Thursday 27 April 2017

Let media council do its work - PFF to Samoa Police

 

PFF samoa observer warrant 02
Harassment - a copy of the warrant served on the daily newspaper. Image /
Samoa Observer
 

“.. after accepting public support, she and her family must also accept there will be public questions, and even criticism - one goes with the other .. ”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Samoa police must stop abusing their powers and let the national media council address free speech concerns, says regional media watchdog the Pacific Freedom Forum, PFF.

“Citizens of Samoa are guaranteed the right to debate issues of public concern", says PFF Chair Monica Miller, in response to police actions on a case involving stigmata claims.

“Police should do nothing to deprive them of those constitutional rights, especially when recent actions against Samoa’s largest media outlet are raising questions over where their legal advice is coming from."

PFF berre isopo 02
Threats - a screengrab of the police
officer’s Facebook profile, included
with an official complaint under
investigation by the Police Standards
Unit. Image / via O Le Palemia

 

Abuse, bullying and threats

Since last year, Police have allowed an officer to continue abusing, bullying and threatening people online.

In recent weeks, police started an investigation into the identity of a blogger who exposed the officer, arrested one woman on the basis of Facebook comments, and, taken action against a letter to a newspaper.

PFF is especially alarmed at police serving a warrant against daily newspaper Samoa Observer over a harassment complaint.

PFF berre isopo


 

 

 



‘I wish I have a gun’ the officer has removed
a photo of herself in uniform from her Facebook
profile, but left up a public comment from 2013,
expressing the desire to get hold of a firearm. 
Image / Facebook

 

Public interest

“Harassment laws were never intended for use against news media but were originally designed to protect people from abusive phone calls, often women suffering stalking from men."

Miller says this is obviously not the case with a young woman at the centre of the case against the newspaper.

“There is huge public interest in her claims of suffering stigmata," she says.

“But after accepting public support, she and her family must also accept there will be public questions, and even criticism - one goes with the other."

Last option

Miller questions why police agreed to take the complaint, and did not refer the complainant to the country's newly established media council.

“Going to the police should be the last option, not the first option."

She is especially critical of court officials for agreeing to the warrant.

“Court approval for search warrants is intended to act as a protection against police abuse of their powers", says Miller, "not act as a rubber stamp for whatever the police bring them."

“In this case, court officials have failed in their duty to respect the law."

PFF samoa observer warrant
Top story – public interest in the
stigmata story is huge, ‘most read’ on
the Samoa Observer site at more than
30,000 hits. Image / Samoa Observer 

 

Millions in aid

PFF says the Samoa police cases again raise wider questions about policing in the region.

“Millions of dollars of tax payers money have been spent by Australia and New Zealand to improve policing in the region.

“Yet we are seeing more and more cases of police abusing their powers against news media, including in Australia and New Zealand."

PFF has previously criticised police actions in Samoa, including officers smashing the phone of a member of the public using it to film police, and doing nothing when members of the press are threatened and assaulted in front of them.

Media council

From Papua New Guinea, PFF Co-chair Alex Rheeney says Samoa, as a member of the United Nations, must ensure it fully observes article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees people's freedom of thought, conscience and speech.

“Our Samoa media colleagues leading the new media council are well-respected regionally,” he says.

“They are more than capable of assisting Police through a dialogue aimed at building awareness by law enforcers of the role of the news media as the Fourth Estate, acting as a check and balance on the powers of parliament, government and the justice system."

HEADLINES

Police execute search warrant of Samoa Observer
http://samoaobserver.ws/en/23_04_2017/local/19230/Police-execute-search-warrant-of-Samoa-Observer.htm

Female Officer investigated for abusive language on social media
http://www.talamua.com/female-officer-investigated-for-abusive-language-on-social-media/

Police still in the hunt for ‘O.L.P.’ blogger
http://samoaobserver.ws/en/24_04_2017/local/19282/Police-still-in-the-hunt-for-%E2%80%98OLP%E2%80%99-blogger.htm

Crimes Act 2013 2013
http://www.paclii.org/cgi-bin/sinodisp/ws/legis/consol_act_2016/ca201382/ca201382.html?stem=&synonyms=&query=%20Crimes%20Act%202013

Police Woman Being Investigated
http://olepalemia.weebly.com/blog/police-woman-being-investigated

The Letter of Complaint to Police
http://olepalemia.weebly.com/blog/the-letter-of-complaint-to-police

Incompetent and Corrupt Officers Destroy Integrity of the Police Force
http://olepalemia.weebly.com/blog/incompetent-and-corrupt-officers-destroy-integrity-of-the-police-force

CONTACTS

Monica Miller
PFF Chair
News Director
South Seas Broadcasting
American Samoa
monica@southseasbroadcasting.com
+6842584197

Alexander Rheeney
PFF Co-Chair
President Media Council PNG
Papua New Guinea
alexander.rheeney@outlook.com
+67578045266

Bernadette H. Carreon
PFF Co-Chair
Palau Correspondent
Guam Business
carreon.bernadette@gmail.com
+680779430

Netani Rika
PFF Coordinator
Communications Director
Pacific Council of Churches
Fiji
netrika66@gmail.com

ABOUT PFF

The Pacific Freedom Forum is 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 Framework for Pacific Regionalism 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.

. . .

Tuesday 11 April 2017

Indonesia bans yet another journalist

#alert | #westpapua #wpfd2017

News alert : France24 journalist Jack Hewson
is the latest to be banned from visiting West
Papua, despite Indonesia hosting World
Press Freedom Day in less than a month.
Photo / Twitter

Alert status : greenlight for statement

Links : Limited

Foreign Reporting in Papua
https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/04/07/314863531/Foreign-Reporting-in-Papua

Blacklisting of freelance journalist on Papua mission ‘paranoid’
http://asiapacificreport.nz/2017/04/11/blacklisting-of-freelance-journalist-covering-papua-paranoid-says-tempo/

Editor note : The Tempo piece gives Al Jazeera as Hewson’s employer, but Twitter and LinkedIn profiles both lead with France24.

