New Public service broadcasters network a positive sign: PFF

PFF, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS -- A newly-formed Pacific regional network for Public Service Broadcasters is a positive move for the industry and Pacific audiences, says regional media monitoring network the Pacific Freedom Forum, PFF.
State-owned broadcasters from Vanuatu, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands launched the new group from their inaugural meeting in Port Vila this month.
"The history of Pacific media and public information has its roots in Public service broadcasting and this move from government stakeholders is a sign that public service broadcasting is getting some renewed attention," says PFF acting chair Monica Miller, of American Samoa.
"Public service broadcasting is people-service broadcasting, and has a special mandate to ensure it gives voice and participation to the silent," she says.
Market competition from commercial broadcasters, shrinking revenues for program production, staffing and technical standards, and resources to handle the switch from analogue to digital broadcasting are key priorities for the new network.
"We especially welcome any moves to address the levels of public confidence in state-owned media through guidelines and protocols which better define the roles of managing boards, and limit government interference," says Miller.
"Our news colleagues in public service broadcasters receive the same media ethics and news training as their colleagues anywhere else. It's important that we are all clear on standards, rights and rresponsibilities so they are able to maintain editorial independence as the best way to serve the public interest. And they should be able to do so without second guessing how political leaders may react to their work, and the flow on impacts for their jobs and families," she says.
"PFF looks forward to working with the new group to help strengthen free expression by Pacific people via the media systems which are managed in their interest," she says.
--ENDS.


CONTACT: PFF Acting Chair Monica Miller | KHJ Radio | American Samoa Mob 684 258-4197 | Office 684 633-7793 | Email: monica@khjradio.com The Pacific Freedom Forum are a regional and global online network of Pacific media colleagues, with the specific intent of raising awareness and advocacy of the right of Pacific people to enjoy freedom of expression and be served by a free and independent media. We believe in the critical and basic link between these freedoms, and the vision of democratic and participatory governance pledged by our leaders in their endorsement of the Pacific Plan and other commitments to good governance. In support of the above, our key focus is monitoring threats to media freedom and bringing issues of concern to the attention of the wider regional and international community.

PFF welcomes ethics focus in Vanuatu media monitoring training

PFF, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS- A just-completed ethics and media monitoring workshop in Vanuatu is welcome news for regional media freedom monitoring network the Pacific Freedom Forum, PFF.
30 participants completed the ethics and media monitoring workshop held this Wednesday in Port Vila. It is a joint effort between the national media association in Vanuatu, MAV, Transparency
International, and the International Federation of Journalists Asia-Pacific project for Media, Democracy and Human Rights in the Pacific. As part of its support for in-country workshops aimed at
improving journalists awareness of media rights violations, the IFJ also funded leading media trainer Titi Gabi of Papua New Guinea as a resource trainer to the Vanuatu workshop.
"Newsroom codes of ethical practice set guiding principles for journalism standards in any community, and build a strong awareness of the impact of news on public debate," says PFF acting chair Monica Miller, of American Samoa.
"We congratulate our news colleagues and all involved in the Vanuatu training workshop for taking on the issues of media responsibility; and urge all to share existing codes more widely."
The call for increasing awareness of existing media ethics codes comes as serious media ethics breaches continue in Pacific media.
The Solomon's Star daily newspaper gave extensive reportage this month revealing the identity of a woman and her teenage son -- the woman had suffered massive physical abuse and trauma at the hands of her husband, including loss of an eye and forced sex with a dog.
"All the court reportage named the husband, which ensured the identity of the woman and their child has also been made public. Of extreme concern is the fact their child, a teenager,  has been robbed of his right to privacy at this time," says Miller.
Other local media outlets including national broadcaster SIBC also named the husband in their radio coverage of the case and the information has been shared widely via social networks for Solomon Islands communities.
In Papua New Guinea, leading daily newspaper The PNG Post Courier featured full frontal nude colour photos of two obese children in its June 16 issue -- images which also gained followings and commentary on social networks.
"Sensitivity to victims of violence and to young children are key clauses of ethical coverage and its important that the editorial front line of our newsrooms is vigilant in that regard," says Miller.
"We encourage all media newsrooms to dust off their ethics codes and apply them. Importantly, we should support public access to complaints procedures," says Miller.
PFF and other regional networks in the founding membership of the umbrella Media Alliance of the Pacific, MAP, endorsed the creation of a regional code of ethics for journalists in May this year.
"Journalism codes of ethics share the same common concerns. A Pacific code makes sense and in terms of monitoring and complaints, could lead to a more effective space for addressing concerns over industry standards," says the PFF chair.--ENDS

