Pacific Islands Report ... popular Hawai'i-based regional news and current affairs source. Image: PMC Online

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Alex Perrottet of Pacific Media Watch

A popular news portal published by the University of Hawaii’s East-West Centre is the first victim of US Congress budget cuts to the centre.

The Pacific Islands Report’s comprehensive media round-up published in print and online will almost certainly be scaled back as the result of the recent retrenchment of its editor Peter Wagner.

Wagner, who has been at the helm of the report for the past 10 years, is an experienced journalist in Hawai’i and says the decision is a “shame”. Read more »

Poverty in Fiji is estimated between 33 to 47 percent... more social justice reporting needed. Photo: Radio Fiji

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By a special correspondent in Suva

Crusading or advocacy roles, a long journalistic tradition absent from poverty reporting in Fiji, should be adopted by the country’s journalists, says a media academic.

Shailendra Singh, the University of the South Pacific’s former head of journalism, urged journalists to step up coverage of poverty, a major problem in Fiji.

Singh, a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland in Australia, was speaking at the 2011 Fiji Economic Update in Fiji last week. Read more »

Keynote speaker Kunda Dixit with Jon Stephenson.

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Rose Rees-Owen.

A lively exchange over the role and commitment of younger journalists sparked a panel debate on the opening day of the Media, Investigative Journalism and Technology (MJIT) conference at Auckland University on Saturday.

The keynote plenary discussion, focusing on the future of investigative journalism, featured prominent investigative journalists from New Zealand, Australia and Nepal. Read more »

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By PMC news desk

New Zealand’s AUT University is seeking a Pasifika journalist and educator to join its teaching staff.

The university’s School of Communication Studies described the new post in an advertisement today as a “challenging opportunity to lead, develop and teach the new Graduate Diploma in Pacific Journalism programme”.

The new staff person would also contribute to other journalism papers. Read more »

AUT University's Pacific Media Centre in association with the International Committee of the Red Cross will on May 24 hold a conference titled Reporting Wars: The ongoing challenges.

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By PMC newsdesk and Andrea Steward.

AUT University’s Pacific Media Centre will host a seminar titled ‘Reporting Wars: The ongoing challenges’ at its Wellesley St Auckland campus from 4:30pm today (Monday, May 24).

The seminar is jointly organised by the Pacific Media Centre and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

An influential panel of journalists, presenters and an ICRC legal expert will be debating war reporting and the safety of journalists. Read more »

AUT University's Pacific Media Centre in association with the International Committee of the Red Cross will on May 24 hold a conference titled Reporting Wars: The ongoing challenges.

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Andrea Steward.

In October 1975, the Indonesian military was conducting a terror campaign in the border regions of East Timor after the country had declared unilateral independence from Portugal.

Five Australian-based journalists – including a New Zealander – went to East Timor to cover the conflict. Read more »

David Robie Photo: Ryan Butler/AUT

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch in Brisbane

A New Zealand media educator who headed Pacific journalism schools for a decade has called for a stronger voice against censorship from the region’s communication education sector.

“The student press and broadcasters in the Pacific universities need to be proactive in their coverage and philosophy as news media,” said associate professor David Robie, director of the Pacific Media Centre at AUT University in New Zealand. Read more »

UNESCO is hosting the World Press Freedom Day conference at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Vincent Murwira, in Auckland.

Journalism and press freedom will always be under threat, not just from technology but from the mighty and powerful.

“Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice” Article 19, Human Rights Charter.

Back in 1948, soon after World War 2, most governments worldwide signed the United Nations Human Rights Charter and agreed to uphold its principles which guarantee freedom of the press as a basic human right, among other rights. Read more »

The UNESCO World Press Freedom Day used livestream.com to enabled people with an internet connection to view proceedings. Livestream also made it possible for participants to ask questions and comment on proceedings. (See video box on the right --->)

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch in Brisbane

A Cook Islands free press advocate has called for news activists to borrow a leaf out of the regional HIV/AIDS campaign book to give Pacific news media a new bill of health.

Speaking at the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day global conference at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Lisa Williams-Lahari said media advocates could learn a lot from the tactics of the HIV/AIDS campaign in the Pacific. Read more »

Press Release:
Pacific Media Centre.

The Pacific Media Centre, International Committee of the Red Cross and New Zealand Red Cross are jointly hosting twin special events on reporting wars at AUT University next month. Read more »