The Media Council of Papua New Guinea (MCPNG) has called on Prime Minister James Marape to stop Telikom PNG silencing and suppressing media personnel.

Telikom PNG, which is 100 percent government-owned, has two key outlets: FM100 radio and EMTV.

Recently, it sacked FM100 talkback host Culligan Tanda after he featured opposition East Sepik Governor Allan Bird on his show, following the most recent vote of no confidence.

• READ MORE: Other PNG media freedom reports

Local media report that Tanda was initially suspended for three weeks without pay on April 22, and subsequently terminated.

MCPNG president Neville Choi said this was just the latest example of media suppression by Telikom PNG going back to 2018.

He said that he himself was sacked in 2019 after EMTV had run a story quoting the former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying she would not be riding in one of the PNG government’s luxury Maseratis during an APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting in Port Moresby.

Choi said the story, though correct, was perceived as painting the government of the day in a “negative light”.

‘Free, robust media essential’
He said a “free, robust, and independent media is an essential pillar of democracy”.

“It is the cornerstone of allowing freedom of speech, and freedom of expression.

“Being in a position of power and authority gives no one, especially brown-nosing public servants wanting to score brownie points with the sitting government administration, the right to suppress media workers who are only doing their jobs, and doing it well,” he said.

The council also reminded the management’s of state-owned media organisations, that the Organic Law on the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) defined corrupt conduct by public officials and the dishonest exercising and abuse of official functions.

According to a PNG Haus Bung report, Marape has directed his chief of staff to get to the bottom of the issue.

He has also denied government interference, according to a report by Exeprenuer.

“We don’t get down that low as to editorial content,” Marape was quoted as saying by the the online magazine.

In December, Marape gave “full assurance that my government will not dilute the media’s role.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Papua New Guinea’s Communications Minister, Timothy Masiu, has proposed a new policy that, if implemented, will affect the constitutional rights of freedom of speech through the media.

The draft policy named The National Media Development Policy 2023 (we perceive it as the “Media Control Policy”) proposes changes which include the licensing of journalists and the re-establishment of the PNG Media Council as a government regulation agency.

In the media utopia proposed through the Masiu Policy the media will be transformed into a propaganda machine that serves a government development agenda.

• READ MORE: Asia Pacific Media Network calls for ‘urgent rethink’ over PNG draft media regulation plan
• New PNG media policy will lead to government control of news groups
• Other PNG media freedom reports

The implementation of the proposed policy, will allow for the government to create laws that go against Section 46(1) subsections (a), (b) and (c) and Section 46(2) under Part III of the constitution which relate to the freedom of the press.

We at InsidePNG are not opposed to supporting a positive development agenda provided the government does its job! That means, making sure students are educated; making sure funding goes to where it is meant to go; making sure theft of public money is stopped; and that there is honesty in the manner in which the country is governed.

The absence of which requires the media to be the watchdog. It requires us to speak out and report on that which is wrong in society and wrong in the decisions that are being made.

In this government proposed utopia, journalists are licensed by the media council and any person not fulfilling the development agenda is penalized by having their licenses removed.

What if there is a ‘rogue government’?
Yes. Maybe, this government won’t do it. But what if, in Sir Mekere’s words, “We have a rogue government? Or a rogue Prime Minister in future?” And he/she chooses to use this policy to impose total suppression?

One question to Minister Masiu pops up: Is the government going to license all the PNG content producers on Facebook, YouTube, Tiktok and other social media platforms?

Journalists are content producers. Or should we all just call ourselves content producers to avoid paying for a journalist licence?

The Media Control Policy, as it should be called, states that it is designed to strengthen media freedom.

We at Inside PNG think otherwise.

We, 24 journalists and content producers, previously worked at a government-owned television station called EMTV. We were sacked because we protested against political influence in the newsroom.

We do not believe an additional layer of control will guarantee our freedom of speech. We believe licensing will be expensive for a start up like ours; and that government control of the media council will not serve our interests in upholding an essential and crucial pillar of democracy.

There is a reason why our founding fathers insisted on having a free media. It is to hold those in power accountable on behalf of the people of Papua New Guinea.

Look at real reasons
We ask that Timothy Masiu step back and take a look at the real reasons behind pushing for a policy that promotes media control.

Be the government that promotes media freedom. Be the government that promotes debate in public forums instead of a government that creates an environment that suppresses freedom of expression.

Invest in the education of journalists and media practitioners if you are serious about improving the media. Invest policies that lower internet costs. Provide scholarships for media practitioners.

In short, be the minister who promotes constitutional freedoms.

Inside PNG is an independent Papua New Guinean media and news company specialising news updates and other local content in the country. This editorial is republished with permission.

It is often said that Papua New Guinea elections are fought on local issues, and this is no doubt the case. However, national issues have certainly featured prominently in this year’s election campaign in the run-up to voting, which started yesterday.

One of the striking features of this year’s election is the clear choice, at the national level, between James Marape, the incumbent PM and head of the Pangu Party, and Peter O’Neill, the PM before Marape, head of the People’s National Congress (PNC), and the person widely perceived to be Marape’s main rival for the top job.

Both have been putting out newspaper ads and press releases. Both — guaranteed of their own re-election — have been touring the nation trying to attract support for their candidates.

• READ MORE: Other PNG election reports

Each has ruled out joining forces with the other to form government after the election. (In PNG, a coalition government is inevitable.)

Marape was O’Neill’s Finance Minister, but these days there is no love lost between the two. Marape said recently, “Papua New Guineans either vote Pangu Pati back to continue its reconstructive work in rescuing the damaged national economy, or make the mistake of returning PNG to the hands of the People’s National Congress”.

O’Neill, for his part, accuses Marape of inexperience and a lack of achievement, saying, “This government lacks simple and basic knowledge and experience … to manage this country.”

Marape is running on his record, saying that O’Neill left the economy in a mess (“bleeding and struggling”, to use his famous line), and that, despite the additional havoc caused by covid-19, he has been busy leading a process of economic and budget recovery.

Much more transparent
There is certainly some truth to this. The Marape government has been much more transparent about the economy and budget, opening its books to the International Monetary Fund where O’Neill refused to do so.

One full-page ad taken out by Marape is titled “Marape Economic Record: Protect the Budget. Protect the Economy”. Another summarises his flagship “PNG Connect” road-building programme.

To the extent Marape does focus on policies, they are ones already implemented, or at least introduced. Policies highlighted by the PM in his interview with EMTV’s veteran journalist John Higgins include an increase in the tax-free income threshold, and support to help SME (small and medium enterprise) borrowing.

Marape continues to run hard on his “Take Back PNG” slogan. Here he is promising change, but of a very vague sort, committing in his EMTV interview to “change the resource laws framework completely”, while still reassuring investors that they will get a fair return.

O’Neill is also running on his record, defending his own, and critiquing Marape’s. His press release attacking Marape’s ad claimed that “the PNG economy has been ruined in three short years”.

