Press Release – Pacific Freedom Forum

PFF, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS: The arrest and detention of Fiji’s trade union movement leaders Daniel Urai and Felix Anthony continues the harassment and intimidation of citizens by the military regime, regional media freedom monitoring network the Pacific … Read more »

Indonesian repression in West Papua. Cartoon: © Malcolm Evans / PJR

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By PMC news desk

The killing and abduction of journalists in Indonesian-occupied West Papua has been highlighted in a special new report on Pacific media freedom over the past year by Pacific Journalism Review.

“By far the most serious case of media freedom violations in the Pacific is in West Papua—far from international scrutiny,” says the journal in an editorial.

The 39-page report on the state of media freedom in the Pacific in 2011 notes that in August, in particular, “sustained repression has also hit the news media and journalists”. Read more »

Vanuatu Daily Post publisher Marc Neil-Jones ... pioneering freedom of the press. Photo: David Robie/PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Backgrounder – By Marc Neil-Jones in Port Vila

I have spent 29 years in the media industry in Melanesia in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu and have had first hand experience on difficulties trying to pioneer freedom of press in Vanuatu which has only had independent media since the mid 1990s, as up until then it was completely monopolised by the Vanuatu government.

Since launching the Trading Post in 1993 I have been deported, jailed, assaulted a number of times, threatened many times, and defamed by government numerous times in their attacks on me through their own media outlets.

However, we have always managed to stand our ground by adhering to media codes of ethics, not supporting any political party and doing our job of informing the public on issues of national interest. Read more »

Savea Sano Malifa pictured when receiving an International Press Institute media freedom award in Vienna. Photo: PMC archive

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

One of the champions of Pacific press freedom, Savea Sano Malifa, has accused a rival organisation of “manipulation”and losing its “critical voice” as media groups meet in Samoa this week to discuss press freedom and regionalism.

Writing in an editorial marking World Press Freedom Day in his Samoa Observer newspaper, editor-in-chief Savea, who is also chair of the new Pasifika Media Association (PasiMA), slammed the Suva-based Pacific Islands News Association (PINA).

While welcoming support from international media partners, he said: “It is entirely up to working Pacific journalists to make [regionalism] happen”. Read more »

Press Release – Pacific Freedom Forum

PFF, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS — Solomon Islands police are treating the early morning torching last Thursday of a private vehicle owned by senior journalist Dorothy Wickham as suspicious; and are still ascertaining whether the vandals had personal or professional … Read more »

Press Release – Pacific Freedom Forum

PFF, Rarotonga, Cook Islands — The front page publication of the image of a dead child photographed where he died is a clear breach of media ethics in Vanuatu and must remind Pacific newsrooms to balance news journalism with decency in reporting, … Read more »

Press Release – Pacific Freedom Forum

colleagues, the PFF link at www.pacificfreedomforum.org has been updated with the text and links below –with thanks for your publishing and sharing to relevant networks. Read more »

Press Release – Pacific Freedom Forum

Rarotonga, Cook Islands– The continued campaign of fear and intimidation against journalists in Fiji has been denounced by regional media monitoring network the Pacific Freedom Forum, after the detention last week of a Fiji Times journalist for his investigative … Read more »

Press Release – Pacific Freedom Forum

Pacific journalists and government information officers have had a sombre wake up call on media ethics and codes of conduct; after mainstream newspaper the Solomon’s Star decided to name the source of a controversial ‘intelligence report’ leaked to … Read more »

Press Release – Pacific Freedom Forum

The repealing of gag-rules for public servants in Guam provides a new model for public accountability to inspire Pacific leaders, says the Pacific Freedom Forum, PFF. Read more »