Student protests at the University of Papua New Guinea that led to police opening fire on a peaceful crowd last year, Australian journalism training in the Solomon Islands, “cyberbullying” in Fiji, independent campus media, and Radio New Zealand International’s reporting of the Pacific are among topics featured in the latest edition of Pacific Journalism Review.

The journal was published online today on the new Tuwhera research platform at Auckland University of Technology with a special edition on journalism education in the Pacific.

Peer-reviewed papers have been drawn from the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA) and the Pacific Media Centre Preconference and the World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC16) conference at AUT last July.

Thirteen Asia-Pacific educators and journalists were funded to attend the conferences by the recently created NZ Institute for Pacific Research, Asia New Zealand Foundation, Transparency International New Zealand and UNESCO.

The University of Auckland’s Associate Professor Toeolesulusulu Damon Salesa, who opened the JERAA-PMC preconference, says in the editorial journalism is central to the public interest in the Pacific.

Dr Salesa, director of the new institute, says journalism protects culture and especially language. However, a fast-changing world is “making it difficult for journalists to keep up with the scale of some of the issues affecting the Pacific” – such as climate change.

The editorial also features his comments about the challenges to journalism educators.

Edition acting editor Dr Philip Cass writes about Wansolwara, the longest-running journalism school newspaper in the Asia-Pacific region – last year it celebrated 20 years of publishing in Fiji.

Dr Shailendra Singh and Eliki Drugunalevu assess three case studies of cyberbullying against truth-seeking student journalists in Fiji.

Managing editor Professor David Robie, on sabbatical last year, offers an analysis of the transformation of Pacific Scoop into Asia Pacific Report, the campus-based digital publication with the widest reach in the region.

Dr Alexandra Wake reports on her research into Australian post-conflict journalism training initiatives in Solomon Islands while Emily Matasororo reflects on the national university upheaval in Papua New Guinea last year climaxing in police shootings that left at least 23 people wounded.

Dr Matt Mollgaard examines the role of Radio New Zealand International as a source of information and a tool for “soft power” in the region.

Tongan publisher, broadcaster and media freedom campaigner Kalafi Moala’s closing address at WJEC rounds off the Pacific section.

PJR also features a major research report on the state of New Zealand journalism, conducted as part of the Worlds of Journalism Study; a Frontline “journalism as research” report on indigenous collaboration in Western Australia; capstone units; a NZ mayoral celebrity scandal; and covering police corruption in Indonesia.

Other WJEC Asia-Pacific papers will be published in two future editions of PJR later this year.

• PJR table of contents

People stories
CNN Philippines editor Jose Maria Carlos says more “people stories” need to be told in the media to bring better interest and awareness to climate change.

“That is identifying families or individuals who have done something to deal with the impact of climate change. Whether it’s flooding, planting new types of crops that are resilient to the impacts of climate change, or simply moving out from dangerous areas to new locations.

“Your viewers are people, and they’re interested in people. If you use that approach first, then you can put in the hard stuff like statistics,” Carlos told Asia Pacific Report.

Carlos quoted from the Philippines Climate Change Commission which reported climate change awareness was high but the depth of understanding was lacking.

Local dialects
He said scientific terms and language barriers are part of the problem.

“You can’t have complex terms in your story, news has to be understood by all types of people,” Carlos said.

“If you are targeting fishermen or families in the coastal areas in the Philippines you won’t use English, you have to use their dialect so they will understand what climate change is all about and how they can deal with it.”

Youth voice
The head of media and communications at the National University of Samoa (NUS), Misa Vicky Lepou, talked to Asia Pacific Report about the importance of having the youth voice at the forefront of the issue.

“They are the future leaders of the [media] industry and the country,” Lepou says.

“Having that new voice in the media, they would of course progress this and take this to the next generation.”

Communication lecturer Dr Hermin Indah Wahyuni of Gadja Mada University in Indonesia encouraged young journalists to inspire their communities.

“They can do this by observing and offering them refreshing insights on climate change,” she says.

“Always offer new perspectives, irritate the society in a positive way and always rejuvenate the issue.

“Only media can keep society on their toes.”

Listen to TJ Aumua’s full audio podcast on the Pacific Media Centre’s SoundCloud channel.

She said it was a popular journal globally as well as in the Asia-Pacific region, and noted the presence of many international contributors to the latest edition at the launch.

“This journal has progressed through the persistence of Professor David Robie, Dr Philip Cass and Professor Wendy Bacon with support of the wonderful production efforts of Del Abcede and proof reading of Susan O’Rourke,” said Dr Nakhid, who is an associate professor in AUT’s School of Social Science and Public Policy at Auckland University of Technology.

She said this latest issue of the journal, the only one regularly publishing New Zealand journalism research, was timely as it coincided with the WJEC conference and an Australian and Pacific Preconference.

There had been much attention on alleged corruption in New Zealand under the current government, particularly in reference to the Panama Papers, and ongoing corruption in the Pacific and wider Oceania region.

“This issue of the journal covers articles by those journalists and media researchers who have brought these issues to light,” she said.

“The articles also discuss the lives of journalists and their risks and dangers, our damage to the environment and many other issues.

“We need young journalists to live to become old journalists and so we very much welcome this journal and the launch of this current issue theme titled ‘Endangered Journalists’.”

• Pacific Journalism Review
• Full text articles from the latest edition
• Still stealing the generations
• PJR at AUT Shop

OPINION: By David Robie

Surprising that a conference involving some of the brightest minds in journalism education from around the world should be ignored by New Zealand’s local media.

Some 220 people from 43 countries were at the Fourth World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) conference in Auckland.

The range of diversity alone at the Auckland University of Technology hosted event was appealing, but it was the heady mix of ideas and contributions that offered an inspiring backdrop.

Topics included strategies for teaching journalism for mobile platforms – the latest techniques; “de-westernising” journalism education in an era of new media genres; transmedia storytelling; teaching hospitals; twittering, facebooking and snapchat — digital media under the periscope; new views on distance learning, and 21st century ethical issues in journalism are just a representative sample of what was on offer.

Keynote speakers included Divina Frau-Meigs (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle) with a riveting account on how “powerful journalism” makes “prime ministers jump”, the Center of Public Integrity’s Peter Bale (a New Zealander) on the need to defend press freedom, and Tongan newspaper publisher and broadcaster who turned “inclusivity” on its head with an inspiring “include us” appeal from the Pacific,”where we live in the biggest continent on planet Earth”.

But for me, the most moving message of all came not from those who spoke about “reporting dangerously” (such as Simon Cottle) or the very future of journalism, but from a young quietly spoken Papua New Guinean woman who has “lived” through a freedom of speech and the press struggle while facing live bullets.

Emily Matasororo, leader of the Journalism Strand at the University of Papua New Guinea, was on campus that fateful day last month (June 8) when heavily armed PNG police in camouflage fatigues opened fire with tear gas and live rounds on the peaceful students. She was actually in the crowd fired on.

Emily’s testimony
Matasororo gave her testimony at a WJEC16 panel on journalism education in the Pacific chaired by me, with the presence of the panel members being sponsored by the NZ Institute of Pacific Research.

Explaining how the two months of student unrest began across Papua New Guinea’s six universities – but mostly centred on UPNG in the capital of Port Moresby, and the University of Technology in the second city Lae – she said it was an irony that protests were triggered on World Press Freedom Day (May 3).

“The Journalism Strand was preparing to celebrate freedom of the press that day. However, this did not eventuate because the academic space was taken up by a student forum.

“This was the beginning of an eight-week stand-off by the students who demanded that the Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, step down from office and face police over allegations of fraud. However, the prime minister said: ‘I will not step down.’”

Matasororo said O’Neill had challenged the issue of an arrest warrant against him, saying this case was now before the courts. Under the Papua New Guinea Constitution, O’Neill could be removed by a no-confidence vote, or on criminal charges. But the former option was shut down this week when O’Neill survived a no-confidence vote by 85 to 21 votes.

Among other issues that spurred the students into organising class boycotts and protests was the O’Neill government’s actions in dismantling the police fraud squad [National Fraud and Anti-Corruption directorate] – the very office that would investigate the prime minister. But, as Matasororo pointed out, the squad was later reinstated.

Another O’Neill move was adjourning Parliament until November to stave off the possibility of the no-confidence vote. (A Supreme Court ruling forced the reconvening of Parliament and the vote).

Violating the Constitution
Students became convinced that Prime Minister O’Neill was acting in violation of the Constitution and they saw themselves as defending the rule of law on behalf of all Papua New Guineans.

Earlier in the protests, students at UPNG had set on fire 800 copies of the two national dailies being sold at the Waigani campus front gates in frustration over what they perceived to be the news media taking sides and promoting the O’Neill government’s agenda.

“The burning was an indication that they disliked the papers’ coverage of events leading up the [first] protest. Why should the Student Representative Council go as far as preferring certain media outlets over others?” Matasororo asked the forum which was syndicated globally on livestream.

“The Post-Courier, The National and television station EM TV were banned covering student activities on campus. The UPNG is a public and government-run institution and is a public space open to everyone, including the media. If students reacted that way, it brought up issues of credibility and integrity of the freedom of the press in Papua New Guinea.

“Which brings to light the question of ethics.”

Matasororo quoted from a Loop PNG report bylined Carmella Gware, who talked to a student leader in spite of the ban on local media:

“We saw the newspapers and saw that the reports were very shallow and biased.

“They were not actual reports of what we students are portraying at the university. That’s why, to show our frustration, we went out to the bus stop and burnt those papers.

“What we displayed in the morning shows that we have no trust in the media,” the student leader stated (sic) said.

— Carmella Gware – Loop PNG

Investigation needed
“While I acknowledge and appreciate the tireless efforts of the media’s coverage of the student protests,’ said Matasororo, “for me this is a very strong statement that needs to be investigated.

“This needs to be done by all stakeholders concerned to promote fair and just reporting and the essence of good ethics and good journalism.

“The stakeholders must include, but not be limited to he following: the publisher and managements of the papers, the Media Council of PNG, Transparency International, Ombudsman Commission and the journalism educators of the UPNG and the Catholic-run Divine Word University.

“For the publishers, credibility is questioned; for the Media Council it is a threat against the profession; and for the educators – where are we going wrong in teaching ethics, are we giving enough prominence that it deserves?

“These are questions that need to be answered, in order to promote a robust and conducive environment in which journalists should operate in.”

On June 8, said Matasororo, the protests – until then peaceful – “took an ugly turn”. Several students were wounded, some news reports saying as many as 30. But there were no deaths.

“Social media was running hot with images and comments uploaded in real time. Some of what was coming from social media was emotional reporting.

“Information was distorted with some news stations reporting casualties.

“An Australian-based media outlet reported four deaths and isolated reports on radio, television and social media that day created a new level of fear, confusion and anxiety among residents.

