PFF, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS-- The Fiji regime's last-minute ban on a 'Reclaim the Night' march honoring International Women's Day has been condemned by regional media monitoring network the Pacific Freedom Forum, PFF.
The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre (FWCC) holds an annual "Reclaim the Night" march in Fiji's urban city, Suva, to mark International Women's Day on March 8, and had received a permit for the gathering on February 19. However on the eve of the march, the organisers had their permit revoked because it was felt the event would have security issues.
"PFF condemns the latest measure against free speech and freedom of peaceful assembly in Fiji. The human right to free speech goes hand in hand with association and peaceful assembly and in a country where a host of decrees are gagging freedom of expression and association, the decision to ban the well-established 'Reclaim the night' event says much of the regime stance on the issue," says PFF co chair Titi Gabi of Papua New Guinea.
"The 8th of March is a day for voice, conversation and debate on the critical issues that affect half the world's population. The Reclaim the Night march is one of the outstanding initiatives allowing men
and families to mobilise and own the public debates against sexual and all forms of violence in our communities."
Says PFF co-chair Monica Miller of American Samoa: "Insecurity, fear and misinformation are compounded and become a major threat to peace when citizens have their ability to be 'citizens' taken away. We urge the regime to allow all Fiji's people to be able to freely voice their concerns on the things that matter, and remove the range of decrees now limiting their freedoms in that regard".--ENDS
LINKS
Police order march ban: http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/8396261/Fiji-police-order-march-ban
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.
Pacific Freedom Forum is a regional media body, monitoring threats to press freedom and journalism ethics across Oceania.
Thursday 7 March 2013
Media and March 8 -- ethical coverage urged for VAW issues
PFF, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS--Pacific newsrooms covering the annual March 8 International Women's Day events in their countries are being urged to commit to better standards in reporting Violence against women and children
Regional media monitoring group the Pacific Freedom Forum says it is clear from coverage at newsroom level that the focus on violence in Pacific communities is often of news value only when covered as a Police investigation or Court report.
"Many of us are aware of the ethics guides and special clauses covering victims and children, but if we are really honest, we can all do better", says PFF co chair Titi Gabi of Papua New Guinea.
"We commend those who make the effort to follow up on reported stories and include context and information helping people to better understand violence and its impact on human life; and to know deceased victims by name rather than just a set of vague details -- but these are exceptions."
PFF calls on news editors who are not already doing so to implement and widely share five best-practice approaches below:
1. revisit and make public their ethics guidelines and public complaints procedures, especially around sensitivity of reporting victims of and deaths related to violence
2. internally review and question how to improve court reporting around VAW beyond passing on details of what is shared in court rooms after sentencing and at verdict, and be vigilant over instances where court officials, lawyers and police use personal bias in interpretation and application of the rule of law
3. increase efforts to broaden quoted sources in reporting in the one story, by quoting a wider range of talking heads
4. seek out local advocates on VAW in their communities to comment on court verdicts and support systems for affected families.
5. quote from and reference available studies and data around VAW in their communities and ask why the data is not available if it doesn't exist.
Says PFF co-chair Monica Miller of American Samoa: "Reporting basically grows a public conversation. We are in a time when newsrooms need to better understand and play their part in the public conversations around issues like sorcery killings and the rape of infants. IWD provides that time of pause and reflection for us all to think about one core issue -- how we can be better at what we do".--ENDS
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.
Regional media monitoring group the Pacific Freedom Forum says it is clear from coverage at newsroom level that the focus on violence in Pacific communities is often of news value only when covered as a Police investigation or Court report.
"Many of us are aware of the ethics guides and special clauses covering victims and children, but if we are really honest, we can all do better", says PFF co chair Titi Gabi of Papua New Guinea.
"We commend those who make the effort to follow up on reported stories and include context and information helping people to better understand violence and its impact on human life; and to know deceased victims by name rather than just a set of vague details -- but these are exceptions."
PFF calls on news editors who are not already doing so to implement and widely share five best-practice approaches below:
1. revisit and make public their ethics guidelines and public complaints procedures, especially around sensitivity of reporting victims of and deaths related to violence
2. internally review and question how to improve court reporting around VAW beyond passing on details of what is shared in court rooms after sentencing and at verdict, and be vigilant over instances where court officials, lawyers and police use personal bias in interpretation and application of the rule of law
3. increase efforts to broaden quoted sources in reporting in the one story, by quoting a wider range of talking heads
4. seek out local advocates on VAW in their communities to comment on court verdicts and support systems for affected families.
5. quote from and reference available studies and data around VAW in their communities and ask why the data is not available if it doesn't exist.
Says PFF co-chair Monica Miller of American Samoa: "Reporting basically grows a public conversation. We are in a time when newsrooms need to better understand and play their part in the public conversations around issues like sorcery killings and the rape of infants. IWD provides that time of pause and reflection for us all to think about one core issue -- how we can be better at what we do".--ENDS
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.