Solomon's Star: http://www.solomonstarnews.com/news/national/11125-hubby-who-forces-wife-to-have-sex-with-dog-gets-8yrs
PNG Media Council Code of Ethics: http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20110615/wehome.htm
Media Assosiasen blong Vanuatu: www.mav.org.vu


CONTACT:  PFF Acting Chair Monica Miller | KHJ Radio | American Samoa Mob 684 258-4197 | Office 684 633-7793 | Email: monica@khjradio.com The Pacific Freedom Forum are a regional and global online network of Pacific media colleagues, with the specific intent of raising awareness and advocacy of the right of Pacific people to enjoy freedom of expression and be served by a free and independent media. We believe in the critical and basic link between these freedoms, and the vision of democratic and participatory governance pledged by our leaders in their endorsement of the Pacific Plan and other commitments to good governance. In support of the above, our key focus is monitoring threats to media freedom and bringing issues of concern to the attention of the wider regional and international community.

PFF welcomes progress on Vanuatu publisher assault

Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS--Regional media monitoring network the Pacific Freedom Forum, PFF, has welcomed progress in Vanuatu over the March 4 assault of Daily Post publisher Marc Neil-Jones.

"News of a June 10 hearing date for the charges against the cabinet minister and eight other accomplices is progress, albeit incremental," says PFF Chair Susuve Laumaea of Papua New Guinea.

"Any assault complaint should expect a timely and clear process for action from investigating Police officers. Two months after he was beaten, Marc Neil Jones is still waiting for justice to take its
course and the allegations made against those involved, including Vanuatu Minister Harry Iauko, should be dealt with as soon as possible."

The Daily Post reported a new date of June 10 had been set for hearing the charges against Iauko and eight others connected to the assault of Daily Post publisher Marc Neil-Jones on March 4. Iauko hasn't appeared in court yet to enter a plea after the magistrates court had to postpone Friday's planned hearing because of an extraordinary sitting of Parliament.

The charges reportedly cover unlawful assembly, unlawful entry, intentional assault and threatening gestures, with it likely there may be amendments to that list. If the criminal case against Iauko succeeds, he may also face charges under Vanuatu's Leadership Code Act which calls for national leaders to observe the law, and follow fundamental principles of leadership contained in Article 66 of the Constitution.

"It's in everyone's interests, including the Vanuatu government, to ensure the hearings proceed so that people can have access to the facts of what took place, according to Vanuatu's own rule of law,"
says PFF co-chair Monica Miller of American Samoa, "We are not suggesting that special treatment be given to fast-track this case, but simply that it be heard in keeping with Vanuatu's own laws
covering all citizens whatever their ethnicity or job title."--ENDS


LINKS:

 Pacific media watch article--http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/2011-03-05/vanuatu-pacific-media-condemn-minister-and-his-thugs-attack-daily-pos

IFJ, PFF condemn attack on publisher: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/group-attack-on-journalist-editor-threatened-in-vanuatu


CONTACT:
  PFF interim Chair Susuve Laumaea | Sunday Chronicle Newspaper | Papua New Guinea Mobile: 675-684 5168 | Office: 675-321-7040 | Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com PFF interim co-Chair Monica Miller | KHJ Radio | American Samoa Mob 684 258-4197 | Office 684 633-7793 | Email: monica@khjradio.com The Pacific Freedom Forum are a regional and global online network of Pacific media colleagues, with the specific intent of raising awareness and advocacy of the right of Pacific people to enjoy freedom of expression and be served by a free and independent media. We believe in the critical and basic link between these freedoms, and the vision of democratic and participatory governance pledged by our leaders in their endorsement of the Pacific Plan and other commitments to good governance. In support of the above, our key focus is monitoring threats to media freedom and bringing issues of concern to the attention of the wider regional and international community.