“For me that day, I saw how powerful the media was, and when it is not applied correctly, it can be tragic.”

This article is republished with permission from David Robie’s blog Café Pacific.

The full panel discussion on Pacific journalism education at WJEC16.

Organised by the Pacific Media Centre at Auckland University of Technology, the Asia-Pacific “stream” of 12 people funded by donors spanned both an Australian and Pacific preconference and the main WJEC conference.

“I must give credit to a wonderful group of educators from what we always claim –not just in media but by our governments as well — our Pacific region,” said Misa Vicky Lepou, president of the recently formed Media Educators Pacific (MeP).

Roving photographer Del Abcede captures the scene.

Full story

From JERAA to WJEC

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Organised by the Pacific Media Centre at Auckland University of Technology, the Asia-Pacific “stream” of 12 people funded by donors spanned both an Australian and Pacific preconference and the main WJEC conference.

“I must give credit to a wonderful group of educators from what we always claim –not just in media but by our governments as well — our Pacific region,” said Misa Vicky Lepou, president of the recently formed Media Educators Pacific (MeP).

Presentations included 11 papers and three livestreamed panels on corruption and the media in the Pacific, Post-COP21, climate change and the challenge facing journalism educators in the Asia-Pacific, and Pacific journalism education with a focus on recent unrest at PNG universities.

Also, Kalafi Moala, Tongan publisher and broadcaster and deputy chair of the Pasifika Media Association (PasiMA), gave an inspiring closing address.

The group also held a strategising “fono” at the PMC attended by the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) manager Francis Herman, Australian Press Council research and communications director Michael Rose, Massey University communications lecturer Dr Victoria Quade, Aterina Samasoni-Pele (UNESCO Pacific) and Professor David Robie, director of the PMC.

“It isn’t always easy to get through at such huge international conferences to make your voices heard — not as individuals but as one voice,” Misa said.

“But we cannot also progress by looking back at our past divisions while the world looks on. That is something we have talked about in our first successful fono under MeP.

‘Long way to go’
“We are not always perfect and we can never please everyone without acknowledging and addressing issues facing the journalism education sector.

“As far as we know, we have a long way to go and will continue to come across hurdles in our line of work.

“We need to move on, make friends, forge partnerships and of course trust each other. Ask for help. We need the media industry as part of our work.”

Progress had been made at the meeting and since MeP was formed in Suva, Fiji, in 2015, Misa said.

“There is hope, and the last thing this region needs is duplication of commitment, investment and efforts to achieve our goals. We will not reinvent those wheels again as we need to move on and support each other all the way.”

She welcomed PMC director Professor Robie as academic adviser.

“Journalism schools and TVET institutions need supporting academics like Dr Robie and many others to share insights and experiences to support our cause and journey.”

Misa also thanked her colleagues for their trust in her taking the MeP strategy further and also University of the South Pacific journalism head Dr Shailendra Singh as a “resourceful secretary”.

“I would not be able to do it without your help.

“Thank you MeP. Let that light continue to shine in the region.”

A selection of Asia-Pacific peer-reviewed papers and panels delivered at the conference will be published in a special edition of Pacific Journalism Review later this year.

The Pacific preconference was staged in partnership with the PMC and the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA).

Some 220 people from 43 countries took part in WJEC.

The Asia-Pacific delegation at WJEC and the preconference assisted by PMC and the listed donors was:
Misa Vicky Lepou, (MeP) president and head of journalism, National University of Samoa – UNESCO NZ
Dr Shailendra Singh, (Mep) secretary and head of journalism, University of the South Pacific, Fiji – UNESCO NZ
Eliki Drugunalevu, broadcasting assistant lecturer and acting Radio Pasifik manager, USP, Fiji – NZ Institute of Pacific Research
Ana Lupe, journalism tutor, Tongan Institute of Higher Education (TIHE) – PACMAS
Dave Mandavah, journalism coordinator, Vanuatu Institute of Technology, Vanuatu – NZIPR
Emily Matasororo, journalism and public relations strand leader, University of Papua New Guinea – NZIPR
Eddie Osifelo, journalist, Solomon Star, Honiara, Solomon Islands – NZIPR
Maria Sagrista, multimedia lecturer and researcher at the Divine Word University, Madang, PNG – NZIPR

Alexander Rheeney, editor-in-chief, PNG Post-Courier – Transparency International NZ and PMC

Jose Maria G Carlos, broadcaster with CNN Philippines, Manila – Pacific Media Centre
Professor Crispin Maslog, chair of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre, Manila, Philippines – Asia New Zealand Foundation
Dr Hermin Indah Wahyuni, head of the masters in media and communication science programme, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia – ANZF

• The Pacific fono
• World Journalism Education Congress

The president of Papua New Guinea’s media council says there is a need for the country’s media ethics codes to be revised, Radio NZ International reports.

Alex Rheeney, president of the Media Council PNG, said local media were under fire recently over coverage of recent police shootings of students at the University of Papua New Guinea.

Rheeney, who is also editor of the Post-Courier newspaper, said there had been many changes in the industry over the years including the rise of social media.

He said the current code of ethics which was implemented nearly 30 years ago needed to be changed.

“Social media has funnily become a movement in Papua New Guinea,” he said.

“How do we work within the code of ethics and apply – how can journalists in Papua New Guinea apply that to their profession today. You know, we need to have a code of ethics that actually reflects those changes,” he said.

He was among an 11-strong Asia-Pacific contingent organised by the Pacific Media Centre at the World Journalism Education Congress in Auckland last week.

• PNG’s media council says recent campus events a ‘wake-up’ call

“Teaching hospital” is a model that is regarded as a way for journalism educators to turn their classrooms into newsrooms by immersing students into a practical learning environment. But it is often debated among media educators who are continuously faced with ethical dilemmas of trying to provide a real world learning experience while staying within the boundaries of institutional ethics and keeping students safe on location. It was a topic discussed among media educators at the 4^th World Journalism Education Congress in New Zealand this week.

‘Real world’ vs learning environment
The teaching hospital model has been a success in their journalism school, says Associate Professor Katherine Reed of the Missouri School of Journalism, who was chairing the panel.

Talking to Asia Pacific Report, she said students had been “Pulitzer prize winners” and are able to find work and contribute towards interesting projects after graduation.

But it has not been without its challenges either, Reed admitted.

During the panel debate, she mentioned the ethical dilemmas she had faced when applying a real world working environment within a university.

She gave an example of her journalism students wanting to cover the conflict and unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

“I told them it was too dangerous,” Reed said.

“Stories that were not an ‘imminent threat’ but still served the community, were important to cover.”

She said although there were challenges, it’s important that stories continue to serve the community otherwise “we are teaching our students to be self-absorbed”.

Reed also questioned how students could cope with the stress that comes with the workload of a newsroom as well as being able to meet deadlines for other subject assignments.

Professor of journalism at the University of Florida, Dr Kim Walsh-Childers, said the model was a success because it allowed students to write for their wider community and “past their own university audiences”.

But she said conflicts of interest for the university could also arise as a result.

Post-traumatic care
Professor Harry Dugmore of the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University in South Africa said his class have had “real, live and fiery debates” concerning ethics while practising the model.

Dugmore said the school had applied “analytical tools from sociology and political science” to the teaching hospital theory; allowing students to gain insight into understanding dispositions and conflicts in their country.

“It confronts them with the reality of South Africa and allows them to be more sensitive journalists,” he told Asia Pacific Report.

During his presentation, Dr Dugmore highlighted a student incident that emphasised the need for post-traumatic care for students.

He said a group of university students produced a story addressing the issue of rape culture within the campus, in which names of several alleged rapists were anonymously published.

The university was then “barred and barricaded for a week”.

Despite the story providing a platform to voice a serious issue, it did raise the need for the model to include “debriefing and post-traumatic care for students”, he said.

Listen to an extended interview with Associate Professor Katherine Reed, where she defines the teaching hospital model and explains why she disagrees with the metaphor, saying the model is better compared to the workings of a “kitchen” not a hospital.

Pacific communities know how difficult it is to have our voices and regional human rights abuses heard on a world stage and to be represented in global media. Tonight veteran broadcaster and publisher Kalafi Moala expressed the region’s concerns and uniqueness and finally gave Pasifika a presence and voice at the closing of the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC). 

The publisher and chief executive of the Tongan newspaper group Taimi ‘o Tonga, Kalafi Moala, told global journalists and media educators that they must begin to include Pacific people in their media and course curricula.

Moala said this during his plenary closing address at the 4th World Journalism Education Congress held at the Auckland University of Technology.

He emphasised the notion that the Pacific is often treated as a second-class citizen, and is not given a chance to voice its human rights abuses to the world.

“I wish to emphatically call on you journalism educators and journalists from the around the world,” Moala began, “to please give us, your fellow journalists and journalism educators in our Pacific region, your kind attention.

“Let me point out how unique we are as a Pacific people. Despite the fact of our smallness in our population and in land size, we are not insignificant, you know why, because we live in the biggest continent on planet Earth…it’s called the Pacific.”

The profound editor’s moving speech identified corruption cases and the neglected human rights abuses in the Pacific caused by super power countries.

“There are island nations in both Polynesia and Micronesia, that have been victimised by the nuclear testing of the French and the Americans in previous years.

“We have fellow Islanders that are being oppressed as we talk and still under colonial rule by an Asian power, like in West Papua.

“There are island nations whose future, both economically and politically, will be determined by others and not by themselves.

“There is of course the ongoing recolonisation of all Pasifika by economically powerful nations, not only from the West but also from the East.

“A phenomena that has put back the peoples of Pasifika into the subservient role that was common in the golden era of colonisation.”

The world needed to know the Pacific’s diversity and understand its complexity, Moala said.

“We are people with many different cultures and we have many stories to tell.”

“I call on you, our journalism educators, to please include Pasifika in your curricula and to assist us in our quest to deliver quality journalism to our people.”

Listen to Kalafi Moala’s full plenary speech at the WJEC, where he is introduced by the director of AUT’s Pacific Media Centre, Professor David Robie. Kalafi Moala’s speech on demand.

Journalism education is challenged by issues in all regions of the world and the South Pacific is no different. At the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC), held at the Auckland University of Technology this week, four educators from different countries in the Pacific put forward their issues and challenges.

To set the tone for the session, panel chair Professor David Robie, director of the Pacific Media Centre, showed a “citizen media” video clip of police opening fire on students at the University of Papua New Guinea last month, wounding at least 23.

PNG: Traumatised
Emily Matasororo, journalism and public relations strand leader at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) gave some insights into the incident.

She said the majority of students in UPNG come from rural backgrounds and are trying to get into tertiary education to support their families, tribes and communities in search of a better life.

“I was there among the students when the police opened fire and I was really traumatised by that,” Matasororo said.