Sunday 3 March 2013
PFF- PNG journos must keep to ethics, avoid spin
PFF, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS--The lack of factual information surrounding the recent sacking of a Papua New Guinea journalist poses another warning to newsrooms there on the need to steer clear of political spin, says regional media monitoring group the Pacific Freedom Forum.
PFF co-chair Titi Gabi says it's important that journalists remain vigilant and independant of political bias, and ensure they have all the facts at hand when going public via media platforms with a political agenda. She made the call after video footage of former Sunday Chronicle journalist Peter Kasia has been uploaded to the Internet in the last week. In the video published to a pro-Opposition blog, Kasia states he was sacked on the written orders of the PNG Prime Minister, whose office says this is untrue.
Kasia's sacking in late 2012 had been attributed by PNG media colleagues to a series of retractions and apologies from his Sunday Chronicle employers over his work. But his name resurfaced on February 21 when Opposition leader Belden Namah accused PNG media watchdogs and 'others' of remaining silent on the sacking. Namah claimed Prime Minister Peter O'Neill was behind the decision to let Kasia go after he did an investigative piece into the governments plans to renovate the condemned 'Pineapple' haus building in Port Moresby.
In the week following Namah's accusations, a blog managed by his PR manager Graham Robinson uploaded a short interview with Peter Kasia who says he was called into a meeting with the Sunday Chronicle's Managing Editor Sam Vulum the day after his front page piece ran. He says Vulum told him he was being terminated on instructions from the Chronicle's owner Wesley Raminai, who had received a letter from the Prime Minister of PNG ordering he be sacked. There is no confirmation of a date of the sacking nor any sighting of the alleged letter in the short piece to camera.
Responding to PFF queries, the Prime Minister's speechwriter and Public Affairs adviser Susuve Laumaea says that no letter to Sunday Chronicle was signed by the Prime Minister, who is
a supporter of the PNG Media Workers Association.
"The PNG media workers association is open to assisting any grievance from journalists who believe they have been unfairly dismissed by their employers, and we have not received any contact from Peter Kasia. There is also room for any member of the public who believes the media have been in breach of ethics to contact the association and seek advice" says Gabi.
"It's important that bona fide newsroom journalists not allow their grievances to be politicised, especially if they are referring to documents received by third or fourth parties," she says.
"As media workers, we are committed to separating facts from fiction in our work, and this is especially crucial for newsrooms at a time when their audiences are also being informed via social networking and blogging."
PFF calls on the Sunday Chronicle to clear the confusion on the matter of Kasia's sacking. --ENDS
LINKS:
Piksablog --http://piksablog.blogspot.com/2013/02/interview-with-peter-kasia.html
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.
PFF co-chair Titi Gabi says it's important that journalists remain vigilant and independant of political bias, and ensure they have all the facts at hand when going public via media platforms with a political agenda. She made the call after video footage of former Sunday Chronicle journalist Peter Kasia has been uploaded to the Internet in the last week. In the video published to a pro-Opposition blog, Kasia states he was sacked on the written orders of the PNG Prime Minister, whose office says this is untrue.
Kasia's sacking in late 2012 had been attributed by PNG media colleagues to a series of retractions and apologies from his Sunday Chronicle employers over his work. But his name resurfaced on February 21 when Opposition leader Belden Namah accused PNG media watchdogs and 'others' of remaining silent on the sacking. Namah claimed Prime Minister Peter O'Neill was behind the decision to let Kasia go after he did an investigative piece into the governments plans to renovate the condemned 'Pineapple' haus building in Port Moresby.
In the week following Namah's accusations, a blog managed by his PR manager Graham Robinson uploaded a short interview with Peter Kasia who says he was called into a meeting with the Sunday Chronicle's Managing Editor Sam Vulum the day after his front page piece ran. He says Vulum told him he was being terminated on instructions from the Chronicle's owner Wesley Raminai, who had received a letter from the Prime Minister of PNG ordering he be sacked. There is no confirmation of a date of the sacking nor any sighting of the alleged letter in the short piece to camera.
Responding to PFF queries, the Prime Minister's speechwriter and Public Affairs adviser Susuve Laumaea says that no letter to Sunday Chronicle was signed by the Prime Minister, who is
a supporter of the PNG Media Workers Association.
"The PNG media workers association is open to assisting any grievance from journalists who believe they have been unfairly dismissed by their employers, and we have not received any contact from Peter Kasia. There is also room for any member of the public who believes the media have been in breach of ethics to contact the association and seek advice" says Gabi.
"It's important that bona fide newsroom journalists not allow their grievances to be politicised, especially if they are referring to documents received by third or fourth parties," she says.
"As media workers, we are committed to separating facts from fiction in our work, and this is especially crucial for newsrooms at a time when their audiences are also being informed via social networking and blogging."
PFF calls on the Sunday Chronicle to clear the confusion on the matter of Kasia's sacking. --ENDS
LINKS:
Piksablog --http://piksablog.blogspot.com/2013/02/interview-with-peter-kasia.html
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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