However, O’Neill is also putting more emphasis on new policies, noting in his interview with Higgins the 14 policies approved at the recent PNC convention. These policies, which feature prominently on the PNC Facebook page, cover a wide range of issues, from political stability to public services reform, job creation to law and order, and investing in infrastructure.

One PNC policy is to abolish the system of loans for higher education that the Marape government has started to introduce. That would save the government money, but many of the PNC policies are expensive and unrealistic — for example, high schools for every local-level government, a bank for every district, and a nursing and teachers’ college for every province.

Vulnerability over Porgera
Marape’s major vulnerability in terms of his reputation as an economic manager relates to Porgera, the large gold mine that was closed in April 2020 shortly after its 30-year lease expired in 2019, and which, despite an agreement being reached for its reopening, is yet to do so.

The terms agreed for that reopening are said to be no more advantageous to PNG than those on offer before it closed.

O’Neill’s reputation as an economic manager is tarnished both by the country’s poor economic performance under his stewardship (formal sector employment and non-resource GDP per capita declined in most of the years he was PM), and by some spectacular cases of waste during his time as PM.

PNG lost US$100 million to the abandoned Solwara underwater mining project, and more than that through O’Neill’s UBS loan, labelled an “unnecessary disaster” by the Royal Commission Marape set up to investigate it.

Both sides blame the other for an increase in government debt. For the record, the debt to GDP ratio increased from 19 percent of GDP in 2012 to 40 percent in 2019 under O’Neill, and then to 52 percent of GDP in 2021 under Marape.

Trends in interest to GDP are also of interest. This variable increased over the same years from 1 percent to 2.6 percent of GDP under O’Neill, but has actually fallen since to 2.4 percent of GDP under Marape, who has been successful in securing highly concessional loans from development partners.

Each side also blames the other for allowing the exchange rate to depreciate. In fact, what matters is the real exchange rate, and this has not depreciated since the boom days of 2012, thereby preventing the economy from adjusting and leading to foreign currency rationing which has been a drag on growth.

A competitive currency
Even though the overwhelming majority of voters are rural and would benefit from a depreciation (earning more from their coffee sales, for example), a more competitive currency is one policy no politician wants to come anywhere near.

How influential this pre-election national jostling, positioning and posturing will be in the elections that started yesterday remains to be seen. As unlikely as it seems, one cannot rule out a third candidate for PM emerging post-elections.

But PNG citizens, if they want to make it the basis of their vote, do at least face a choice between two front-runners for the top job, and their two parties, and indeed between two economic narratives. That surely is a good thing.

Dr Stephen Howes is the director of the Development Policy Centre and a professor of economics at the Crawford School, Australian National University. Kingtau Mambon is an economics tutor at the University of Papua New Guinea School of Business and Public Policy (SBPP). This article was first published on the DevPolicy Blog and is republished under a Creative Commons licence.

Sincha Dimara, the news and current affairs manager at EMTV and one of Papua New Guinea’s most experienced journalists, has been sacked after weeks of being suspended.

Dimara, who was one of the longest serving journalists in PNG and at EMTV for 30 years, was accused of “insubordination” after political pressure from a minister.

It concerned stories EMTV had run about a controversial Australian businessman Jamie Pang operating in PNG who was facing criminal charges.

• READ MORE: EMTV news team walk out in protest over suspension of their chief editor
• Other reports on EMTV newsroom unrest

When she was suspended, 24 other news staff walked off the job in support — they were later sacked.

Leading independent journalist Scott Waide worked alongside Dimara for years and said her main concern was that the other reporters be re-instated because there was important work to do with the elections looming in mid-year.

“She was trying to negotiate the re-instatement of the 24 stafff who were sacked because they stood up,” he said.

Heavy penalty expected
“And she was expecting a termination or something like that heavier penalty after her suspension.

“So she was saying, ‘Even if they sack me that’s fine, but the 24 staff have to go back to work because we have an election to cover in June'”

Pacific Media Watch reports that EMTV is reported to have recruited recent graduates and inexperienced journalists to replace its core team, which was one of the most experienced newsrooms in Papua New Guinea.

The suspensions have been widely condemned by the PNG Media Council, Brussels-based International Journalists Federation, Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, Media Alliance (MEAA), Pacific Freedom Forum and Pacific Media Watch.

RSF called it “unacceptable political meddling”.

Some media critics have expressed concern about a foreign CEO at the network axing virtually an entire newsroom. They say the country’s leading television channel has lost credibility as a result.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s national media section committee of elected officials has condemned the suspension of 24 Papua New Guinean TV journalists who walked off the job in support of their colleague.

They have alleged intimidation by EMTV management and political interference. The journalists may now lose their jobs.

EMTV head of news and current affairs Sincha Dimara has been suspended for 21 days without pay over a dispute about editorial balance.

• READ MORE: Papua New Guinea TV news chief suspended for ‘insubordination’
• Jack Lapauve: Why we walked out in protest over EMTV news independence
• Papua New Guinea: EMTV suspends veteran journalist for alleged defamation
• RSF condemns ‘unacceptable political meddling’ over PNG news chief suspension
• Other EMTV crisis reports

The incident is the third time in five years that senior journalists have been suspended for reporting public interest news stories.

MEAA’s National Media Section committee resolved: “MEAA stands in solidarity with the journalists of EMTV in Papua New Guinea and condemns the suspension without pay of news manager Sincha Dimara and notice that 24 journalists face dismissal for walking off in support of her and over on-going editorial interference by management.

“This is an assault not only on workers’ rights but also media freedom in PNG.

“No journalist should be economically sanctioned for alleged ‘insubordination’ involving a dispute over editorial balance or be terminated for taking industrial action in support of a colleague in this circumstance.

Dramatic escalation
“This dramatic escalation by EMTV comes as MEAA continues to hold on-going concerns about allegations of political interference in the editorial decision making at PNG’s only national commercial broadcaster.

“Ms Dimara’s case, alongside those of former EMTV head of news and current affairs Neville Choi and former Lae bureau chief Scott Waide, is the third in five years of senior journalists being suspended for reporting on matters of public interest.

“MEAA calls on EMTV executive management to reinstate Ms Dimara and her staff on full pay and guaranteed journalists’ editorial independence.”

• The International Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and Pacific Media Watch are among international groups that have made statements condemning the suspension of Dimara and called for her reinstatement on full pay.

A national trade union in Papua New Guinea today blamed State Enterprises Minister William Duma for causing a media freedom furore at the country’s premier television broadcaster EMTV as a general election looms in June.

The crisis has led to the suspension of the news chief and a walkout by 19 journalists and news workers last week that forced the channel to repeat its Wednesday 6pm news bulletin the following night.

Following the walkout, EMTV interim CEO Lesieli Vete suspended the news team and reportedly hired stand-in staff after walk-in interviews.