The students had burnt newspapers in front of the campus gate because they thought the media was taking sides and promoting the government’s agenda.

Matasororo said one of the student leaders told her that they had seen newspaper reports and found them “shallow and biased”.

“For me that was a very strong statement coming from a student leader,” Matasororo said.

Fiji: Home grown media
Dr Shailendra Singh, head of journalism at the University of South Pacific (USP), highlighted the lack of journalism training in the region, saying the situation was “critical”.

He said the Pacific faced major threats like climate change, overfishing and corruption on a grand scale.

“There is lack of support throughout the region for journalism education and for tertiary teaching in journalism,” Dr Singh said.

Dr Singh expressed his concern over the many expatriates that are teaching journalism in the Pacific.

“[It’s important to have] home grown media educators who understand the terrain and also have a stake in it.”

Giving advice to journalism lecturers, he said: “Educators should take up research topics for the sake of their own intellectual and professional development and enhance teaching through their research.

“USP is encouraging a lot of research, including with cash incentives and opportunities to attend conferences if you publish material.

“Cross-discipline research with people of other universities can also work wonders,” he said.

Samoa: Bridge the gap
Misa Vicky Lepou, head of journalism at the National University of Samoa (NUS), said answers were needed to “bridge the gap” between the media industry and journalism education.

“Another important requirement is building trust between the media and the community. I wonder if the community respects media as a honourable profession?” she asked the audience.

According to Misa, Samoan media outlets need a lot of training in ethics.

Vanuatu: Work in progress
Charlie David Mandavah, course coordinator of journalism at the Vanuatu Institute of Technology (VIT), said although the success rate of the course was high, the school lacked qualified trainers.

“There is a success rate of 60 percent of students finding jobs in the media industry.

But we haven’t been able to find qualified trainers or journalists to take up the role of teaching and the evolution of the course remains a work in progress.”

Other issues Mandavah highlighted was the “fraught” relationship between the media and the government in Vanuatu, computer illiteracy which leaves students unprepared for the real world, and the “subdued” role of females, meaning they often lacked confidence to ask the hard questions.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference last year – more commonly referred to as “COP21”, may have been praised as a “historic turning point” in reducing global warming by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and world leaders alike, but many remain unconvinced world leaders actually care about climate change.

Speaking to Asia Pacific Report earlier this year, both Greenpeace captain Pete Willcox and colleague Sophie Schroder said that world leaders were still hiding behind fossil fuels.

Some may also say that journalism itself is guilty by omission due to what many educators see as poor coverage of climate change.

Such issues were the topic of conversation among panelists and delegates alike at the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) when it entered its second day.

Professor David Robie of the Pacific Media Centre set the tone of the panel discussion, questioning what the role of the media and indeed media education was in a post-COP21 world.

He asked whether media currently was giving enough emphasis to the issue, but more importantly to the human rights issues that sit within climate change.

This was a theme readily engaged with by the panelists, Professor Crispin Maslog, chairman of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre in Manila; Dr Hermin Indah Wahyuni of Universitas Gadjah Mada; National University of Samoa’s Misa Vicky Lepou; and Jose Maria Carlos from the Philippines.

Although speaking to journalism education and climate change in their respective countries – the Philippines, Indonesia and Samoa – all of the panelists said the media was failing in reporting climate change.

Current coverage lacking

Although coverage was not wholly lacking, the panel stressed, improvements are still needed.

Dr Wahyuni said this was the case as current framing centred on a “impact-victim frame” which only built a “easy causal relationship” between disasters and climate change.

Although Carlos also noted that this was the case in his discussion, he said that despite a “high level” of climate change coverage throughout Asia, gaps remained in the “depth of understanding” of the issue by the Filipino public.

He highlighted that this was a concern noted not only by academics and non-governmental organisations, but also journalists themselves.

Misa said the current lack in climate change coverage culminated in a “top-down” effect in newsrooms, in which editors refused to take notice of the issue because it was not “sexy” enough.

She highlighted that this seemed to be the case in Samoa, where climate change was the lesser covered topic in three of its newspapers compared to business.

Misa noted this “reflects the priorities” in the daily news agenda worldwide.

Calls not new
However, this is not the first time such issues have been noted, nor calls for new media strategies in relation to climate change made.

Several academics, journalists and non-governmental actors debated the issue in May for Asia Pacific Report.

Although unable to reach consensus on a precise strategy moving forward, all stressed the importance of changes being made.

Future solutions?
The panelists also did not simply lament the current state of climate change journalism.

Dr Maslog, Dr Wahyuni, Carlos and Lepou all posed possible solutions to the current crisis.

Dr Maslog said that “training on the job” should take place for media practitioners into environmental and disaster reporting.

Dr Wahyuni said the media should continue to act as an observer, but stressed that in doing so it should “keep up with science”.

Carlos agreed, saying “good principles” should continue to be stressed.

Misa said, however, echoing points made by her fellow delegates throughout the WJEC regarding student journalists being at the heart of improvements, said the introduction of a climate change module into the journalism curriculum would “bring life to journalism education”.

Both panelists and delegates agreed, however, that “so much needs to be done”.

In the face of a lack of “political will” from both politicians and journalists alike regarding climate change however, all acknowledged that it may be an uphill battle.

World leaders still ‘hiding behind fossil fuels’, says Rainbow Warrior skipper

Call for new media strategies for climate change journalism

A Papua New Guinea media educator today called for an investigation into coverage of the two months of protest at the nation’s universities, including last month’s incident when police opened fire on peaceful students.

Emily Matasororo, leader of the journalism strand at the University of Papua New Guinea, was critical of students protesting against the media earlier in the period of unrest for burning the two national newspapers, PNG Post-Courier and The National, on campus.

But she added that they did this to “show their frustrations” over how they viewed the media as taking sides in the dispute.

The students were calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and for him to cooperate with a police investigation into corruption allegations.

“The burning was an indication that they disliked the paper’s coverage of events leading up to the protest,” Matasororo said in a Pacific journalism education panel session at the Fourth World Journalism Education Congress hosted at Auckland University of Technology.

“Why should the Student Representative Council go as far as preferring certain media outlets over others?”

The Post-Courier, The National and television station EMTV were banned from covering student activities on campus.

‘Public space’
“The UPNG is a public and government-run institution and is a public space open to everyone, including the media.

“If students reacted that way, it brought up issues of credibility and integrity of the freedom of the press in Papua New Guinea.”

Matasororo also said that this brought to light questions of ethics.

She quoted a statement from a student leader online in PNGLoop that described the news reports and “shallow and biased” and saying they “have no trust in the media”.

“While I acknowledge and appreciate the tireless efforts of the media’s coverage of the student protest, for me, this is a strong statement that needs to be investigated,” she said.

It needs to be done by all stakeholders concerned to promote “fair and just reporting” and “the essence of good ethics and journalism”.

The stakeholders included the newspaper publishers and management, the Media Council of PNG, Transparency International, Ombudsman Commission and journalism educators at UPNG and Divine Word University at Madang.

‘Black Wednesday’
Matasororo presented an analysis of the unfolding events in PNG.

On June 8, heavily armed police fired upon the peaceful protesters at UPNG after a scuffle and up to 30 were reportedly wounded. Some international media reported four deaths but this was later denied by Port Moresby hospital authorities.

To mark what has been dubbed “black Wednesday”, UPNG’s journalism Strand plans to unveil and wall display to tell the “untold stories” and a photo montage of “unseen images” for future students to “ponder over”.

Dr David Robie, director of the Pacific Media Centre, was chair of the Pacific journalism education panel.

Research journal editors and publishers are often faced with a range of challenges when producing publications outside the Northern Hemisphere elite. At the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) being held at the Auckland University of Technology, editors from the Asia-Pacific region shared perspectives of their “perils and pitfalls” of publishing.

Professor David Robie, director of the Pacific Media Centre and editor of Pacific Journalism Review and Pacific Journalism Monographs, highlighted the challenges and successes of publishing the only journal in the world that produces in-depth research about journalism and media in the Asia-Pacific.

Dr Robie said the journal was established in 1994 at the University of Papua New Guinea to bring attention to urgent Pacific issues.

“It was started to publish Pacific issues and situations that were otherwise ignored.”

Press freedom was a major issue in that time, but according to Dr Robie, PJR played a major role in making the issue aware among the masses.

No easy feat
But it has been no easy feat, admitted Dr Robie, saying the production of the “global South” journal had moved three times, finally being established in New Zealand.

After leaving Papua New Guinea, it was then moved to Fiji in 1998 because he had been appointed as head of the University of South Pacific in Suva which also had better resources to support the journal.

In 2000, “maverick businessman” George Speight staged Fiji’s third coup.

Because of this the media environment in Fiji was threatened and PJR moved to New Zealand. The first edition was published in 2003, at AUT and later at AUT’s Pacific Media Centre when it was established in 2007.

Dr Robie explained that journals like the PJR were at the “nexus” between industry and the research.

Support needed
Professor Linda Claire Steiner, of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism and the editor of Journalism & Communication Monographs (JCM), said more support was needed from “budding journalists”.

“There is no particular value in doing a lot of research if you don’t share it with people. Research is meant to be shared and if you want to make a contribution, the way to do that is to get it published somewhere,” Dr Steiner said.

She also commented on the difficulty of producing in-depth articles that often reach limited audiences.

“All of that important research you have done to be seen by other researchers, who might use it, cite it and assign it to their students, goes in vain,” she said.

• The Pacific Journalism Review launched its latest journal edition titled ‘Endangered Journalists’ this week at the WJEC. The edition includes a special focus on media missions in West Papua and includes contributions from significant journalists such as Johnny Blades, Ricardo Morris, Jason MacLeod, Alexandra Wake, Lee Duffield and many others.

The lack of qualified journalists and media educators is threatening the quality of media in the Pacific. This was an urgent topic discussed today among journalism educators as part of the Media Educators Pacific (MEP) fono, held in Auckland’s Pacific Media Centre.

Points for improvement
Dr Shailendra Singh, senior lecturer and coordinator of journalism at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, stressed three fundamental points that needed improvement.

There are not enough expert journalists that are qualified and have experience, he said. 

“Less than 50 percent of journalists in Fiji have six years experience.”

Secondly, he continued, current journalists needed to update their training.

“And lastly, media institutions and industries are not fully committed to the cause,” said Dr Singh.

He said journalism institutions were “not funding the curriculum in the way they should be funding it”. This further impacted on the quality of training resources and equipment.

Dr Singh also added that because of the low salaries of journalists in the Pacific, many of the top graduates were being “plugged” by NGOs.

“Media industries do not offer competitive salaries, so we are not getting the cream of the crop.”

Filling the void
MEP president Misa Vicky Lepou, from the National University of Samoa, said it was vital that media educators gained industry assistance with teaching journalism.

