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The FIFA World Cup press center in Moscow opens next week to support the estimated five thousand media workers from around the world. Perhaps they will receive up to date information about avoiding the wrath of Russian authorities. FIFA released this week a complaints mechanism for reporters, news organizations and human rights advocates to report press freedom violations.
"The World Cup is about to get underway in one of the most challenging countries in which to practice journalism,” said Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) advocacy director Courtney Radsch, in a statement (May 29) welcoming FIFA’s efforts. "The adoption of the mechanism is only a first step. FIFA must ensure that both domestic and international journalists are aware of how to use it and that complaints are dealt with in a transparent and timely manner.”
"Given the dangers media has historically faced while operating in Russia, journalists planning to cover the games and their editors should familiarize themselves with the risks and take steps to mitigate them," said CPJ Emergencies Director Maria Salazar Ferro. (See more about media in Russia here)
German public television network ARD investigative reporter Hajo Seppelt was denied an entry visa in mid-May as an “undesirable person.” His investigations into systematic doping violations by Russian Federation athletes and officials led to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report that preceded banning of Russian athletes from major sporting events including the 2018 Olympic Games. After a diplomatic intervention Russian authorities reversed their decision with the condition that Herr Seppelt submit to questioning by Russian prosecutors, still seething at the doping sanctions. (See more about sports and media here)
There is an atmosphere of “general anxiety” among media organizations intending to cover the World Cup in Russia, said the German office of Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) in a statement (May 29). “Russia is in the biggest human rights crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union,” said former Reuters correspondent in Russia Olga Petrova, quoted in the RSF Germany statement. "There was hope that the situation would improve before the World Cup, but currently I see no signals of it.”
Tributes poured out after the assassination in Kiev of Russian journalist and war correspondent Akrady Babchenko. Three bullets in the back and he was dead on the floor. Fingers were pointed toward the usual suspects.
Hold the obit.
Officials at Ukraine’s National Security Service called a press conference a day later, presumably to offer details of the investigation. "I would bring my condolences to the family of Arkady Babchenko, but I won’t,” said agency head Vasily Gritsak. On the contrary, today I congratulate Arkady on his birthday and invite him to the hall.”
Arkady Babchenko appeared. “Hello,” he said, quoted by Medusa.io (May 30). “I am still alive.” There was applause.
“Firstly, I probably would like to apologize for what you all had to endure, and for what you had to go through, because I have buried friends and colleagues many times, and I know this sickening, vomiting feeling when I have to bury my colleagues,” he said to the disbelieving gaggle. “You really must excuse that you were forced to experience all this, but another way was simply impossible. Separately, I would like to apologize to my wife for the hell she went through during these two days. Olechka, I'm sorry, please, but there were no options.”
Mr. Gritsak gave the spy-thriller details: The sting had been planned over two months, everybody sworn to secrecy, to “flush out” whoever might be intending to murder Mr. Babchenko. Money had been transferred, US$30,000, from a “Russian intelligence agent” to Ukrainian hit man. The “agent” was “apprehended.” More details to follow.
Daily screen time among Spanish households is nearly split equally between the traditional TV and “other devices,” according to a report from the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), quoted by news portal Dircomfidencial (May 28). People watch the TV set three hours a day and “other devices” two and a half hours. About 40% check out video content online each week and 55% of those who do are going to YouTube. (See more about media in Spain here)
What has “skyrocketed” is the uptake in households using subscription TV platforms. In a year the percentage of Spanish households forgoing these services has plummeted from 90% to 70%. This means a big boost for Netflix, which has lured 9.1% of Spanish households. The subscription video on demand (SVoD) service has 1.5 million customers in Spain, up from 500,000 in one year. The CNMC data was collected during the fourth quarter 2017. (See more about streaming media here)
Netflix will likely get a further boost when its distribution arrangement with Telefonica’s Movistar service, with nearly 4 million subscribers, is fully integrated by the end of the year. That alliance includes several Latin American countries. Vodafone has had a distribution agreement with Netflix since 2015 and has added HBO content to that. Sky launched its own subscription TV service in Spain last autumn.
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