• READ MORE: Why we walked out in protest over EMTV news independence – Jack Lapauve
• Nineteen journalists suspended from Papua New Guinea news station in coverage row
• Pacific media groups rally behind suspended Papua New Guinea journalist
• PNG journalists walk off the job over sacking of news boss
• Duma denies giving instruction to EMTV
• Background and other Pacific Media Watch reports on the EMTV dispute

A former sports reporter, Dinnierose Raiko, who was promoted to EMTV sales department late last year, was said to be now acting news editor.

The PNG Trade Union Council (PNGTUC) has appealed to Prime Minister James Marape to intervene and for head of news and current affairs Sincha Dimara — suspended for 21 days without pay for alleged “insubordination” — to be reinstated without penalty.

Dimara is one of Papua New Guinea’s most experienced journalists with 33 years in the industry.

She was reportedly suspended for broadcasting stories about the arrest of Australian businessman Jamie Pang, including criticism of police and criminal procedure in the case.

‘Blackout’ of Pang news
The coverage centred on Pang, who had first been arrested in 2021 after police discovered an illegal firearms cache and an alleged meth lab in the Sanctuary Hotel Resort and Spa in the capital Port Moresby, where Pang was group operations manager.

The PNGTUC accused minister Duma of “instigating the whole mess” by ordering a  “blackout [of] all news on Jamie Pang” and on the performances of state enterprises.

“All national leaders are mandated to serve the people’s interest and must be seen to uphold and promote tenants of democracy and not otherwise,” said PNGTUC acting general secretary Anton Sekum in a statement.

“The powers vested in them to make decisions over public utilities and finance should not be used as a stick to control media freedom specifically, and for that matter, generally, violate democratic rights of people.”

William Duma, as minister responsible for the Telikom Holdings Ltd which owns EMTV through Media Niugini Ltd, had “intimidated the management of EMTV and Telikom” by making it known that he would not approve funding to relocate EMTV studios to the Telikom Rumana Haus if EMTV published any “negative news” about Pang and any state-owned enterprises.

Sekum said the Prime Minister would need to “confirm for public benefit” whether minister Duma’s action reflected the official position of his government.

“This country cannot afford to be led by leaders pushing self-serving ulterior agendas any more. We need leaders serving the real interest of the people more now than any other time in our short history,” he said.

‘Worst ever reward’
Sekum described the suspension of Dimara without pay “for doing her job right was the worst ever reward for diligently serving EMTV for over 33 years”.

The PNGTUC said it had been reliably informed that there had been no bias in the Jamie Pang coverage that Dimara had been penalised for.

“But what is of more concern to the PNGTUC as the national workers’ rights organisation and as a defender of our democracy is the fact that bad politics [has] crept into the media space to control media freedom,” he said.

“Penalising Sincha for doing the right thing is a classic example.”

Sekum called on the prime minister to “restore some sense into the whole affair” by ensuring that Sincha Dimara and her television crew would be reinstated to their jobs without loss of entitlements.

“Journalists are workers and we will stand up for them until they get justice,” he said.

Call for sacking of EMTV CEO
Sekum also called for the sacking of the EMTV interim CEO Vete, accusing her of violating media freedom in breach of the constitution.

The government and EMTV management made no immediate response to the PNGTUC’s claims.

However, an internal memo by EMTV to staff said the decision of the news team to walk out in protest and not produce the news bulletin on February 17 was “insubordination”.

In a separate letter to the Post-Courier in response to a news story on February 18, EMTV management claimed Dimara had been suspended because she allowed and stood by “news coverage stories promoting Jamie Pang as a role model”.

Meanwhile, Lae staff members of EMTV held a press conference tonight and reaffirmed their support for their colleagues in Port Moresby.

Global media freedom watchdogs such as the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have condemned Dimara’s suspension and called for her immediate reinstatement. The PNG Media Council, Pacific Freedom Forum and Pacific Media Watch have also criticised the suspension.

Papua New Guinea is ranked 47th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

The EMTV News editorial decision to run the two stories [about the court cases involving Australian hotel businessman Jamie Pang] was based on two important points in our line of work:

Impartiality and Objectivity.

Impartiality cannot be achieved by the measure of words in a story, it is achieved by:

• Avoiding bias towards one point of view
• Avoiding omission of relevant facts
• Avoiding misleading emphasis

All of which are stated in the EMTV News and Current Affairs Manual 2019 in section 17.5 under standard operations of the television code.

• READ MORE:  Nineteen journalists suspended from Papua New Guinea news station in coverage row
• Pacific media groups rally behind suspended Papua New Guinea journalist
• PNG journalists walk off the job over sacking of news boss
• Background and other Pacific Media Watch reports on the EMTV dispute

By running the stories, the team was accused of bias.

We fail to see the areas of bias in our stories, especially because we presented more than one point of view in both stories.

The information presented was based on facts and in avoiding any misleading emphasis; we delivered objective television news packages that were fully impartial in the code and conduct of journalism.

Objective stories
Overall, both stories were objective stories where two or more opinions were looked at closely in each story.

To be clear, in television news objectivity is achieved by taking a rational but sceptical approach to ALL points of view.

In this case, Jamie Pang’s arrest, conviction and charges were looked at, as well as his community and social activities:

• Pang was arrested – Fact
• Pang was convicted, charged and fined for having firearms and munitions in his possession – Fact
• Pang was acquitted by a sound and proper court of justice in the PNG judicial system, from charges relating to methamphetamine – Fact
• Being acquitted by a sound and proper court of justice in the PNG judicial system, makes Pang a free man from drug charges – Fact
• Pang is heavily involved in social and community works – Fact
• Pang was rearrested and detained – Fact

All these factual points were documented in one story.

It is important to understand, that in objective writing, the opinion of the interviewees are their own. However, [how] it is perceived by the our viewers is up to them to weigh [up] and decide.

Objective [news] stories are often mistaken as opinion pieces.

They are not the same.

An opinion piece is a commentary on one point of view.

Journalism independence
As journalists we cannot be servants of sectional interests. It is our duty to speak to both “saints” and “sinners”. It is our democratic right to report on the good, bad and the ugly aspects of any story.

There are no instances of perceived impartiality in our reporting which display a lack of objectivity.

And a lack of objectivity leaves room for personal bias which is not acceptable in the journalism code of ethics.

The failure of the interim EMTV CEO, Lesieli Vete, to understand how a newsroom operates and a newsroom’s code of conduct led to the suspension of head of news Sincha Dimara.

Vete’s failure to try to understand the newsroom’s points of objectivity and impartiality in the stories led to her issuing of the statement portraying the newsroom as biased and in support of meth by sympathising with Pang’s employees and friends.

Vete’s statement served the purpose of explaining the leaked memo and portraying a bad picture of her newsroom.

Her statement lacked objectivity and impartiality because a written standpoint of the newsroom’s reasons for airing stories in the coverage of the Pang story were not included in her statement.