'Think Fiji first' regime call must first 'Free Fiji media'-- PFF

PFF, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS -- Regional media monitoring body the Pacific Freedom Forum, PFF, has challenged the Fiji regime to free its own media first as the best solution towards achieving their latest instruction to Fiji media to 'Think Fiji first.'

PFF responded to the Fiji regime's press conference this week featuring a statement by Information secretary Sharon Smith-Johns calling on all journalists there to 'Think Fiji first' and report in a 'fair and balanced way'.

"The statement is ironic, coming from a regime which has basically done its best to ensure that our media colleagues are mostly only able to report what the regime -- not news editors -- deems as fair or balanced," says PFF's Susuve Laumaea.

"It's clear in Fiji's case that balance and fairness are defined as content which lets a leadership avoid scrutiny and debate over its decisions. Sadly, that's not unique to Fiji or the Pacific. Gaps in perceptions between political leaders and journalists over what a free media does and whom they serve will always be a key challenge for media freedom," says Laumaea, of Papua New Guinea.

He and PFF co-chair Monica Miller of American Samoa invited Smith-Johns and the regime leadership to consider allowing a team of Pacific journalists to visit Fiji and discuss these issues with colleagues and the regime.

"Such a group would be able to have a dialogue with the Ministry of Information on how the tools for journalism are better applied when the laws allow journalists to do their jobs and report freely and fairly," he says.

The 'Think Fiji first' call from the regime has come in the wake of reporting over the defection to Tonga by former regime and military insider Ratu Tevita Mara, son of the nations founding Prime Minister.

The call follows other media developments in recent weeks which have shown how the Media Decree is taking its toll amongst Fiji's media ranks. The Fiji Times website, averaging three quarters of a million hits a month, went offline without explanation on April 18 and its Managing Editor Fred Wesley had only this week confirmed that the need to meet the requirements of the Media Decree had forced its suspension. Decree clauses on cross ownership are also casting more media jobs into uncertainty, with employees for Mai Life Magazine affected by the looming deadline by which founder Judith Ragg must relinquish her founding stake in the magazine because her husband Richard Broadbridge leads Mai TV.
"The cross ownership clauses have worrying implications for media convergence issues and raise more questions than answers, " says Miller.

"Overall, the issue that's clearly emerging from all the confusion and uncertainty is that efforts to gag the media via decree, censorship, or constant press conferencing over controlling definitions of balance and fairness are not working. Fiji will once more come 'first' when its media are free-- there's no simpler way to say it."--ENDS


LINKS:
Full statement by Sharon-Smith Johns, PS for Information, Fiji: http://www.fiji.gov.fj/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4195:statement-by-ps-smith-johns-think-fiji-first&catid=50:speeches&Itemid=168

Fiji Times Online 'upgrade' behind suspension :http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/2011-05-29/fiji-offline-fiji-times-makes-digital-upgrade-comply-media-decree

Mai Life on market: http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/2011-04-30/fiji-mai-life-market-comply-media-decree

CONTACT: PFF interim Chair Susuve Laumaea | Sunday Chronicle Newspaper | Papua New Guinea Mobile: 675-684 5168 | Office: 675-321-7040 | Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com PFF interim co-Chair Monica Miller | KHJ Radio | American Samoa Mob 684 258-4197 | Office 684 633-7793 | Email: monica@khjradio.com The Pacific Freedom Forum are a regional and global online network of Pacific media colleagues, with the specific intent of raising awareness and advocacy of the right of Pacific people to enjoy freedom of expression and be served by a free and independent media. We believe in the critical and basic link between these freedoms, and the vision of democratic and participatory governance pledged by our leaders in their endorsement of the Pacific Plan and other commitments to good governance. In support of the above, our key focus is monitoring threats to media freedom and bringing issues of concern to the attention of the wider regional and international community.