“We need to train working journalists so they can teach journalism, we educators do not have the expertise or knowledge to teach those courses.

“In order for us to get help, we need help as well,” she admitted.

Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) programme manager Francis Herman said the trouble with helping working practitioners improve their training was they could not attend a full-time course with the demands of working in a newsroom.

“How can we fill that void?” he questioned MEP members.

Education challenges
He said that restrictive media laws in the Pacific region like the Fiji Media Industry Development Decree would affect the new generation of journalists.

Herman said this was a challenge media educators would have to address and referred to it as a “dire problem” within Pacific journalism education.

The PACMAS representative added that funding to assist media training had proven difficult for Pacific organisations to access.

“We need help putting proposals [for funding] together, this is something that could really strengthen our case.”

Present at the meeting was Michael Rose, director of research and communication at the Australian Press Council.

Rose confirmed the APC’s interest with assisting in areas that supported raising the standards of Pacific journalism.

“We can help with facilitation, bringing in expert journalists into the region for training purposes,” he told MEP.

“We are aware that what works in Australia doesn’t work in every country,” he said. “Please reach out to us with your needs, we can help particularly with advocacy.”

‘Critical thinking’
The director of Pacific Media Centre, Professor David Robie, raised issues of digital technology and how many Pacific news outlets were lagging behind embracing the possibilities.

He said social media strategies were well integrated in the journalism profession but the Pacific is still very low in adapting to these new platforms.

Dr Robie highlighted “critical thinking” and flexibility as paramount to adapting to a “shrinking” profession. Skills were important but far more was needed in developing the ability to produce critical and insightful journalism.

“We keep thinking long term but the industry is changing, and the Pacific industry is going to change very rapidly in time as well.

“Changes are fundamental now, we have to think strategically about the future.”

Western vs ‘Pacific way’
Misa Vicky Lepou told Asia Pacific Report that based on the comments made during the meeting, media educators needed to decide whether they wanted to teach a Western perspective of journalism in their curriculum or whether it should be taught in the “Pacific way”.

“It’s their job as educators to make that call, so before we move forward we need to set these priorities.”

In the meantime, Lepou said Pacific journalists and media educators needed to begin to “trust” and forge partnerships with prominent universities to collaborate and further their expertise.

Listen to an extended commentary from Misa Vicky Lepou about this issue with Asia Pacific Report.

For years, journalism education and training in the Pacific has relied on donor-funded short courses and expatriate media educators.

But in recent times, this has been changing with the growth of more journalism schools at both universities and technical institutes and more homegrown academically qualified staff and proliferating research programmes.

These changes have been reflected with the establishment of the new advocacy group Media Educators Pacific (MeP) chaired by Misa Vicky Lepou of the National University of Samoa (NUS).

This body has a mission to “promote and deliver the highest professional standards of training, education and research in media and journalism relevant to the Pacific and beyond”.

In a region, where the news media and journalism education have been forced to confront major hurdles such as military coups (Fiji), ethnic conflict (Solomon Islands) and two rival governments and more recently the stand-off between students and the government climaxing in the police opening fire on students on June 8 (Papua New Guinea), along with critical development issues such as climate change and resources degradation, what are the challenges ahead for teaching journalists?

Some of the issues that might be considered:

• Academic freedom in a journalism context
• Political pressures on journalism schools
• Ethics in news media and on campus – the paradoxes?
• Bias in the industry work place
• Court reporting and journalism accuracy
• Digital challenges for media education
• Media education and censorship
• Qualification and resource constraints at both TVETs and universities
• Drain of quality j-graduates to NGOs because of low industry pay

Chair: David Robie, Pacific Media Centre, AUT (New Zealand)

Panelists: Shailendra Singh: University of the South Pacific (Fiji)

Misa Vicky Lepou: President of the Media Educators Pacific (MeP) , and head of journalism at the National University of Samoa (Samoa)

Emily Matasororo: University of Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby, PNG)

Charlie David Mandavah: Vanuatu Institute of Technology (Vanuatu)

Responder: Irene Manarae (University of the South Pacific)

Saturday, 9-10.30am, WG126, Auckland University of Technology

• Live streaming link

Journalism educators from across the Pacific have raised concerns about the current state of journalism globally at the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) at the Auckland University of Technology this week.

The panel of educators from across New Zealand and Australia agreed better practice in journalism is required in order to truly represent diverse communities and those seen as “minorities” and disadvantaged.

Bernard Whelan, manager of Whitireia’s journalism programme, Tara Ross of the University of Canterbury, Professor David Robie of the Pacific Media Centre, and Kathryn Shine of Western Australia’s Curtin University, all said better practice could be achieved through instilling improved methods with young and aspiring journalists. 

This echoed points raised by both Dr Lee Duffield and journalism educator Dr Philip Cass on Wednesday at the JEERA preconference that students were at the heart of developments in the industry.

‘Bicultural responsibility’
Whelan noted how the mainstay of American news values left no apparent room in the mainstream media to explore more “indigenous” and alternative models of reporting.

He stressed journalists, particularly in New Zealand regarding Māori, had a “bicultural responsibility” to at least consider these forms and hoped that through his PhD research a bicultural model for journalism education could be “deeply ingrained” into Whitireia’s programme.

Ross noted how students needed to report with and not on the community, which was not currently the norm as it was different from “normative” educational process.

She stressed the importance of students understanding the consequences of their stories and noted how they need a measure of accountability.

This evoked a vocal response from one of the delegates present, who stressed that a journalist’s stories are not momentary for those that are featured, as the story has a “lasting, lifelong digital attachment”.

Negative focus detrimental
Shine however, raised the important issue of the prevalence of negativity in the media and the media’s seeming inability to pull away from the “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality that continues to drive the mainstream news cycle.

She said such a negative focus might mean the media was “out of sync” with the very community it sought to inform. This echoed sentiments delivered earlier by Ross, who noted that what the media perceived as the community needing was not necessarily what it wanted.

Shine also highlighted the importance of pulling away from such negative stories and perceptions with her research into teachers’ perceptions of the news and journalists.

She found more than 80 percent of teachers believed coverage of their work was negative, while 60 percent said “sweeping generalisations” resulted in media coverage being biased.

More than half concluded that the media did not convey the realities of both schools and teaching, she said.

Such revelations were concerning, as it led the community to question the credibility of the media.

In the Q and A session following the panel, one delegate raised the concern that such issues in the coverage of education posed serious dilemmas for the potential influx of young journalists, as “teachers have a fundamental influence in students career choices”.

Independent media important
Pacific Media Centre director Professor David Robie drew on the examples of Pacific Scoop and Asia Pacific Report in a case study to stress the importance of the presence of independent, alternative media in journalism schools for students to explore their potential.

Dr Robie highlighted how such media demonstrated best practice as a “cornerstone of democracy”.

He said it was integral to involve students in such a process, and noted the “innovative” work that had been achieved by postgraduate students on the PMC’s Asia-Pacific Journalism Studies course over the past few years, including missions to the Pacific.

Students from the course had covered the the 2014 general election in Fiji — the first since the 2006 militrary coup — and had assignments involving climate change in Fiji, and the Pacific Islands Forum in the Cook Islands and Vanuatu.

Both the panelists and delegates noted that if changes were not made to dominant paradigms and mainstays of journalism soon that the “rubber would hit the road” leading to an internal moral crises within the industry.

• WJEC16: Role of journalism students
• Asia Pacific Report

Journalism educators from across the globe continued to gather at the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) at the Auckland University of Technology.The topic of conversation among a series of panels yesterday focused on how digital technology is evolving journalism and its flow-on affects on media education and research.

‘Shaking the platform’
Professor Kaarl Nordenstreng of the University of Tampere discussed the evolution of technology and mass communication and how it had subsequently affected journalism.

Dr Nordenstreng told delegates that the steep growth in mass communication and research into the field from the 1990s and subsequent rise of technology had led to the seeming “out and down” of journalism.

“Technology is shaking the journalism platform.”

He warned academics to not become too enamoured with the “explosive” growth of the mass communication field, and digital journalism even though research was “flourishing” and on the “up”.

“Let’s not become too proud and fall into what I call ‘surfing syndrome.’”

He noted in “living in a historical sunrise industry in the midst of expansion” how the field was undergoing a “renaissance” of academic thought, but mused that it was “perhaps just another cycle that is natural”.

Dr Nordenstreng stressed, however, that in future journalists and academics alike needed a “much more diverse” understanding of the news and profession itself.

‘Moral compass’
In a simultaneous panel debate, media educators urged for a revised look at journalism ethics because of the significant effects digital platforms are having on the profession.

Journalist and professor of journalism and social media at Griffith University, Dr Mark Pearson, said it was extremely important that individual journalists, moderators and commentators owned a “moral compass”.

“That’s the fundamental sense of right and wrong which guide the journalists’ ethical decision making,” he said.

“Mindful journalism suggests a framework for establishing this moral compass.”

On the same panel was Associate Professor Donald Matheson, from the University of Canterbury, who said journalists should maintain a clear relationship with sources when they were operating within their social networks.

“It is always someone’s experience to which the journalists are dealing with.”

He said other ethical terms were needed, elaborating that ethics are more of a dialogue and action, than a set of rules.

Present at the third panel discussion in this series was Dr Paul Voakes from the University of Colorado Boulder, also a specialist on digital media law and ethics.

He said although journalism ethics needec to be revaluated, traditional ethics should not be forgotten.

“We are in the midst of organisational changes and the most important thing is not to leave the traditional journalism values which have existed over the years while acquiring the ‘new ways of creating stories’.”

‘Disruptive changes’
Dr Brad Rawlins, from Arkansas State University, reinstated the disruptive shift digital technology is having within the industry.

“A lot of new ways of story-telling are involved to suit the digital audience nowadays,” he said during the discussion.

Dr Karin Wahl Jorgensen from Cardiff University, one of the world’s noted journalism schools, concluded the point of relooking at ethics, saying that today reporters were expected to possess multi-media skills as well as writing proficiency.

With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing.

But what did COP21 actually achieve? Given that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet and where the impact will be particularly strong in the Asia-Pacific region, especially the microstates of the Pacific, what is the role of the media and media education in the region?

Are Asia-Pacific journalism schools giving enough emphasis to this issue? How should things be done differently? How are media programmes keeping up with science? Is enough attention being paid to the human rights issues involved and the status of “climate change refugees” has not yet been resolved?

What are the key challenges for journalism education and the best strategies in dealing with this issue?