Suppression of media freedom
Vete’s questioning of our stance on running the story, and not showing any interest in learning nor understanding the way it was put together, led to further suppression of freedom of speech; direct and daily intimidation of senior and junior staff; micromanagement of staff whereabouts and activities; and direct and indirect threats of termination on staff.

The immense pressure to put a [news] bulletin together while being highly and closely monitored took a direct and serious toll on newsroom staff morale.

This created conditions that were suffocating to work under. A walk off was imminent.

We are making a stand now in solidarity against bullying and ill treatment of newsroom staff in the absence of news managers.

This is the third time we are experiencing a suppression of our right to freedom of speech, and we want it to stop once and for all.

After the suspension of Sincha Dimara, EMTV’s deputy news editor Jack Lapauve Jr is now the most senior news manager and he was with the walk out. He posted this commentary on his Facebook page and it is republished here with his permission.

Papua New Guinean television station EMTV did not run its usual 6pm news bulletin last night as its journalists and news production crew in Port Moresby and countrywide walked off the job demanding their suspended head of news and current affairs, Sincha Dimara, be reinstated, reports PNG Post-Courier.

Papua New Guineans were also denied the right to information when the newsroom team walked off with the production of the 6pm news.

The station was forced to replay Tuesday’s news segment instead.

• READ MORE:  EMTV news team walk out in protest over suspension of their chief editor
• Papua New Guinea TV news chief suspended for “insubordination”
• Papua New Guinea: EMTV suspends veteran journalist for alleged defamation
• RSF condemns ‘unacceptable political meddling’ over PNG news chief suspension
• Other EMTV media freedom reports

Dimara was suspended last week by the EMTV management following an internal memo preventing the newsroom from running stories on currently embroiled businessman Jamie Pang.

She was suspended without pay for 21 days on the grounds of alleged insubordination and damaging EMTV’s reputation by running stories that were sympathising with the hotelier who is currently in custody for several serious charges of criminal conduct.

The management in a statement maintained its stand stating that “the leaked internal memo served as a caution for EMTV journalists to be sensitive when conducting interviews and to follow reporting guidelines”.

“The memo did not in any way restrict the journalists’ freedom of press rather the memo was circulated to staff with the view to properly scrutinise the content of the news stories before they were aired that day.”

PNG Media Council condemns suspension
The PNG Media Council, in a statement, condemned the suspension of Dimara and called for her immediate reinstatement, saying that the council saw her suspension solely as an act of intimidation by the interim CEO and management of Media Niugini Limited.

“Media Niugini Limited (MNL) has not learned from its past experiences of sidelining, and even terminating its heads of news, based on political directives,” the council stated.

The president of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), Kora Nou, urged all media organisations in the region to “vigorously defend the editorial independence” of their newsrooms.

Nou said both the management and newsroom executives of all media organisations had their distinct roles to play.

He said he had reached out to the interim chief executive officer of EMTV, Lesieli Vete, to get her side of the story but had not received much feedback.

In a statement released late last night by the newsroom staff, they said their decision to walk off their duties was because the issue could have been handled better by the interim CEO, adding that it was the third such incident involving heads of news.

“This is the third time in a space of five years for an EMTV news manager to be suspended due to external influence,” they stated.

On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, the national EMTV News team wrote a letter to Vete expressing concern over the suspension of Dimara. They met with both EMTV and Telikom managements who explained their decision to suspend Dimara.

“The EMTV Newsroom would like to apologise to our viewers for not bringing you tonight’s news bulletin. We will return when the wrongs have been righted,” the statement said.

Republished with permission from the PNG Post-Courier.

The national news team of Papua New Guinea’s major television channel, EMTV, walked out last night in protest over a decision earlier this month to suspend head of news Sincha Dimara for 21 days without pay for alleged insubordination.

They have condemned the political “endless intimidation” of the news service which has led to the suspension or sacking of three news managers in the past five years.

The news team has vowed to not return until the “wrongs have been righted” by the EMTV management with Dimara, a journalist of 33 years experience, being reinstated, and acting CEO Lesieli Vete being “sidelined and investigated for putting EMTV News into disrepute”.

• READ MORE: Papua New Guinea TV news chief suspended for “insubordination”
• Papua New Guinea: EMTV suspends veteran journalist for alleged defamation
• RSF condemns ‘unacceptable political meddling’ over PNG news chief suspension
• Other EMTV media freedom reports

In a statement signed by the “Newsroom 2022” team made public tonight, the team apologised to viewers for not broadcasting last night’s news bulletin.

“With all that has happened in the last eight days, the EMTV News team has decided to walk off producing EMTV News for tonight, Thursday, 17th February 2022,” the statement said.

“We, therefore demand that Ms Dimara be reinstated and for interim CEO Lesieli Vete to be sidelined and investigated for putting EMTV News into disrepute.

“We no longer have confidence in her leadership.

Apology to viewers
“The EMTV Newsroom would like to apologise to our viewers for not bringing you tonight’s news bulletin. We will return when the wrongs have been righted.”

The controversy arose over a series of news stories about Australian hotel businessman Jamie Pang and his court cases.

According to the newsroom statement, on Monday, 7 February 2022, “a fraction of the EMTV News team was verbally notified of a decision made by EMTV management to suspend EMTV’s head of news and current affairs, Sincha Dimara for a 21-day period”.

The statement said the decision had been based on two grounds:

“Purported insubordination over a series of news stories relating to Jamie Pang and his associates and damaging the reputation of EMTV, which the interim CEO claims EMTV received negative comments from the public on the airing of Jamie Pang’s stories.”

Court proceedings against Pang related to producing, trafficking, and distributing narcotics were dismissed last month. Despite his acquittal, police detained Pang for alleged breach of immigration law and firearm offences.

The news team said the issue could have been “handled better” by the interim CEO Vete who “lacked a demonstration of leadership”.

“We are dismayed at the extreme harsh treatment of our head of news and the continuous interferences from outside the newsroom,” the statement said.

Third suspension in five years
“This is the third time in a space of five years for an EMTV news manager to be suspended due to external influence.”

• Scott Waide was the first manager suspended in 2018 over a story aired during the 2018 APEC meeting.
• Neville Choi was terminated in August 2019, also on grounds of “insubordination”.
• And now Sincha Dimara was placed in a similar situation.

On Wednesday, 9 February 2022, the news team wrote a letter to Vete expressing concern on the suspension of Dimara.

According to the news team, Vete queried the letter demanding to know which staff members were involved in sending out the letter.

The same day, Thursday, 10 February 2022, the entire news team expressed their concern in another letter with signatures from all individual members to support the call to re-instate Dimara.

“We are certain that the manner and approach taken by the interim CEO over the suspension of Ms Dimara is not right,” said the news team.

“We consider the grounds of suspension to be shallow, contradictory and irrelevant.

News reports ‘unbiased and factual’
“The news team strongly believes that the stories that ran on the nightly news relating to Jamie Pang were unbiased and reported with facts and did not impede on any of the current laws nor did not implicate anyone.”