. . .

Stop failing Pacific press test–PFF

“Standing on sacred ground is no place to deny freedoms that many died defending ”


Angry headline on the press ban in Papua New Guinea. Screenshot / https://poboxblog.wordpress.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :

Australia and Papua New Guinea must review media relations after two separate but equally "shocking" bans on PNG press, says PFF, the Pacific Freedom Forum.

In the first ban, PNG news media were told by Australian embassy officials to leave a press conference held at a war cemetery.

“Standing on sacred ground is no place to deny freedoms that many died defending”, says PFF Chair Monica Miller.

Arrogant

In a second ban after the cemetery visit, local news media were told by an official from the office of the PNG prime minister that they could not ask questions at a “joint” press between Peter O'Neil and Malcolm Turnbull.

“Australia has long faced criticism from the region for arrogant, neocolonial attitudes,” notes Miller.

“Issuing bans is no way to disprove those criticisms.”


Media anger - an ABC employee publicly criticises the prime ministerial press ban. Screenshot / Facebook

Blame and shame

PFF condemns the bans, and expresses disgust at the actions of both governments.

“The government of Papua New Guinea must share the blame - and the shame - with Australia for agreeing to ban PNG press from press conferences that should have been open to news media from both countries.”

In background briefings given to PFF, Port Moresby sources state that PNG press were told to leave by Australian officials after taking photos of a visit by Alexander Turnbull to Bomana cemetery, a major war graveyard, with thousands of dead from World War II.

PNG journalists who questioned the order were told that a press conference with Turnbull at the Bomana site was “only” for Australian press, because only Australian issues would be discussed.

After the Bomana visit, Turnbull held a second press conference with host prime minister Peter O'Neill, at Airways Hotel.

Astonished

PNG media were then instructed they were not allowed to ask questions at the second, "joint" press conference.

“PFF is astonished at having to remind Australia, as a former chair of the UN Security Council, that a joint prime ministerial press conference involves not just the leaders but also the press of both countries.

“Having to even say that beggars belief. A press ban amounts to a diplomatic insult, in any democracy.”


Racism in her face - veteran PNG journalist Gorethy Kenneth gets told to leave press conference. Screenshot / Daily Telegraph

Contempt

PFF regards the bans as representing two failures in basic freedoms.

“Two failures. One day. Two governments,” says Miller.

“Both bans show contempt for a free press, guaranteed under constitutional protections, and article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

Miller praises a journalist who defied the ban, saying Gorethy Kenneth from the PNG Post Courier should get answers to her questions.

Submission

“We also feel for Australian media colleagues who have been embarrassed by this diplomatic blunder.”

News of the press ban comes the same month as a PFF submission to an Australian senate committee remains held back from the public.

“Our submission is to a public inquiry, yet we have been told to stop sharing our submission with anyone else, until given approval by the committee.”

It is not clear how many other submissions, if any, are also being held back.

PFF offers the reminder that parliamentary procedure does not apply to press practice, which demands immediate release.


Australian newspaper describes media ban as a "debacle".
Screenshot / Daily Telegraph

Policy laundering

“Australia claims to be a regional leader yet stumbles over even the basics of human rights, such as freedoms of speech”, says Miller.

PFF regards the three press freedom failures as reinforcing long-standing questions about relations between Australia and the rest of the Pacific.

“Heavy handed tactics with the press may work in Australia, but we do not need that kind of policy laundered to the rest of the Pacific.”

Ranking media

PFF states that the press bans goes beyond diplomacy, and applies to all seven million citizens of Papua New Guinea, all twenty two million in Australia, and an "appalled" regional audience.

“How are citizens of Papua New Guinea supposed to stay informed if their prime minister fails to ensure their own news media gets in?

“How are Australian tax-payers supposed to learn if their aid dollars are being spent properly, if they don't hear local questions, from local media, challenging both leaders with local knowledge?”

PFF states that the bans reinforce the need for governments to rank media as a first priority, not last.

“Our message is simple - stop failing the Pacific press test, stop failing democracy.”

HEADLINES

PM’s Kokoda trip just a hasty PR exercise http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/miranda-devine-pms-kokoda-trip-just-a-hasty-pr-exercise/news-story/3cfa22ee50677d1ec26cd72e837f3699

Turnbull in PNG: media snubs, refugee jitters & money problems http://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2017/04/turnbull-in-png-media-snubs-refugee-jitters-money-problems.html

Opinion - Turnbull, the neocolonialist, bans #PNG media from conference in their own country
https://poboxblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/turnbull-the-neocolonialist-bans-papua-new-guinea-media-from-press-conference/

CONTACTS

Monica Miller
PFF Chair
News Director
South Seas Broadcasting
American Samoa
monica@southseasbroadcasting.com
+6842584197

Alexander Rheeney
PFF Co-Chair
President Media Council PNG
Papua New Guinea
alexander.rheeney@outlook.com 
+67578045266

Bernadette H. Carreon
PFF Co-Chair
Palau Correspondent
Guam Business
carreon.bernadette@gmail.com 
+680779430

Netani Rika
PFF Coordinator
Communications Director
Pacific Council of Churches
Fiji
netrika66@gmail.com

ABOUT PFF

The Pacific Freedom Forum is 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 Framework for Pacific Regionalism 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.

. . .