These issues will be discussed today by a panel at the World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) at Auckland University of Technology. This event has been supported by the Asia New Zealand Foundation bringing two of the panellists to New Zealand, leading communication specialist Professor Crispin Maslog of Manila, Philippines, and Dr Hermin Indah Wahyuni of the Centre for South-East Asian Studies in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Chair:  Professor David Robie, Pacific Media Centre, AUT (New Zealand)

Panelists:
Professor Crispin C. Maslog: chairman, Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (Philippines)

Professor Hermin Indah Wahyuni: Center for South-East Asian Social Studies (CESASS) Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta (Indonesia)

Dr Jose Maria Carlos: broadcaster and media consultant and a former secretary-general of AMIC  (Philippines)

Misa Vicky Lepou: head of journalism at the National University of Samoa, President-elect of Media educators Pacific

Responder: Dr Shailendra Singh, head of journalism at the University of the South Pacific

WJEC conference website

They are both at the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WEC) meeting at Auckland University of Technology.

Dr Maslog is chairman of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre in Manila and Dr Wahyuni is Head of the Masters in Media and Communication Science programme at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta.

AUT Pacific Media Centre photographer Del Abcede took the pictures.

Asia NZ Foundation team

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Each Pacific country is dealing with its own issues, but one of the major issues is corruption.

A preconference of the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA), AUT Pacific Media Centre (PMC) and Media Educators Pacific (MeP) in partnership with Transparency International (TINZ) gave a platform yesterday to discuss the corruption in the Pacific and the role of the media to deal with it.

Pacific director of TINZ and facilitator for the session, Fuimaono said: “Corruption is very much like cancer. It has to be treated early otherwise it would be massively expensive.”

He said the world has become intensively interested in what is going on in the Pacific.

The European Union, World Bank and Asian Development Bank are taking interest in the Pacific. The numbers of international treaties have been signed but “where all these resources are going?”, he said.

“Corruption is fundamentally crucial to successful development in the Pacific.”

Root cause
Kalafi Moala, publisher and broadcaster of Taimi ‘o Tonga group, said: “Corruption in Tonga is worse now than it has ever been.”

After spending 12 months in the prime minister’s office as a media advisor he decided it was totally useless and waste of his time.

“I found out that despite all the reforms we were doing and who were in charge, corruption continued to grow and to be dealt with,” he said.

Moala said the impact on the poor people with such corruption was extremely severe in small island nations like Tonga in the Pacific.

“We have in Tonga today a population that is broken hearted because their hope for something different in the society has been wounded. This government has not been able to deliver [on promises they made].”

He said there were causes for the corruption and there were questions that we needed to ask in the Pacific because every aspect of our society — at least in Tonga — we see the effect of corruption.

“First, we have to first find the cause of corruption and then we have to deal with it.”

Investigative journalists
Dr Shailendra Singh, head of journalism at the University of the South Pacific, said: “Politicians are not taking corruption seriously in Fiji.”

However, journalists with the lack of education and skills, were also major issues.

According to his PhD research in 2012, only 32 percent of journalists have more than 3 years of experience that is well below the global average and at the same time only 55 percent of the journalists have less than 6 years of experience.

In addition, Dr Singh said experienced journalists were not out in the front line. They were running newsrooms. Journalists who were reporting on field had less than 3 years of experience.

Oonly 49 percent of Fiji journalists had any formal academic education.

“You need experienced reporters with some investigative skills to analyse and report corruption systematically, which is lacking in Fiji,” Dr Singh said.

He said geopolitics and political correctness could be a further contributor to corruption.

Ask hard questions
Alexander Rheeney, editor-in-chief of the PNG Post-Courier, said Papua New Guinea was going through an economic and global political crisis at the moment.

“Any journalist would love to work in PNG because we have best stories in the world.”

He said journalists need to start asking hard questions now in PNG, as reporting and fighting against corruption was always a work in progress [situation] for PNG.

It is challenging for the PNG journalists to hold the leaders accountable and they are being the “meat in the sandwich”, said Rheeney.

“We have got people passionate about holding government accountable on one side and on the other side leaders want us to cover other issues in Papua New Guinea.”

However, he said as a journalist he and his colleagues were not only the defender of truth but also the defender of freedom of expression.

“The journalists should defend Papua New Guineans’ rights to express themselves,” he said.

Listen to TJ Aumua’s podcast on corruption and the role of the media.

Archived live feed

Media experts from around the Pacific region held a series of discussion panels at the preconference leading up to the 4th World Journalism Education Congress held at the Auckland University of Technology this week. They spoke to audiences about the media challenges in their homeland in hope to raise the quality of the Fourth Estate in the South Pacific.

Pitfalls of PNG coverage
The president of Papua New Guinea’s media council highlighted ongoing challenges facing the government and media educators in the panel discussion.

In touching on the challenges to journalism education in Papua New Guinea, Alexander Rheeney, also the editor-in-chief of the Post-Courier, addressed pitfalls in the reportage of the shooting of several University of Papua New Guinea students by police last month.

Rheeney said the reportage was a question of quality from the media and he highlighted the need for investigative reporting.

“It has been a good wake-up call for the industry and we need to pull up our socks.”

Rheeney’s comments come after this week’s “twist” made by the Supreme Court, ordering Parliament reconvene to vote on the no-confidence motion lodged against Prime Minister Peter O’Neill regarding allegations of corruption

Media reports say O’Neill remains confident he will survive the motion scheduled for this Friday.

Rheeney also touched on challenges facing journalism educators in Papua New Guinea, namely the flow-on effects from a “drastic” decline in the quality of high school graduates over the past 20 years in areas such as literacy.

Anonymous source risks
Solomon Star reporter, Eddie Osifelo, talked about the challenges faced by local newspapers publishing anonymous sources in their stories.

According to Osifelo,  journalists are forced to do stories on anonymous sources because government officials do not want their names published as they fear their job might be at risk.

He pointed out that as many as 133 stories with anonymous sources were published in two big Solomon Island newspapers between the periods of October and December 2014.

Osifelo said some of the ways articles had referred to anonymous sources were, “close sources”, “eyewitness” or an “insider”.

“In certain kinds of stories, informants would not talk unless they are assured of anonymity,” Osifelo said.

He explained politicians and individuals did not want to see anonymous sources appearing on stories because it questioned the credibility and ethics of journalists.

But he added that there was no Freedom of Information law in the Solomon Islands that enabled media to access confidential information from the government.

The Solomon Star and Island Sun have been faced with many challenges ranging from legal threats, compensation, harassment and court battles because of publishing anonymous sources in their stories.

He said media would still continue to rely on anonymous sources in years to come if nothing was done to improve the situation.

Digital Divide
Maria Sagrista, a lecturer at Divine Word University, gave insights into the digital divide and its effects on journalism education in Papua New Guinea.

“There are 350,000 Facebook users in PNG,” Sagrista said.

However, they are lacking content related skills that include ability to access information needed and efficient use of these platforms to achieve specific targets or solutions. she explained.

“Some tertiary institutes do not have free internet access for students. They have limited availability of computers and their academic staff admit they have no experience with the internet.”

Sagrista said digital literacy is crucial to become engaged with the new information age and knowledge-based society.

There are many issues in PNG that creates problems to integrate the new technologies into teaching and learning practice.

Power structure
“Technology challenges the traditional power structure. Lecturers feel threatened by the use of technology because [in most cases] students are more digitally literate which challenges their authority and status power.”

According to Sagrista, who acknowledged this was not a specialist area for her, uncertain infrastructure, political power and different understanding of priorities and redefinition of appropriate pedagogy are a few of them.

As the numbers of online news users are increasing, she emphasised “reinventing curriculum for journalism education”.

Sagrista concluded with some solutions like having libraries/mobile libraries, internet advisor, sharing devices and connections, changing perceptions of lectures and students, adapting journalism education curriculum in PNG.

Professionalism in Vanuatu
Dave Mandavah, coordinator of the Vanuatu Institute of Technology (VIT) journalism school presented his research paper, which focuses on the two-year Journalism and Media diploma course at the institute.

Starting in 2009 with funding from the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PMAS) the course was originally intended to improve and continue the professional development of current media practitioners.

However a challenge since the beginning has been the large intake of students with little or no media experience, Mandavah said.

“Working journalists said the course was too expensive and the time schedule was ‘off’.”

Despite the “missmatch” between the course content and the student’s needs, Mandavah said the hard work and dedication of the students had meant they had been able to tailor the course to suit their needs.

But suitable media candidates were vital to help improve the current media climate in the island.

Breaking ‘societal gender power’
Mandavah said a positive outcome has been that most students had been females.

Something he described as the course’s “biggest challenge but also its biggest success”.

This is because females are dominated by a male patriarchy, he said adding “they [females] are voiceless in Vanuatu”.

He explained that despite the males’ “societal gender power”, the course had given the female students the skills to be represented and play a significant role in society.

The president of Papua New Guinea’s media council has highlighted the ongoing challenges facing the government and media educators in a panel discussion during the preconference of the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC).

In touching on the challenges to journalism education in Papua New Guinea, Alexander Rheeney, also the editor-in-chief of the Post Courier, addressed pitfalls in the reportage of the shooting of several University of Papua New Guinea students by police last month.

Rheeney said the reportage was a question over quality from the media and highlighted the need for investigative reporting.

“It has been a good wake-up call for the industry and we need to pull up our socks.”

Rheeney’s comments come after this week’s “twist” made by the Supreme Court, ordering Parliament to reconvene to vote on the no-confidence motion lodged against Prime Minister Peter O’Neill regarding allegations of corruption

O’Neill told media he remained confident he would survive the motion scheduled for this Friday.

Rheeney also touched on challenges facing journalism educators in Papua New Guinea, namely the flow-on effects from a “drastic” decline in the quality of high school graduates over the past 20 years in areas such as literacy.

• Protesting students shot in crackdown over UPNG march
• PNG’s PM confident he can survive motion

Work by journalism students across the Pacific was at the centre of talks among educators during one of the panels at the preconference for the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) held at the Auckland University of Technology which opened today.

Journalism educators from across the Pacific highlighted the important role young journalists play in the industry and the region in discussions of news production and research.

Professor Philip Cass, a senior lecturer in communication studies at Unitec, yesterday talked about the importance of student newspapers in journalism education for providing students with an outlet that allows them to explore their creativity as budding journalists as he discussed the evolution of student-run newspapers such as Felix Culpa and the award-winning Wansolwara.

He did however, stress the importance of having a lecturer “crazy enough” to make a student newspaper work.

‘Journalism as research’
Dr Lee Duffield of the Queensland University of Technology, highlighted the potential of student’s work to become “journalism as research” in his discussions of a case study in which six of his journalism students reflected on their coverage of New Caledonia and Vanuatu by “reading” into their stories.

Duffield’s talk engaged with the concept of journalism as the first rough draft of history, and the subsequent potential for journalists’ stories to become research in their own right.

A presentation by Eliki Drugunalevu and Irene Manarae of the University of the South Pacific (USP) reflected on the integral role Radio Pasifik has played in the education of USP’s journalism students.