On Thursday, 10 February 2022, the EMTV management team, acting CEO of Telikom – the owners of EMTV’s parent company Media Niugini Limited (MNL)  — and few senior officers met with the news team and explained their decision to suspend Dimara.

The management team initiated an audit investigation into the situation to determine what went wrong. That investigation is still continuing.

After that meeting, the news team wrote another letter addressed to Telikom acting CEO, Amos Tepi and copied in the chairman of Telikom, Johnson Pundari which was sent to both Tepi and Pundari yesterday – February 17.

“The decision to suspend Dimara is wrong as it breaches the Media Code of Ethics which is to report without fear or favour,” the news team said.

The team also said it was standing up against continuous intimidation from the interim CEO.

‘Endless intimidation’
“We condemn the endless direct or indirect intimidation which includes:

• Threats of terminating news members for not putting together a news bulletin;
• Micromanaging daily news production by being present in the master control room during live news;
• Forcing the news team to sign a recently drafted news manual through the HR Department; and
• Attempts to single out individual staff and asking if they have read the news manual or finding out if they have completed a degree or diploma in their respective fields.

Under Dimara’s leadership, EMTV News has won the award for AVN Outstanding Reporting from the Pacific category for a well-documented series, Last Man Standing, which covered the political life of a founding father of Papua New Guinea, Sir Julius Chan.

Dimara was planning the coverage of Papua New Guinea’s 2022 National Elections and the news team insist they need her leadership.

There was no immediate public response from the EMTV management to the news team’s walkout protest last night, nor was there any mention of the absence of the nightly bulletin on the new channel’s website.

The Media Council of PNG condemned Dimara’s suspension, describing the move as a “dangerous precedent … in an election year”.

Several media freedom monitoring organisations have made statements with the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemning the “unacceptable political meddling” and calling for immediate reinstatement of Sincha Dimara.

The Paris-based International Federation of Journalists also condemned Dimara’s suspension and urged the company to immediately reinstate her.  Pacific Media Watch reported on the ongoing intimidation of EMTV editorial staff.

#PacificMediaWatch #EMTV news team walk out in protest over #suspension of their chief #editor #AsiaPacificReport #mediafreedom @RSF_AsiaPacific @RSF_inter @shrek45 @Scott_Waide @PNGAttitude @PNGPostCourier @PngPles @pngfacts @EveningReportNZ https://t.co/3Z9klzoelH pic.twitter.com/H3MYewL1Ng

— David Robie (@DavidRobie) February 17, 2022

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the “unacceptable political meddling” behind Sincha Dimara’s suspension as head of news and current affairs at EMTV News, Papua New Guinea’s main public television news channel, after three news stories annoyed a government minister.

The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog said in a statement today she must be reinstated at once.

After 33 years at EMTV News, Sincha Dimara was suspended for at least three weeks without pay on February 7.

• READ MORE: Other reports on EMTV News and Sincha Dimara

From a leaked memo from Lesieli Vete, the CEO of Media Niugini Limited (MNL), EMTV’s owner – which was finally published on February 9 – her staff learned that she had been accused of “insubordination” and “damaging the reputation of the company”.

The “insubordination” consisted of three stories by Dimara’s news team about Australian hotel manager Jamie Pang’s legal problems in Papua New Guinea and suspicions that the police had violated criminal procedure in the case,

Their reporting seems to have displeased Public Enterprises Minister William Duma, who — according to several accounts — was behind the decision to suspend Dimara.

Duma is also in charge of Telikom, the state-owned telecommunications company that owns MNL, and therefore, by extension, EMTV News.

Two days after Dimara’s suspension, the Media Council of PNG issued a statement defending her decision to broadcast the three stories.

Dimara told RSF that she was very concerned that the suspension was “affecting the performance of my staff”.

Deliberate intimidation
“As Sincha Dimara’s suspension is clearly a ploy to intimidate the entire editorial staff at EMTV News, we demand her immediate reinstatement as head of news and current affairs,” said Daniel Bastard, head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.

“This political interference weakening diversity in news and information is all the more unacceptable for having disturbing precedents and coming just four months ahead of next June’s general elections.”

Political and commercial pressure aimed at limiting editorial freedom at EMTV News is not new.

Scott Waide, an EMTV News senior journalist of long standing, was suspended in November 2018 over a story suggesting that the government had misused public funds by purchasing luxury cars, as reported by Asia Pacific Report.

He was later reinstated after protests and has since become an independent media operator.

The political pressure on EMTV News is such that Neville Choi was fired as head of news in 2019 on the same grounds as his successor now — for “insubordination.” He was eventually reinstated.

Papua New Guinea is ranked 47th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

Asia Pacific Report and Pacific Media Watch collaborate with Reporters Without Borders.

Suspension of the news manager of Papua New Guinea’s major television channel, EMTV, has sparked a flurry of protest from senior news personalities and independent who condemn the apparent political pressure on the broadcaster.

Long standing and experienced news manager Sincha Dimara has reportedly been suspended over news judgement in a move that a former EMTV senior news executive  said “reeks of external influence” on the company’s top management.

“A CEO is a buffer between staff and any external pressure. You need a heart of steel and buckets of bravery to fend off political pressure,” said independent television journalist and blogger Scott Waide.

• READ MORE: Other PNG news media reports

Waide was himself subjected to unfair suspension over airing a controversial story about then Peter O’Neill government’s purchase of luxury Maseratis for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference hosted in Port Moresby in 2018. He was later reinstated after an international outcry.

The Maserati saga continues to be a controversy in PNG.

“There is another way to correct coverage that does not ‘fit the aspirations’ of a news organisation — it’s called leadership,” said Waide in response to the Dimara suspension.

“If the CEO is too timid and cannot protect our Papua New Guinean staff, then please resign and go home! This is not the place for you.”

In responses shared on social media, former publisher of the PNG Post-Courier and a regional media consultant Bob Howarth, asked: “What does the Media Council have to say about political meddling in PNG’s struggling ‘free press’ …?”

Another former news executive, Joseph Ealedona, who headed the state broadcaster NBC and was himself involved in controversies, said NBC had built its reputation and integrity for years and “has the people’s protection”.

“It did happen to me but the people’s protest and insistence and the will of senior statesmen and political leaders to right the wrong saw me return for EMTV,” he said.

“in my view, it is just someone trying to protect oneself and fearful of losing privileges and has no guts to say no … and listening to just one or two people.

“I would believe that the PM [James Marape] is not happy with this this, it is at the detriment of the government if allowed to continue, especially when the NGE is around the corner [national general election is in June].

“The freedom of the media is very important to a free democracy but we in the [media] fraternity must carry [on] with utmost respect and do nothing but expose the truth as a responsible profession.”

Ealedona said journalists “must continue to fight against and with the might of the pen”.

He also asked what was the stance of the Suva-based Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) in response.

