incident Latvian Television employee Harijs Lavkinaitis has been fired from his job because of the interview to Russia Today shown in LTV News Service’s studio, LTV board member Ivars Priede told Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee during a meeting. March 26 https://bnn-news.com/latvia-television-company-employee-fired-after-russia-today-incident-198738 New head of Latvian Television named Latvia's broadcast regulator, the National Electronic Media Council (NEPLP) announced March 28 it had decided to approve Einars Giels as the new Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Television (LTV), and Eva Juhņēviča as the board member responsible for Digital Development and Content. March 28 https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/society/new-head-of-latvian-television-named.a314204/ Feature: Changing Structure of Slovenian Media Ownership Leads to Crisis of Legitimacy Leading Slovenian media companies, except the public broadcaster and national press agency, are in the hands of many different owners, domestic and foreign. But their ownership is often blurred, which a media expert believes contributes to the crisis of legitimacy they are in. Mar 28 https://www.total-slovenia-news.com/business/3330-feature-changing-structure-of-slovenian-media-ownership-leads-to-crisis-of-legitimacy BBC to pay 'substantial' sum for story libelling Ukrainian president The BBC has agreed to pay substantial libel damages to Ukraine’s president, Petro Poroshenko, after wrongly claiming he had been involved in making a secret $400,000 payment to Donald Trump’s lawyer in return for access to the US president. Mar 28 https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/mar/28/bbc-pay-substantial-libel-ukraine-president-poroshenko-donald-trump Google Bankrolls Oligarch-Owned Media Group in Hungary The recent decision of technology giant Google to award a grant worth up to €50,000 to New Wave Media Group, a Hungary-based media company, left freedom of expression activists and independent journalists baffled. Mar 28 https://medium.com/mediapowermonitor/google-bankrolls-oligarch-owned-media-group-in-hungary-80c1981b7f1c MEPs demand probe into corruption in Malta and Slovakia The call comes after Parliament at its Strasbourg plenary endorsed a resolution on the rule of law in Malta and Slovakia by a large majority. The resolution follows the murders of two journalists in the countries and is the result of a working group on the issue. Mar 29 https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/articles/news/meps-demand-probe-corruption-malta-and-slovakia FB Page Attacking Serbian Media ‘Linked’ to Breitbart A popular Serbian Facebook page that targets ‘Serb-hating’ journalists and opposition politicians appears linked to a Serbian franchise of the far-right Breitbart website. Mar 29 https://balkaninsight.com/2019/03/29/fb-page-attacking-serbian-media-linked-to-breitbart/ IPTV advances in Slovenia IPTV accounted for 54.3% of all pay-TV connections in Slovenia in Q3 2018, according to data published by Telekom Slovenije in its latest annual report. At the same time, the incumbent accounted for over half (50.9%) of IPTV connections in the country. Mar 29 https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2019/03/29/iptv-advances-in-slovenia/ In Ukraine, Russia Tests a New Facebook Tactic in Election Tampering A pre-election rally for presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko in Kiev, Ukraine. The vote on Sunday presents Facebook with an opportunity to take what it has learned about election meddling and confront Russia on what the Kremlin considers its home turf. Mar 29 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/world/europe/ukraine-russia-election-tampering-propaganda.html Facebook launches EU election transparency rules Political ads in the EU are to be labelled as having been "paid for by" and restricted to their home countries, US tech giant Facebook has said in its bid to clamp down on abuse ahead of European Parliament (EP) elections in May. Mar 29 https://euobserver.com/foreign/144537 Ad Market Continues to Grow, Albeit at Slower Pace Advertising spend in Hungary reached HUF 259.69 billion last year, with online remaining the most dominant segment and outdoor registering the largest increase, the Hungarian Advertising Association (MRSz) has announced. Mar 30 https://bbj.hu/business/ad-market-continues-to-grow-albeit-at-slower-pace_162759 Russian Social Media Giant VK Eyes Launching its Own Crypto The most popular social media platform in Russia, VKontakte (VK), is considering developing its own cryptocurrency, local news outlet RNS reported on March 28. Mar 31 https://news.yahoo.com/russian-social-media-giant-vk-130200356.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAF2gDeGqchTC719mgHilLszoYBW9w39EUL68dTf9SU3H1ec4lljwvUHjUkeTqdxTdfuubDgy1KwD__nUC2TxZ0GadRv-Ik_mhKfuDRIu2scC5yHYPMKGxQr5HvYQGlF4-B4_K3hFAzOWmdYDNIkO94DKkkcOsFOHx6KqRuaxpuQc Zuzana Caputova becomes Slovakia's first female president Anti-corruption candidate Zuzana Caputova has won Slovakia's presidential election, making her the country's first female head of state. Ms Caputova, who has almost no political experience, defeated high-profile diplomat Maros Sefcovic, nominated by the governing party, in a second round run-off vote on Saturday. Mar 31 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47756368