Despite the rather ad hoc nature of the station’s funding, noted by both as a constraint and challenge, students have praised the practical skills the station provides, with one former student commenting it allowed them to practice at industry level.

Drugunalevu and Manarae revealed that the training facility intends to explore an “external broadcast footprint” to greater Suva and potentially invest in live streaming.

Media and mines
Research presented by freelance New Caledonian journalist Nicole Gooch was a slight departure from the topics of her peers, but revealed some important insights nonetheless.

Her research, the subject of a scholarship from the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JEERA), highlighted a lack among media worldwide to report on the ‘warning signs’ of a disaster in the face of a case study in to the coverage of Brazil’s Samarco mining disaster and that of New Caledonia’s Goro disaster.

Gooch found coverage of the disasters had been largely relegated to the business sections, which subsequently excluded the resettlement process and impact on families.

She said coverage was symptomatic of the media’s current trajectory in reporting global crises and highlighted the fact the media needed to “shine a spotlight” on the warning signs leading up to a disaster.

The World Journalism Education Congress opened today.

The traditional welcome was led by AUT students and staff and the conference is bringing together media and journalism educators from around the world for three days of discussions about global media challenges and education.

More than 220 people from 42 countries are attending.

The WJEC officially begins tomorrow and ends on Saturday.

Pacific Media Centre photographer Del Abcede has been out and about for some random shots.

• More WJEC stories here

Pacific contingent at WJEC

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Associate Professor Camille Nakhid, chair of the Pacific Media Centre’s advisory board, praised the quality of research contemporary issues in the edition.

Editor Professor David Robie of the journal confessed to experiencing a deju vu feeling as the journal had celebrated 20 years of publishing in November 2014 at the very same venue.

But this time it was being launched as part of the cluster of activities marking the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) conference at Auckland University of Technology this week.

Dr Robie took the opportunity to thank the many contributors and researchers from over the years who had contributed to the journal from the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia, Journalism Education Association of New Zealand and the Pacific.

The journal, printed and distributed by Auckland’s Little Island Press, was also released as an online edition today at INFORMIT database.

PJR launch at JERAA

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The World Journalism Education Congress preconference for JERAA and the region began today and brought together Pacific journalism educators to improve the role of the Fourth Estate in the region.

Toeolesulusulu Associate Professor Damon Salesa, director of the New Zealand Institute of Pacific Research, opened the preconference, saying journalism was important for bringing the community together for people to engage in the public sphere.

“Journalism is central to the public interest of the Pacific, it protects culture and especially language,” Toeolesulusulu said.

“However the world has changed drastically, making it difficult for journalists to keep up with the scale of some of the issues affecting Pacific.”

He referred to health issues, like the Zika virus where communities are struggling to understand how the media are easing the issue.

This was an “exciting” time for educators to gather and face these issues together at the conference.

The day-long preconference was organised by the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA), Pacific Media Centre (PMC) and the Media Educators Pacific (MeP).

The NZ Institute of Pacific Research was the main donor for the preconference, funding five media educators from Fiji, Papua New Guinea (2), Samoa and Tonga to attend JERAA and WJEC.

The institute is a collaboration between the University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology and Otago University.

The first event of the 4th World Journalism Education Congress conference 2016 got under way at the JERAA and Pacific preconference last night with an inspirational korero from Oceania Interrupted about “Free West Papua”.

Sharing the issue of “freedom” for West Papua, which has remained under conflict for more than 50 years, the all-women Pacific cultural activist group facilitated by Leilani Salesa of Samoa gave a challenge for community groups and citizen media.

Speaking to media educators and journalists from Australia and the Pacific at Auckland University of Technology, the group outlined the “kaupapa” of the stunning actions they have been taking to make people aware of the atrocities faced by indigenous people of the region.

Oceania Interrupted began on December 1, 2013, to raise awareness about the Morning Star flag-raising issue – the traditional flag of liberation is banned in Indonesia — among the people of New Zealand and across the Pacific.

Salesa said Oceania Interrupted was seen as having a key role in bringing West Papua to the Pacific community and many of their actions were achievements because they got support at grassroots level.

Oceania Interrupted plans to take up other actions in future.

Leilani’s brother, Toeolesulusulu Associate Professor Damon Salesa, director of the NZ Institute of Pacific Research, will open the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA) and the Pacific at AUT today.

The WJEC participants will be welcomed at a powhiri this evening.

Te Rito Peyroux of the Cook Islands described how art and solidarity campaigns were communicating to ordinary people.

Downplayed in mainstream
The group criticised how the New Zealand government had downplayed the issue with mainstream media because of trade ties with the Indonesian government.

They also spoke about a petition that has been launched in New Zealand in support of the Papuans.

“Empowering collective action is important and all of us play a part in this freedom for West Papua,” said Salesa.

“Sharing the message for us is the key part of what we do within our own communities.

“West Papuans are Pacific people and are our brothers and sisters. We try to use art forms to share the message and we stand in solidarity for the people.

Kalisiana Buliruarua, of Fiji, said: “A lot of us have committed a big part of our lives to this cause because we believe that one day the people of West Papua would become free.

“It takes the efforts of all of us to do this but we are all dedicated towards this,”she said.

Anua Henry recited a poem about the issue.

The Oceania Interrupted group then joined the media educators and journalists at AUT’s Pacific Media Centre for a traditional Fiji lovo, or Filipino lechon welcome meal.

Husain Malvi is an international communication student from Unitec. He, Kendall Hutt, Ami Dhabuwala and TJ Aumua of AUT are covering WJEC16 for Asia Pacific Report.

• Oceania Interrupted
• West Papua petition launched

More than 220 journalism educators and journalists are participating in the 4th World Journalism Education Congress that will open tomorrow night in Auckland, New Zealand.

They represent 43 different countries.

Kick-starting the programme will be a day-long “pre-conference” for journalists and journalism educators in the Pacific feeding into the main global conference.

The Pacific pre-conference is being opened on Wednesday morning by Toeolesulusulu Associate Professor Damon Salesa, director of the newly created NZ Institute for Pacific Research, which sponsored five media people from the Pacific to attend.

The main WJEC conference will be opened by Ian McKinnon, chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO.

Professor David Robie, director of the Pacific Media Centre in Auckland, said a “very exciting” programme had been planned. It was the first time such a huge group of journalists and journalists’ educators from around the Pacific and all over the world would be gathering like this.

“The Pacific participants actually have the opportunity to meet some of the leading educators and journalism educators presenting their findings from digital media developments to investigative journalism – all sorts of methods of journalism, and doing journalism research around the world.

‘Rare opportunity’
“It’s very rare that we have this opportunity, especially in the southern hemisphere – never has there been a journalism conference on this scale in New Zealand before or even in the Pacific,” Dr Robie said.

He said organisers are excited about the programme because many talented people would attend the main conference and pre-conference.

The likes of Misa Vicky Lepou, head of journalism from National University of Samoa and president of Media Educators Pacific (MeP), and Dr Shailendra Singh, Head of the journalism programme at the University of South Pacific, are attending.

“Over three days we will have 16 panels, 10 syndicates, 46 paper sessions,  and a number of special events,” said WJEc conference convenor Associate Professor Verica Rupar. “Keynote speakers are Divina frau Meigs of France and Kalafi Moala of Tonga, and invited speakers include Simon Cottle, Steve Reese, Karin Wahl Jorgensen, Agnes Gulyas, Dan Gilmore, and Cait McMahon.”

Dr Robie said all the participants were expected to arrive over the next couple of days before the start of the conference proper on Thursday morning.

The first WJEC was held in Singapore, followed by second in South Africa and third in Belgium.

Tonight will feature an Oceania Interrupted korero communications event and a welcome at the Pacific Media Centre.

• World Journalism Education Congress

Head of the media and communication department at the National University of Samoa, Misa Victoria Lepou, will attend the World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) this week.

She will present her paper “Samoan journalists’ journey of free speech vs media laws“ and hopes the research she brings to the congress will benefit other academics attending the event.

Misa hopes that the challenges faced by Samoan media will provide valuable lessons for the industry to make relevant changes.

The paper explores the historic struggle of one major publisher in Samoa to report on “official corruption and abuses of power”, and the recent re-establishment of the Journalists Association of (Western) Samoa (JAWS) and a Media Council.

Misa says she wanted to “share Samoa’s interpretation of how journalism is being challenged by its way of life”, and has been researching the topic for the past eight months.

“There was a lack of locally produced literature, so I felt there should be more research done to teach our own students,” she adds.

Since starting her research, Misa says there have been changes in codes of ethics in the country.

“The Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) funded an initiative donating over $100,000 worth of equipment, as well as funding from UNESCO to fund our campus radio station to enhance training at the university to balance the quality of journalism in newsroom practices,” explains Lepou.

“As well as this, the newly set up Media Council which is still in progress awaiting the national association to set it up.”

The former print and broadcast journalist, who has been a lecturer for nine years, is looking forward to meeting fellow researchers at the WJEC.

“The opportunity to network, learn and share experiences with journalism educators is not always a privilege that comes around very often for the Pacific region,” says Misa.

“I felt this would be the appropriate time to make our voices heard and address our own challenges from this part of the region, other than New Zealand and Australia.”

As president of the new Media Educators Pacific (MeP), Misa is working in collaboration with AUT’s Pacific Media Centre and the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA) to produce a special Pacific preconference on July 13 and an edition of Pacific Journalism Review dedicated to journalism education in the Asia-Pacific region.

Misa has been assisted to the WJEC conference by the UNESCO National Commission for New Zealand.

• More information on the Pacific preconference
• Misa Victoria Lepou will present her paper “Samoan journalists’ journey of free speech vs media laws” on Saturday, 16 July, at 2pm in WG607 at Auckland University of Technology.

The group of Pacific educators will host a series of panel discussions at the WJEC Pacific preconference held on July 13 at the Auckland University of Technology.

Eliki Drugunalevu, a journalism broadcast tutor from the University of the South Pacific in Suva, says he is excited to be presenting a panel about broadcast education in Fiji.

“Being a part of WJEC will expose me to a whole range of issues out there and I’ll be able to meet academics, researchers, journalists who have done so much contribution in this field.”

Drugunalevu, who is also manager of Radio Pasifik, says the audience could expect a thorough look at how student radio stations are offering real world journalism experience to students, which is important under Fiji’s strained media climate.

“The existence of such a facility is critical in engaging students in discussion through a broad range of community, educational and cultural programmes.”

Eddie Osifelo, a journalist from the Solomon Star, will be presenting about some of the challenges in the Solomon Islands media.

“As a journalist I have experienced harassment, verbal abuse and court challenges,” he told Pacific Media Watch.

His presentation will focus on the use of anonymous sources, particularly in political and business articles.

‘Digital divide’
Another journalism lecturer, Maria Sagrista, from Divine Word University (DWU) in Papua New Guinea, will present a discussion on the “digital divide” in PNG.