I spent five years as the lone journalist on the remote Pacific island of Yap. During that time I was harassed, spat at, threatened with assassination and warned that I was being followed.

The tyres on my car were slashed late one night.

There was also pressure on the political level. The chiefs of the traditional Council of Pilung (COP) asked the state legislature to throw me out of the country as a “persona non grata” claiming that my journalism “may be disruptive to the state environment and/or to the safety and security of the state”.

• READ MORE:  Pacific media freedom and news ‘black holes’ worsen for World Press Freedom Day
• Pacific Media Watch reports
• Media freedom in the Asia Pacific region

During a public hearing of the Yap state legislature in September 2021, 14 minutes of the 28-minute meeting was spent complaining about an article of mine that reported on the legislature’s initially unsuccessful attempt to impeach the governor.

One politician then posted about me on his Facebook page, under which a member of the public posted a comment saying I should be assassinated.

American Bill Jaynes, editor of the Kaselehlie Press in Pohnpei, one of Yap’s sister states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), has had his share of death threats over the years, too.

Several death threats
“In the 15 or so years I’ve been at this desk I have had several death threats,” he said.

“Early on in my tenure, some angry individual carved a request for me to perform an act of physical impossibility into the hood of my car which then rusted for posterity. Most of that was during the early days before I came to be trusted to view things from an FSM rather than a foreigner’s point of view and to handle things factually rather than sensationally.”

Freedom of the press is included in both the FSM and the Yap State Constitution, but as Leilani Reklai, publisher and editor of the Island Times newspaper in Palau and president of the Palau Media Council, says: “Freedom of the press in the constitution is pretty on paper but not always a reality.”

These incidents are shocking, but sadly are not isolated. Journalists in the Pacific face imprisonment, loss of employment and banishment from their homes.

“While there might not be assassinations, murders, gagging, torture and ‘disappearances’ of journalists in Pacific island states, threats, censorship and a climate of self-censorship are commonplace,” professor David Robie, founding editor of Pacific Journalism Review, wrote in a 2019 article for The Conversation.

A Fijian journalist, who asked to remain anonymous, said that after he posed questions to a politician during a public forum, the politician replied that he knew where the reporter lived. The following day, the reporter’s car was broken into.

Soon after, the reporter was told that if he didn’t stop being critical, he would be kicked out of his job “and can go bag groceries instead” and he was evicted from his housing. The reporter believes all of these incidents stemmed from the questions he asked of the politician.

“Within one week my life changed completely,” he said. “I do not see a future for me or any other journalist who is curious and questioning to make a career in journalism in Fiji.”

Fiji ranked 55th in world
According to the Reporters Without Borders’ 2021 World Press Freedom Index, Fiji is ranked as 55th out of 179.

The index highlights the “draconian” Media Industry Development Decree, introduced in 2010 and turned into law in 2018. “Those who violate this law’s vaguely-worded provisions face up to two years in prison. The sedition laws, with penalties of up to seven years in prison, are also used to foster a climate of fear and self-censorship,” said Reporters Without Borders.

In 2018, senior journalist Scott Waide of Papua New Guinea was suspended by EMTV after the airing of his report critical of the government for purchasing 40 luxury Maseratis and three Bentleys to drive attendees during the APEC conference.

Reinstated after a public and media outcry, Waide stated during an interview on ABC’s Pacific Beat programme: “Increasingly, not just EMTV, but nearly every other media organisation in Papua New Guinea has been interfered with by their boards or with politicians, or various other players in society.

“They’re doing it with impunity. It’s a trend that’s very dangerous for democracy.”

Daniel Bastard, Asia-Pacific director of Reporters Without Borders, said the situation is complicated by how small and connected many Pacific nations are.

“The fact is that political leaders are also economic bosses so there’s a nexus. It’s symptomatic of the small journalistic communities in the Pacific islands that need to deal with the political community to get access to information. They have to be careful when they criticise knowing the government can cut advertising, publicity, etc. There’s still a strong level of intimidation.”

While there are particular dangers faced by local journalists, foreign reporters living in the Pacific are not safe either.

Denied renewal of work permit
Canadian Dan McGarry, former media director of the Vanuatu Daily Post and a resident of the island nation for nearly 20 years, was denied renewal of his work permit in 2019. The reason given was that his job should be held by a local citizen.

But McGarry said he believed it was politically motivated due to his reporting on “Chinese influence” in the small nation. He was then denied re-entry to Vanuatu after ironically attending a forum on press freedom in Brisbane.

Regional and international news organisations came to his defence and the court granted McGarry re-entry, but the newspaper’s appeal to have his work permit renewed is ongoing.

I have written about some sensitive and difficult topics and like to think of myself as pretty fearless. In 2018 I wrote about illegal fishing by Chinese commercial fishing boats around the Outer Island of Fedrai. That coverage resulted in the expulsion of the fishing vessel and significant political consequences.

I’ve written about issues in the customs and immigration processes in FSM, that were potentially jeopardising tourism to Yap, which is so important to so many people’s livelihoods, and also about a huge and controversial proposed resort that would have seen thousands and thousands of Chinese tourists flown in to that tiny island on charter flights.

These stories matter and just because some Pacific nations are small and remote does not mean that they do not need or deserve the scrutiny of a free press.

But eventually, the threats to my safety were too much to handle. I spent too much time looking over my shoulder, living behind locked doors and never going out alone after dark.

In mid-2021, I moved to Guam for greater peace of mind where I am continuing to write about this largely invisible, but crucial part of the world.

Joyce McClure is a freelance journalist based in Guam. This article was first published by The Guardian’s Pacific Project and has been republished with permission.

Senior EMTV journalist and bureau chief Scott Waide in Papua New Guinea’s second city Lae this week called time on his inspirational 25-year relationship with the television channel. He is taking on other challenges, like Lekmak, and this was his social media message of thanks to supporters.

I didn’t quite realise how many people I touched positively through this work. It has been an emotional week talking to and encouraging, especially younger staff in Lae, Port Moresby, and the outer bureaus.

This transition has been harder on them. Personal messages have been overwhelming. They’ve come both from people I know and total strangers.

It has been a 25-year association with EMTV. Even with short absences, the relationship has always been there.

• READ MORE: Scott Waide’s blog My Land, My Country

However, after two and a half decades and a third stint lasting almost 10 years, my contract has ended and I have decided to move on.

There have been a lot of questions and suggestions that I will or should contest in 2022.

The answer is NO. I have no interest in politics.

One of my primary goals was to give young people the opportunity to excel and to guide them as much as possible so that a new generation of journalists take on the challenges.

Creating opportunities
I spent a lot of time between Unitech and Divine Word University (DWU) talking to as many students as possible and creating opportunities – opportunities many of us didn’t have back then.

We live in two worlds – one, urban and convenient and the other rural and difficult where men women and children die every day.

There’s still a lot of work to be done. My hope is to see younger people go out to rural PNG and tell our people’s stories. Because if we don’t, they will only see government presence during election time and continue to suffer.

