The compensation demand was made on Thursday 21 September by supporters of West Honiara MP Namson Tram, following the front-page publication by Island Sun of a report into Tram's purchase and private registration of his government vehicle. Island Sun and other media outlets had quoted Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Mathew Wale referring to the deal as criminal, with the paper's headline reflecting that label. The Media Association of the Solomon Islands, MASI has issued a statement denouncing the compensation demand as a form of harassment against journalists and media organisations which is 'inappropriate and disrespectful to media freedom in Solomon Islands."
"We stand by our colleagues in their stance against compensation threats of this kind which are clearly nothing more than attempts to extort money and have nothing to do with a custom arrangement," says PFF chair Titi Gabi of Papua New Guinea. "We call on Police to complete their investigation in a timely manner mindful of the fact that this compensation demand involves an MP, and threats to personal safety of journalists involved," she says. She says harassment, abuse and threats against journalists should not be accepted as part of the news beat, and must be reported immediately to Police.
"While the context of media ethics and traditional customs will inform the Police investigation, we have to refer back to the rule of law. If journalists don't report threats and harassment to Police, they are effectively signalling that an illegal behaviour against them is acceptable."
"As Pacific journalists, it's important to understand that elements of culture are always going to be a point of contention in our work, but the bottom line is culture should make us better -- not worse, at doing the best job for our communities," says PFF co chair Monica Miller.
"Leading and award-winning journalists in the Solomon Islands have helped to develop one of the best national media associations in the Pacific. We commend MASI's important work in developing training and codes of ethics and practice for journalists in the Solomons, and urge our colleagues in all outlets to advertise complaints procedures to their audiences so that more people understand what their choices are when they are offended by what is reported as news." ENDS.
LINKS--
ISLAND SUN report
http://www.islandsun.com.sb/
MASI statement
http://www.solomonstarnews.com/news/national/12355-masi-denounced-compensation-demand-on-island-sun-newspaper
CONTACT: PFF Chair Titi Gabi | Freelance Journalist | Papua New Guinea Mail: PO Box 7776, Boroko, NCD, Papua New Guinea | Mob: (675) 7314 3929 | Email: titi.gabipng@gmail.com PFF 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.
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