She told Pacific Media Watch that the digital divide presents many challenges for students transitioning from university to “real world” media organisations.

“The first one of them is the lack of equipment and resources at the university level that do not allow students to become familiar with the current technologies used in “real world” media organisations.”

Access to new technology is crucial for developing countries to play an active role in a knowledge-based society, she says.

“New technologies and the internet have the potential to enhance access to information for people and to bring countries such as Papua New Guinea to a position of active producers of knowledge, shifting away from the traditional role of passive silent consumers,” she says.

Other Pacific contingent members speaking at the preconference include Emily Matasororo (University of Papua New Guinea) and Dave Mandavah (Vanuatu Institute of Technology).

They are all being sponsored to attend by the New Zealand Institute of Pacific Research.

NZIPR director Toeolesulusulu Associate Professor Damon Salesa says the conference aligns with the goals of the institute by providing a place for the sharing of knowledge that will help improve the role of the Fourth Estate in the Pacific.

“It allows for the Pacific to get to know more about New Zealand and world media, and for New Zealand media to better understand the Pacific,” Toeolesulusulu says. “We are really excited and looking forward to this conference.”

Corruption and bribery
A special panel topic about corruption and the media in the South Pacific has been organised by Transparency International and will be streamed live on Asia Pacific Report.

Panelists include Alex Rheeney (editor-in-chief of the Post-Courier in PNG), Dr Shailendra Singh (USP) and Kalafi Moala (Taimi ‘o Tonga media group and deputy chair of the Pasifika Media Association-PasiMA)

Transparency International New Zealand’s Fuimaono Tuiasau, the Pacific director, says the forum enables TINZ to support Pacific journalists in their work to tell stories about corruption and bribery.

“We hope to highlight to an international audience the role of he media in the Pacific and the challenges that face media organisations and to expose those at the forefront to an international audience.”

Fuimaono says corruption and bribery should be a topic introduced into journalism education and training so the media can develop the skills necessary to tell these stories.

• Register for the preconference here.
• Strong Asia contingent lined up for WJEC
• Pacific preconference webpage
• WJEC website

Now more than ever before, communities across the Pacific rely heavily on media outlets and journalists to provide accurate and incisive reporting on these issues to hold its governments, public officials and the private sectors to account.

Who is reporting on these issues? How is it being done? What are the major challenges for media and journalist in this area? What are the safeguards that protect these processes, informants and journalists?

Come along to the Transparency International New Zealand and the Pacific Media Centre collaboration and join us to discuss these pressing questions.

Featuring:
Kalafi Moala, publiisher and broadcaster, deputy chair of PasiMA
Dr Shailendra Singh, head of journalism at the University of the South Pacific
Alex Rheeney, editor-in-chief of the PNG Post-Courier

Organised by Transparency International NZ and the Pacific Media Centre.

Part of the JERAA and Pacific Preconference programme for the World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) 2016

Wednesday, July 13, 4-5.30pm

Contact:  Fuimaono Tuiasau

Livestreaming:

• More information

This is the view of a journalist and media educator expressed at the Otago Foreign Policy School at the weekend by Pacific Media Centre director Professor David Robie.

In a multimedia paper entitled “Tanah Papua, Asia Pacific news blind spots and citizen media: From ‘Act of Free Choice’ betrayal to a social media revolution”, Dr Robie spanned a half century of human rights atrocities and gagged communications for the indigenous people in the Indonesian-ruled region of West Papua.

He praised two New Zealand media crews – from Māori Television’s Native Affairs and Radio New Zealand International – who took advantage of an apparently more relaxed stance of Indonesian officials over West Papua since the election of President Joko Widodo to obtain visas to “go to see for themselves” last year.

However, he said, “a disappointing outcome from the two visits to West Papua officially for the first time by New Zealand journalists … is that so far it has not encouraged other media in New Zealand to take up the challenge.”

He praised RNZI for its consistent and exemplary coverage of West Papua affairs for many years, setting a standard for the rest of the media to emulate.

Dr Robie referred to Australian investigative journalist of SBS Dateline Mark Davis who had twice visited West Papua as an “underground, illegal” journalist, and “thus was not popular with the authorities in Jakarta”.

‘Open’ policy hypocrisy
“But in May 2014, he also had the opportunity for rare access to the secretive region to find “open policy” hypocrisy about what is really happening in the struggle over self-determination with Indonesia.”

Praising the TV report for its nuanced and revealing overview, he said Davis had also exposed the Indonesian double standards over the media.

“Was it really West Papua’s New Dawn?,” Dr Robie asked, referring to the programme’s title.

“Hardly at all. And a major question for journalists is just how much do we offer a fig leaf to Jakarta by cooperating with these heavily ‘minded’ see-no-evil, hear-no-evil visits to the region.”

Earlier this year, a Catholic Justice and Peace Commission fact-finding mission from Australia visited West Papua in lieu of the Pacific Islands Forum summit’s initiative which had been decided at the Port Moresby summit in September 2015 but blocked by Indonesian authorities.

The mission produced a devastating report in May 2016 that called for urgent action to support Papuans who were “living with unrelenting intimidation and brutality”.

“The situation in West Papua is fast approaching a tipping point. In less than five years, the position of Papuans in their own land will be worse than precarious,” the report said.

‘Demographic tidal wave’
“They are already experiencing a demographic tidal wave. Ruthless Indonesian political, economic, social and cultural domination threatens to engulf the proud people who have inhabited the land they call Tanah Papua for thousands of years.”

Despite an announcement in May 2015 by President Widodo that journalists would have free access to West Papua, media access was still restricted, said the report.

“There is no freedom of expression. Almost 40 political prisoners are currently in jail – [written before 2000 plus arrests on May 1/2 this year and then a further 1000 plus arrests on June 15 — customary land tights are not protected and there is no systemic policy of affirmative action.

“West Papuan human rights are also not protected. Throughout 2015, the Indonesian security forces had targeted young people in particular, all of whom have been unarmed.”

@DavidRobie silences room with powerful reminder of importance of the freedom of #media and power of #media for truth #balibo #ofps16

— Jennifer Andrewes (@JAndrewesNZ) July 2, 2016

Dr Robie outlined how in spite of a dramatic global social media strategy – led by high profile groups such as the Free West Papua Campaign – in the past couple of years having boosted “awareness of the West Papuan people’s story” around the world, this was still largely shut out by the New Zealand media.

He paid tribute to the so-called Balibo Five and Roger East in Timor-Leste in 1975 at the time of the Indonesian invasion, saying their tragic deaths had been a game-changer.

‘While journalists had previously died in conflict and war zones, the Balibo massacre and subsequent execution of Roger East were believed to be the first time journalists had been killed because they were journalists,” he said.

Dr Robie also referred to other “black spot” stories shunned by the New Zealand mainstream media, such as the Kanak independence struggle in the 1980s (which he had personally reported on) with a self-determination referendum due by 2018; the militarisation of the Mariana Islands in the North Pacific; the “Nuclear zero” lawsuit by the republic of the Marshall Islands against the nine nuclear powers in the International Court of Justice; and recent anti-government unrest in the universities of Papua New Guinea which climaxed with heavily armed police firing on students, wounding 23.

Answering his own rhetorical question about why many New Zealand media were not giving attention to important Pacific stories, he said: “Primarily because we have no genuine tradition of foreign correspondents and foreign editors in New Zealand, so the specialist knowledge required is seriously lacking.”

He said there was a need for university-based journalism programme-sponsored media to “step up” and offer models for independent, alternative media, an issue he is due to address at next week’s World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) conference in Auckland.

#LetWestPapuaVote

• No improvement in West Papuan human rights, says new report
• ‘They shot at us like we were trying to rob a bank’
• ‘Nuclear Zero’ lawsuits

Strained relations between the President-elect of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, and much of the news media before he even takes office this week pose challenging times for the nation.

A journalist, broadcaster and media educator visiting New Zealand for the World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) next month warns that the news media will need to be “more enterprising” to get a good story.

Jose Maria Carlos, a former secretary-general of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), which has now moved to Manila from its previous location of Singapore, says journalists in the Philippines must be extra vigilant in protecting press freedom and challenging the culture of impunity that exists in the country.

President-elect Duterte will be sworn in on Thursday as the 16th chief executive of the Philippines in a simpler ceremony than usual having declared that he would strip away “lavish inauguration rites that will inconvenience Filipinos with cost and heavy traffic”.

But the controversial incoming president has come under international fire from media freedom groups for his threats against journalists, saying that those killed in the Philippines were often corrupt and that he would shun press briefings.

“The Philippines news media will need to be more enterprising to get a good story,” says Carlos.

“As the new president declared, he would not hold any press briefings for the duration of his term, practitioners need to find credible sources to examine and report on new policies, directions, progress and gaps of project implementation.”

‘Biased reporting’
President-elect Duterte had complained of “erroneous and biased” reporting by some journalists and media, says Carlos.

“The media needs to be extra mindful of their ethical responsibility to be accurate and fair, providing background and context so that the public can better understand stories, participate in public discourse and help them make decisions on matters that affect them,” he says.

Carlos is being brought to New Zealand for the WJEC conference being hosted by the Pacific Media Centre along with two colleagues, Professor Crispin Maslog, current chairman and a founder of AMIC, and Dr Hermin Indah Wahyuni, of Yogyakarta’s Gadja Mada University in Indonesia, who are being supported for the conference by the Asia NZ Foundation.

By Denise Yeo

A two-week journalism stint in Fiji, dubbed “Bearing Witness”, has lent new perspectives on the effects of climate change on AUT journalism student Ami Dhabuwala and honours graduate TJ Aumua.

The project, sponsored by AUT’s Research and Innovation Office (RIO) through a grant to the Pacific Media Centre, gave the two aspiring journalists a chance to meet Pacific climate change experts, and experience first-hand themselves the impact of climate change on everyday lives in Daku, a small village in Fiji.

Aumua, who is also Pacific Media Watch project editor for the PMC, says witnessing climate change’s impact on Daku village was heart-breaking.

“I was aware that climate change was happening before but I didn’t realise it’s devastating impacts,” she says.

Dhabuwala believes that climate change is a human rights issue that demands urgent action today.

“It’s not just about rising sea levels or other environmental effects, it’s also a physical and mental health issue,” she says.

“For many Pacific countries, climate change is a way of life. When we were there, somebody said something that struck me – you can’t stop climate change, you can only adapt to it.”

Multimedia stories
Both students researched and reported for multimedia stories focusing on what Pacific youth are doing to stem effects of climate change, published on the Pacific Media Centre’s new current affairs website Asia Pacific Report.

University of the South Pacific’s Pacific Centre for Environment-Sustainable Development (PaCE-SD) communications officer Sarika Chand praised Aumua and Dhabuwala as a delight to work with.