We must celebrate the good in our country. We must celebrate our people, culture and our way of life. We must appreciate our knowledge keepers, our elders and our children.

Papua New Guinea is a great country with huge opportunities.

For EMTV, it is a Papua New Guinean institution. It is a custodian of nearly 40 years of history. It is not just a cash cow for shareholders.

My appeal to the government is to care for this institution by choosing good people for the board and good organisational heads that understand this country and care about it.

Good leadership vital
Without good leadership, staff will suffer, good people will leave and the institution will be destroyed.

I want to thank my wife — Annette — and my children. They sacrificed and suffered a lot because I was absent when I was needed most.

While the job, from the outside, looked glamorous. It wasn’t. It takes an incredibly strong woman to live through the challenges.

I owe an enormous amount of gratitude to my brothers and sisters and my parents for their understanding.

Thank you to John Eggins, Sincha Dimara, Titi Gabi, Father Zdzislaw Mlak, Father Jan Czuba, Tukaha Mua and Bhanu Sud who gave me the opportunities. If it weren’t for these seven people, a lot of us would not have come this far.

Journalists across Papua New Guinea have spoken out in support of EMTV news director Neville Choi after his “unacceptable” termination from a role he had held for six years.

A public statement released on Monday listed the reasons for his termination, one of which was his refusal to bury a February 2019 story about the PNG Defence Force pay strike outside the Prime Minister’s office.

However, EMTV deputy head of news Scott Waide told Pacific Media Watch they had broadcast the news because it was balanced and the fallout had already been resolved internally.

UPDATE: EMTV news boss reinstated, PM orders inquiry

READ MORE: EMTV staff protest over sacking of ‘flawless’ news manager Neville Choi

“Neville did his job as head of news and a journalist. He took both sides of the story and we ran it on EMTV news,” said Waide.

“There was nothing conflicting about the story but the fact that he defied the orders of the acting CEO didn’t go well with the management and they issued a warning letter to him.”

Another reason for the termination was Choi’s defiance of a directive from EMTV’s board, Kumul Telikom Holdings Ltd, to fire Scott Waide himself for his coverage of the 2018 APEC summit.

The story reported New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s decision not to use the controversial government Maseratis during the summit.

While Choi refused the directive, management suspended Waide until an angry public backlash saw him reinstated.

Choi received a warning from management for his refusal to follow directives.

Flawed logic
Waide said he and the other journalists at EMTV could not understand the logic of using long resolved issues as an excuse to terminate someone.

“What management in their right mind would table something that they’ve already issued a warning letter for and resolved and then put it in a termination letter?”

While fellow journalists have rallied in support of Choi, Waide said the saga had affected the morale of the newsroom and compromised the plans and strategies that were in place.

“It has pretty much destabilised the whole EMTV newsroom and the management, but also it jeopardises our international links with organisations like Reuters, RNZ, and ABC because Neville is the main point of contact.”

Credible journalist
“Neville is a credible journalist in his own right,” he said.

“He’s set the standard in terms of his professionalism and he’s been in news management for 20 years.

“He’s not a controversial person. He’s just a very down-to-earth journalist who does his job. He’s being very loyal to EMTV and he’s built up a formidable team. They look up to him for support and leadership; to have that important element removed like that has been very upsetting for many people, not just within EMTV but outside as well.”

Waide said that other staff were intimidated by acting CEO Sheena Hughes, from Fiji, and human resources when they expressed their concerns about the termination.

“They told them if you are unhappy with this decision we will happily show you the door.”

Newsroom strike
While Meriba Tulo was made acting news director, she and the rest of the EMTV news team protested against the termination by walking off the job, forcing the broadcaster to replay the news bulletin for the first time in 30 years.

While there has not yet been a positive response from management, Waide said there were negotiations going on at various levels.

Social media has erupted with comments of support for Neville Choi and outrage over his termination.

Journalists and cameramen are being urged not to accept offers of work from EMTV to fill the void left by the striking news team.

PNG Media Union
On a Facebook comment, journalist Harlyne Joku stressed the need for a union group to represent the PNG media.

“We need to seriously consider forming a PNG journalists union to help us stand in solidarity to peacefully protest and negotiate issues affecting our colleagues, in this case the termination of EMTV news director Neville Choi,” she wrote.

“If EMTV staff protest or go on a sit in strike they can be terminated too. Let’s start by forming a journalists union.”

A Facebook post from former Post-Courier editor and chair of the PNG Media Council Alexander Rheeney called for Sheena Hughes herself to stand down and condemned the interference of the EMTV Board Kumul Telikom Holdings Ltd (KTHL) in independent news.

Commercial interference
According to former EMTV journalist Sylvester Gawi, commercial and governmental interference in the PNG media is a common occurrence.

“Journalism in PNG is no longer free. Commercial TV stations like EMTV are owned by Kumul Telikom Holdings Limited a government entity and it is nonetheless controlled by the government through the board,” he told Pacific Media Watch.

“I was asked to resign from EMTV in 2015 after I refused to do a story for one of their commercial clients.”

“I see that as much as we need commercial clients to support EMTV’s operation, the newsroom should not be expected to compromise its stance with commercial partners.”

However, he says that Choi’s termination sets a dangerous precedent and would only add to the demise of journalism in PNG.

“I believe journalism in PNG would go down the drain if we tolerate such actions like the termination of Neville Choi for standing up for his news team.”

• More EMTV News stories

Papua New Guinea’s EMTV news and current affairs manager Neville Choi has been sacked after six years of service in this role, triggering strong protests from staff in the country’s main television news service.

EMTV staff called for the reinstatement of Choi and for the “sidelining” of acting chief executive Sheena Hughes for bringing the company into “disrepute”.

Choi is the president of the PNG Media Council and an experienced head of the newsroom having previously worked for several years as editor of Wantok Niuspepa.

READ MORE: Bryan Kramer: Who was behind O’Neill government revenge on Scott Waide?

According to a statement released by the EMTV management this afternoon, his termination took effect yesterday morning, report the PNG Post-Courier’s Melisha Yafoi and Elias Nanau.

The company said his termination had no association with political motives, and was a “disciplinary action” taken for non compliance by Choi towards EMTV’s company human resources policies.

EMTV said his role will be looked after by Meriba Tulo who is now the acting head of news and current affairs.

ËMTV management said it was confident over Tulo’s appointment as the acting news manager and would continue to support him and the overall news department.

Deeply resentful
The company also thanked Choi for his leadership, guidance and experience in the role, but staff are deeply resentful over the termination.

A staff person who did not want to be identified said Choi had delivered a “flawless news content development and presentation” under his leadership within the news and current affairs team.

Last year Scott Waide, the bureau chief of EMTV’s Lae office, was terminated for reporting about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden’s refusal to use the controversial Maserati vehicles when she attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Port Moresby.

