Strengthening Media in the Pacific: Country Situational Reports from Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

"The problem of writing stories about someone known personally to the writer is indicative of many small communities where there are fewer the degrees of separation."

Strengthening Media in the Pacific provides a glimpse into the media landscape and working conditions for media workers in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The report is a culmination of research and media consultation in the Pacific's media in 2014 and 2015 which was supported by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) as part of an effort to encourage discussion on the role of the media and how the media can evolve to better suit the local environment. While each country of focus in this research has a unique media situation that has evolved to adapt to the culture, political, and social environments, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) report highlights the challenges and success stories from the region as a whole as the media continues to rapidly develop and grow.

Key findings:

• In Papua New Guinea (PNG), media freedom is guaranteed in the country's constitution, but journalists and media workers come under attack for "negative" or "critical" reporting. Women are increasing their presence in the media, but are yet to reach the high rungs in decision making. Working conditions and safety remain issues for the country's media, including late-night shifts, as does the breakdown of ethical journalism in PNG. "High-level international assistance is needed to focus on the following:
  • Review and develop a PNG media code of ethics taking into account current trends in business and management and incorporating best practice standards so that PNG's media can be supported to become a respectable and trustworthy industry;
  • Provide induction training for aspiring journalists and reporters including an oath to comply with the Media Code of Ethics;
  • Formulate a plan for an independent media representative organisation with a clear vision and strategies on developing and supporting strong and independent media in PNG;
  • Collaborate with the government to develop a legislative framework for the media industry to:
    1. Represent and pursue the interest of the media and media workers;
    2. Ensure it has standing to independently investigate and discipline ethical breaches;
    3. Ensure those who attack media professionals are prosecuted for their actions;
    4. Do all that is necessary and within law to pursue the advancement of the media industry in PNG."
• In the Solomon Islands, an emerging group of young media leaders are working as freelancers or new media consultants or entrepreneurs. While the country has freedom of expression and free speech guaranteed in its Constitution, libel and defamation laws continue to impact on reporting, and ethical journalism remains a concern. Five recommendations are offered:
  1. Issue a "state of the media" report annually by MASI that would update the public, government, and development partners on activities and progress, flagging alerts from the previous year and feature a statement from the MASI leadership on challenges and opportunities around media practice, ethics, public feedback, and careers.
  2. "Through its membership, MASI should promote more spaces for public feedback and commentary on news content and to also encourage less reliance on compensation demands in the absence of a well-known and transparent grievance/complaints or feedback channel. Coordinate public awareness sessions promoting Codes of Ethics and educating members of the public on complaints procedures to build a process for feedback/grievance/congratulations on media reporting and to promote self-regulation and accountability."
  3. "...MASI should take up opportunities in country and within networks and with individuals keen to promote gender diversity to address the imbalance of leadership in the media. A targeted campaign or action building on that potential would promote discussions on the challenges and solutions to ensure diversity in the workplace. This could be timed around International Women's Day on March 8 or the Solomon Islands national day for women, and the annual 16 Days against Gender Violence Campaign or the annual WPFD [World Press Freedom Day] May 3 date. An internal media campaign would help drive education and industry/public awareness of the benefits to the news (and any) industry when women and men are represented in equal numbers at the decision-making levels of news (and all) organisations.
  4. "...MASI should progress a campaign for media outlets to have a flyer on their basic pay structures and entitlements so that workers are aware of their rights and responsibilities..."
  5. "...MASI leadership [should] pursue options for institutional strengthening of the national body through bilateral/development project funding for a MASI coordinator position....IFJ could potentially assist with oversight and transparency and best-practice guidance for this role."
• In Vanuatu, the media is too often regarded as a political propaganda tool rather than an agent for positive social change. While freedom of expression in guaranteed in the Constitution, no other laws support press freedom. Yet the country has a strong and vibrant independent media, supported by the government, and has witnessed a rise in "citizen journalists" who are giving youth a voice and changing the role of the media. Recommendations:
  • "Most media companies need to adapt to an environment that has changed dramatically, with an exponential growth in the use of social media, in part due to a government decision in 2007 to break up its telecommunications monopoly;
  • Media organisations need to improve their working relationships by strengthening the local media association to push for the public's right to know and be taken seriously by government authorities;
  • More could be achieved if better working relations were established between the media and the political machinery and if journalists were more sensitive to local Kastoms [a Bislama word derived from the English word "custom", but its meaning encompasses all things customary, traditional, and related to magic and sorcery].
  • Importantly, it should be understood that respect for local Kastoms does not necessarily lead to suppression of information;
  • Efforts to push for better working conditions would gain more traction if journalists and media workers were working together in a united front;
  • Government efforts to separate the dual functions of VBTC [Vanuatu Broadcasting & Television Corporation] should be continued to create a level playing field within the electronic media sector;
  • The industry would benefit more if trained journalists remained long enough within the industry to mentor the younger generation of reporters coming out of the VIT [Vanuatu Institute of Technology] journalism school;
  • Increasing women's participation in the news production process might help bring more balance to the coverage of issues concerning women and girls and other marginalised groups;
  • More can be done to encourage community media establishments to increase meaningful participation in the development process and empower citizens to make informed decisions."