“There are so many different issues that need media attention – the Pacific Media Centre team was more than willing to oblige,” says Chand.

“Especially with the Daku village trip. A big vinaka to TK and Ami for following traditional protocol and being respectful of the local culture.”

Pacific Media Centre director Professor David Robie thanked RIO for providing a funding grant to enable the PMC team to go to Fiji.

“This is the start of a regular Pacific ‘Bearing Witness’ project linking in with USP’s climate change and media research and local Pacific publisher Little Island Press. It is an enterprising awareness and communication programme about the impacts of climate change and how Pacific communities are adapting.”

The trip has also changed the trajectory of TJ and Ami’s careers. Both girls says that not enough is being done in New Zealand to highlight these issues, and hope to do their part.

Climate change journalist
Dhabuwala says she plans to be a climate change journalist.

“This is what is happening to our neighbours. New Zealand is not immune, it will affect us too.”

Aumua says: “The topic of climate change in the Pacific will always be close to my heart wherever my journalist endeavours take me.”

For their next challenge, both Aumua and Dhabuwala will be reporting on the Fourth World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) conference and a Pacific preconference at AUT next month.

The RIO grant also helped fund a special climate change department on Asia Pacific Report and climate change research.

Media experts say journalism institutions lack the resources needed to raise the quality and awareness of environmental reportage in the Asia-Pacific region.

Widely published writer and chairman of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), Professor Crispin Maslog says that because of this he rarely sees climate change being reported in Asia-Pacific media.

“Based on my experience in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, the problem has been the lack of science courses in the curricula, the lack of teachers to teach the basics of science and the environment,” he said.“There are no textbooks and no teachers.”

Dr Maslog writes an analysis blog on science and development at the SciDev.net website with his latest column on Asia’s “invisible women farmers”.

The Indonesian country representative of AMIC and a researcher of indigenous and environmental issues, Dr Hermin Indah Wahyuni, says a key challenge such as climate change is often overlooked by the media because it is not emphasised in many journalism schools.

“Journalism lecturers in most Indonesian communication departments don’t offer specific attention to this issue [climate change],” she said.

This results in a “fallback effect” when students leave to join major media organisations.

“This condition impacts on the media structure in general,” Dr Hermin says. “Media education has a big role to offer perspectives for a better society, however not many media and communication departments can do this.”

She says a factor contributing to the quality of climate change reportage is that it is seen as an unpopular topic because it is competing with other issues that are having immediate effects on people.

Corruption priority
“Topics like corruption, political conflict, and economic issues,” she says are examples that are given priority over climate change.

Dr Hermin Indah Wahyuni and Dr Maslog will be presenting on a panel about the challenges of climate changel reporting and journalism education at the World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) held in Auckland next month.

They are both sponsored by the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s media programme, which supports media professionals to take up placements or projects in New Zealand or Asia.

Foundation media adviser Rebecca Palmer says events like the WJEC are a great way for journalism educators around the world to interact and share knowledge with their counterparts.“We hope they have the opportunity to shed light into current affairs and media issues in their home countries and that they build networks with New Zealand-based journalism educators, who will then be able to pass their knowledge on to their students,” she says.

In addition a former secretary-general of AMIC and investigative journalist, Jose Maria Carlos, will also present at the conference.

Currently a desk editor with CNN Philippines, Carlos has been busy preparing news coverage for the inauguration of the Philippines President-elect, Rodrigo Duterte.

The Pacific Media Centre is sponsoring Carlos to attend the WJEC.

The World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) will be held at AUT University’s city campus in the Sir Paul Reeves Building. It will run from the July 14-16 and follow an Australia-NZ-Pacific preconference on July 13 jointly staged by the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA), Media Educators Pacific and the Pacific Media Centre.

TJ Aumua is contributing editor of the Pacific Media Watch Project.

Strong Asia Pacific contingent lined up for world journalism congress

Let me start by saying I was not your best fan during the elections. I normally do not engage in election campaigning as a private citizen—except during the heady days of People Power I in 1986 that toppled martial law—but I was so alarmed by your persona and pronouncements as a candidate that I had to put in my two cents’ worth to campaign against you in social media.

I was scared by the image of a president sitting in Malacañang, mouthing profanities and with his mistress as first lady.

But it seems you were able to connect with people, macho image, tough talk and all. And after your election, you showed your soft side and a hint of humility, weeping at your parents’ tomb and asking for national healing.

Now that the people have spoken, we have to accept the verdict. The voice of the people, as they say, is the voice of God. This is the beauty of a democracy.

Allow me now, as a senior citizen who has voted in nine presidential elections, to offer you my unsolicited opinion on some issues.

Your most controversial campaign promise was to eliminate crime in six months. You and I know, of course, that this will not happen, no matter how many thousands you execute extrajudicially in the first month.

So how will you deal with the people’s disappointment when after six months there will still be criminals in the streets?

Reasonable time
But as a reasonable man, I am willing to give you six years. I think most people will agree that that is a reasonable time to do something about crime. We will not expect miracles in six months, but we will expect a reduction in crime in six years, as you step down from office.

I saw your high school buddy, Jess Dureza, now your appointed adviser on the peace process, reassuring the TV-viewing public on May 25 that most of what you said during the campaign was just election hyperbole and not meant to be taken literally.

I’d like to believe him, not only because Jess has been my friend since he was a young journalist in Davao listening to my lectures on community journalism, but also because I really hope you were not serious about extrajudicial killings and that you will behave in a presidential manner once you assume office.

On the positive side, I like many of the things you said and intend to do during your presidency: Greatly minimise if not eliminate (because it is impossible) graft and corruption especially in the Bureaus of Customs, Internal Revenue, and Correction, and minimise if not eliminate red tape in government at the national and local levels. Push the pace of government, including infrastructure.

I love your plan to push the freedom of information bill through a recalcitrant Congress. And I was delirious when you said you’d tell the telcos to shape up or face competition.

We have to boost our internet speed, which is faster only than the internet speed of Afghanistan! Second slowest in Asia, imagine that!

Re your Cabinet, however, you are just like P-Noy. While he had his KKK—kamag-anak, kabarilan, kaibigan—you have your own kaklase, kaibigan, kainuman.

Trusted people
My point here is that you are entitled to have people you know and trust around you, in much the same way P-Noy did.

But I object to two of your choices: Mark Villar will be a magnet for criticism. His family is engaged in the real estate and construction business. No matter how you or he justifies it, there is conflict of interest because the Department of Public Works and Highways constructs the infrastructure which benefits housing and real estate.

Remember, this was the issue against Mark’s father that made him lose the 2010 presidential election. I hope you will reconsider and avoid controversies that will follow this appointment.

And there’s Salvador Panelo, who in 2014 was hired as defence lawyer of Andal Ampatuan Jr., the alleged mastermind of the infamous Maguindanao massacre. He has been quoted as saying that the Ampatuans were just “framed to seize political power”.

Panelo will be haunted by this case every time he faces members of the media, whose brothers and sisters in arms were victims of the Maguindanao massacre. Why don’t you appoint Dureza as your communication/press secretary and spokesperson instead?

But I admire your appointed Cabinet secretary, Leoncio “Jun” Evasco, who, incidentally, was a neighbor of ours in Maribojoc, Bohol, where I was born.

I also object vehemently to your decision to allow the late unlamented dictator Ferdinand Marcos to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani—the burial ground for heroes, in case you haven’t noticed.

Marcos was not a hero. He was a hated dictator who ruled the Philippines with an iron hand for 14 years, caused the arrest and torture of thousands of our young Filipino patriots, suppressed our free press, destroyed our democratic institutions, and plundered the Philippine economy with the help of his cronies.

More thoughts
There are many more things I want to tell you, President-elect Rody, but space is limited. Here are a few more thoughts.

You don’t have to answer all the questions reporters ask you. They just want to bait you to say something nasty, so they can write a story with a big headline the next day.

Please control your temper. Don’t waste your time and energy insulting the Catholic Church and threatening those who criticise what you do, like Senator-elect Leila de Lima. You have enough enemies already. You will lose your focus on the immense task of governing the country if you are sensitive to criticism.

To quote the great US President, Abraham Lincoln:

“If I were to try… to answer all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how—the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what’s said against me won’t amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.”

I wish you all the luck in the world.

Crispin C. Maslog is a former journalist with Agence France-Presse and communication professor at Silliman University and UP Los Baños. This article was first published on the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s online edition. Dr Maslog will be in New Zealand next month speaking at the Fourth World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) conference.

• Duterte challenged – end human rights violations, say campaigners

There is also a Pacific preconference day of events and papers on July 13 organised by the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA) in partnership with AUT’s Pacific Media Centre and Media educators Pacific (MeP).

This travel grant offers up to NZ$2000 to help cover the cost of travel to New Zealand and is only available to Pacific participants who would otherwise be unable to attend the congress.
To be considered for this initiative applicants must work as Pacific journalism educators.

The application must also include the following documentation:

• Abstract – to be presented for full conference presentation
• Short CV (up to 2 A4 pages)
• Application form
• Motivation letter that describes the benefits to your department and journalism education in your country for you to attend the congress (up to 600 words)
• Copy of quote for an international airfare (return flight to New Zealand)

The deadline for submission of application is: 1 March, 2016.  | Application form

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the selection process after 11 March,  2016.

Money will only be transferred upon confirmation of attendance.

For further information contact verica.rupar@aut.ac.nz

WJEC conference website

WJEC Asia-Pacific pages at PMC

WJEC page at JERAA – call for abstracts

PMC WJEC event page

Welcome to the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) that will be held in Auckland, from July 14 to July 16, 2016. With an Australian and Pacific preconference on July 13.

—

Welcome to the 4th World Journalism Education Congress that will be held in Auckland, from July 14 to July 16, 2016.

The conference, hosted by Auckland University of Technology’s School of Communication Studies, will provide a discussion forum on the development of journalism and journalism education worldwide. Contemporary developments signal significant shifts in the place of journalism programmes within the university and broader educational environment and in relationships with industry and wider society.

The implications of this transition will be the focus of the 4th World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC).

Journalism Education in the Asia-Pacific will also be a strong feature of the conference in partnership with the Pacific Media Centre.

Topics to be discussed at the congress will include:

• Mobile/Social/User-generated Media and Journalism
• Research Trends in Journalism
• Utilising the Professional Connection Work in Journalism Education
• 21st Century Ethical Issues in Journalism
• Journalism Education and an Informed Citizenry
• Journalism Programmes Offered by the Industry
• Journalism Education in the South Pacific
• Journalism Education in Asia

Call for abstracts

Contact: Steering Committee chair Associate Professor Verica Rupar
Asia-Pacific inquiries: Professor David Robie, New Zealand country representative of AMIC

WJEC conference website at AUT

AUT School of Communication Studies

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