The Listening Post

The death of 25-year-old African American Freddie Gray while in police custody earlier this month triggered widespread protests in the city of Baltimore in the night of April 25, 2015. But the story was not deemed newsworthy by major US news networks that opted to cover the White House Correspondent's Dinner - an annual black-tie affair where journalists and politicians rub shoulders - in the capital less than 65 kilometres away. Mainstream media have since tried to play catch-up but those journalists have received the same kind of treatment they faced while covering the protests in Ferguson, Missouri last year following the death of another unarmed black man at the hands of the police. The primary grievance has been the media's misrepresentation of the protests and fixation on the destruction of property rather than the social and economic root causes of the discontent. Talking us through the story this week is journalist and former CNN correspondent Frank Sesno; USA Today reporter Yamiche Alcindor; academic and author Tara Conley; and Juan Thompson, a journalist at the Intercept. Feature: The politics of reforming 'Mamma RAI' Italy wants to reform its public broadcaster RAI and modernise the network's structure and spending but there is no consensus as to how. A bill has been put before parliament and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi says that he wants to free RAI from the political interference that has controlled the public broadcaster for decades. However the opposition is sceptical and foresees a government mouthpiece in the making. The Listening Post's Paolo Ganino reports from Rome on the public broadcaster Italians call 'Mamma Rai' and the plans to reform it.

Britain is also the focus for our feature this week. The UK's Office of Communications (OFCOM) is the regulator enforcing media regulations for all news organisations in the UK - except the BBC. OFCOM has pursued complaints against Russia's RT, Iran's Press TV, and Murdoch's News Corporation, but the BBC operates under different rules. With elections approaching, the performance of the media is thrown into sharp relief and the remit of OFCOM needs a closer look. The Listening Post's Flo Phillips reports.

A recent upsurge of violence against foreign nationals in South Africa has raised contentious questions about how to talk about the issue in the media. When the influential king of the Zulus, Goodwill Zwelithini, was quoted as saying that foreigners "should pack their bags and go" many saw it as a precursor to the attacks which have mainly been targeted at migrants from other African states. The king has refuted these allegations and says that the media have taken his words out of context. Others too have singled out the media for blame. South African President Jacob Zuma, has said emphasising the "xenophobic" nature of the attacks casts the country in a bad light. The question remains of whether the media are fulfilling their responsibility to prompt the government and the South African people to face tough questions about inequality and jobs. Putting the South African media under the lens this week are: Anton Harber, a media professor at WITZ University; William Gumede, a senior associate at St. Anthony's College in South Africa; Cawo Abdi, the author of Journeys of Hope and Pain; and Sthembiso Msomi, the political editor at The Sunday Times newspaper.

On April 12, protestors in Madrid found a different way to express their discontent over a new 'gag' law. They marched to Spain's parliament virtually - in what has become known as the world's first hologram march. The law – which will come into effect in July - will make many forms of public gathering and demonstrations illegal. Protestors will be barred from assembling outside Congress, permission must be sought before any public gathering and fines can be issued if anyone is caught breaking the rules. With non-stop austerity protests over the past three years, this law is likely to have a huge impact. The media will also be affected. Photographing, filming or publishing pictures of police operations can constitute a criminal offense. You can even be prosecuted for a tweet - if it contains a hashtag publicising a political event the government has not authorised. With the rise of the anti-austerity leftist party, known as Podemos and with elections eight months away, protests, and their tendency to drive the media narrative - are a big part of what is happening in Spain. Talking us through the story this week is Bieito Rubido, the editor of ABC newspaper; Jesus Marana, editorial director at the Infolibre website; Alejandro Caballero, president of the RTVE Workers' Committee; and Enrique Bustamante, professor of Audiovisual Communication at the Complutense University of Madrid. In this week's feature, The Listening Post's Marcela Pizarro heads to Buenos Aires to look at Argentina's 'loony radio': Radio La Colifata is a unique radio station broadcasting from inside a mental hospital in Argentina. More on our website: http://aljazeera.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AJEnglish Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/aljazeera

Politics, religion and freedom of speech in Bangladesh; plus, the ethics of native advertising. Taking us through the issues raised by the secularism and religion in Bangladesh's past and present are: Imran H Sarkar from the Bangladesh bloggers' association; Mustafa Feroz, the head of News from Bangla Vision; editor-in-chief of the Dhaka Tribune, Zafar Sobhan; and journalist Shaukat Mahmood.

The Yemen conflict and the geopolitics of the media coverage; plus, the resurrection of Greece's state-owned broadcaster.

The partisan coverage of Nigeria's vote; plus, the 800 million Indians not deemed newsworthy by their country's media. - Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check out our website:http://www.aljazeera.com/

A media post-mortem into the UK's surveillance report. Plus, why five years on in Argentina the media looks so familiar. More on our website: http://aljazeera.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AJEngligh Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/aljazeera

We examine Prime Minister Netanyahu's allies and enemies in the media. Plus, fixers, the local helpers who make international reporting possible. More on our website: http://aljazeera.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AJEngligh Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/aljazeera

A suspicious death and the confusing and contradictory coverage in Argentina’s media. Plus, the growing politics behind the most watched TV show on earth. More on our website: http://aljazeera.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AJEngligh Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/aljazeera

ISIL propaganda and the narrative of inevitable war; plus, fonts and typefaces, the loaded letters of the news business. More on our website: http://aljazeera.comFollow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AJEnglighSubscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/aljazeera

The journalist collaboration between the biggest leak in banking history; plus, a look at the slow journalism movement.

Greece's Syriza party challenges the media narrative on austerity. And, the close ties between journalists and NGOs.

Will the new Greek government dismantle the old media networks? Plus, covering the new power structures in Yemen.

How has the media covered the latest Boko Haram attack? Plus, the Charlie Hebdo story through the eyes of cartoonists. - Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check out our website:http://www.aljazeera.com/