Waide was reinstated after widespread protests and news consumers petitioning against his termination on social media.

Staff at the television channel tonight issued their own statement, saying they were “appalled and ashamed” by the harsh treatment by EMTV’s acting chief executive, Sheena Hughes. The statement on social media said:

While Pacific countries have got off rather lightly in a major global media freedom report last month with most named countries apparently “improving”, the reality is that politicians are becoming more intolerant and belligerent towards news media and information “black holes” are growing.

The Pacific is at the milder end on the scale of media freedom violations – there are no assassinations, murders, gaggings, torture and disappearances.

But the global trend of “hatred of journalists [degenerating] into violence, contributing to an increase of fear” warned about by the Paris-based global watchdog Reporters Without Borders is being reflected in our region.

READ MORE: Pacific countries score well in media freedom index, but reality is far worse

Lack of safety for journalists is a growing concern for media organisations around a world where 80 journalists were killed last year, with 348 being jailed and 60 held hostage.

At least 49 of the slain journalists were “deliberately targeted” because they were media workers.

“If the political debate slides surreptitiously or openly towards a civil war-style atmosphere, in which journalists are treated as scapegoats, then democracy is in great danger,” says RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire in the introduction to RSF’s annual World Press Freedom Index.

“Halting this cycle of fear and intimidation is a matter of the utmost urgency for all people of good will who value the freedoms acquired in the course of history.”

Global concerns
The global concerns have been echoed in the Pacific in recent times.

In Papua New Guinea last week, for instance, amid what appeared to be the unravelling of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s coalition government – described by many critics as a “dictatorship” – with the defection of seven members including the finance minister and attorney-general, an opposition leader made an extraordinary threat against the country’s two foreign-owned newspapers.

Vanimo-Green MP Belden Namah, leader of the PNG Party, one of the two major parties in the opposition, put the Australian-owned Post-Courier and Malaysian-owned National newspapers “on notice” that a new government would “deal” to the media.

Angered by the two dailies for not running his news conference stories, he threatened to regulate the print media if a new government is installed in vote of no-confidence due on Tuesday.

Last November, one of Papua New Guinea’s leading journalists, EMTV’s award-winning Lae bureau chief Scott Waide, was suspended by his company under pressure from the O’Neill government to have him sacked.

Why? Because he exposed the “inside story”of a diplomatic Chinese tantrum and a scandal over the purchase of a fleet of luxury Maserati cars during the Asia Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) hosted by Port Moresby.

Writing in Pacific Media Watch, columnist Vincent Moses thundered:

“Peter O’Neill is acting like another Chinese dictator in Papua New Guinea by exerting control over both state-owned and private media to not report truths and facts that expose his government and their corrupt acts to PNG and the world.”

‘Huge attack’
“This is a huge attack on media freedom in PNG and must be condemned by everyone,” Moses added.

The strong condemnation that followed forced EMTV to reverse its decision and the network reinstated Waide.

Ironically, Papua New Guinea’s Index “freedom” score lifted it 15 places to 38th in the global list of 180 countries.

Other Pacific countries and Timor-Leste also improved in the report assessing 2018 – except for Samoa, which was unchanged at 21st (just one place behind Australia). But this improvement must be seen against the background of global deterioration of media freedom.

The qualitative assessments in the index report make it clear media freedom in Pacific countries is also declining, just not as rapidly as in many other countries.

In the North Pacific, a Pacific Island Times magazine editorial last month blasted the traditional chiefs on Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia for demanding the expulsion of a probing US reporter as harassment and an attempt to “silence a journalist”.

The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Mar-Vic Cagurangan, strongly defended her Yap correspondent, Joyce McClure, who has been living on the island for the past three years, saying that declaring her persona non grata would set a “dangerous precedent”.

Joyce McClure’s reporting provided transparency, which was “vital to every democratic society”.

‘Truthful information’
“The Pacific Island Times and Ms McClure have no agenda other than to provide truthful information to the people of the Pacific region. She is doing this job not as an outsider but as a member of the community, which has become home to her,” the Times said in its editorial.

Stories that McClure has written include reports on a private company’s apparent attempt to bribe newly installed state officials. She has also exposed Chinese commercial vessels harvesting Yap fish with local help.

The Yap media freedom saga was well documented last week by my Pacific Media Watch colleague Michael Andrew in his Bid to Expel Journalist report.

This week, on Wednesday, the Times reported that Joyce McClure “won’t be kicked off the island” as demanded by the chiefs.

“And questions are being raised about the legitimacy of the letter conveying the chiefly demands to the Yap State Legislature and then on to the Federated States of Micronesia Congress,” the Times added.

Replying to questions from Pacific Media Watch, Cagurangan admitted the stakes are high for small and vulnerable “self-funded” independent island publications such as Pacific Island Times.

“During last year’s elections [on Guam], the campaign team of then candidate and Bank of Guam president (now governor) Lou Leon Guerrero signed a political ad contract with us,” she said. “Despite the signed contract, the campaign team pulled out their ad following the publication of an op-ed piece written by a guest writer, which displeased them.

“Although we rely on advertising revenue to keep going, we refuse to compromise our journalistic integrity and independence.”

Malolo environmental expose
In Fiji, an independent New Zealand website, Newsroom, investigated a major environmental development disaster by the Chinese company Freesoul real Estate on the remote tourism island of Malolo, exposing how Fijian news media had been effectively gagged by 13 years of draconian media legislation and a climate of fear since the 2006 military coup.

Although democracy has returned and two post-coup elections have been held, the most recent last November, journalists are often intimidated into silence.

Opposition Leader Sitiveni Rabuka, the man who staged Fiji’s first two coups in 1987, said the “rot and culture of fear” in the civil service and the “intimidated and cowed media” were now so ingrained in the country that it had taken foreign journalists to break the story.

The three New Zealand Newsroom journalists reporting about Malolo were arrested early last month but Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama ordered their release a day later and apologised to them personally for their ordeal at the hands of “rogue officers”.

The intimidation of the Fiji media is an issue that the editor of the award-winning Wansolwara student journalist newspaper, Rosalie Nongebatu, and three of her fellow students will address at a World Press Freedom Day seminar hosted by the University of the South Pacific today.

Censorship, intimidation
About the Asia-Pacific region, the RSF media watchdog warned in its report that totalitarian propaganda, censorship, intimidation, physical violence and cyber-harassment meant that it now took a “lot of courage … nowadays to work independently as a journalist” in the region where democracies were struggling to resist various forms of disinformation.

It singled out China and Vietnam, which both dropped one place to 177th and 178th respectively on the global list of 180 countries, as the worst culprits (although the bottom placed country on the index is now Turkmenistan).

About 30 journalists and media workers are detained in Vietnam, with nearly twice as many being held in China, a country of major concern to the Pacific in view of the growing economic, aid, trade and strategic influence in the region.

“China’s anti-democratic model, based on Orwellian high-tech information surveillance and manipulation, is all the more alarming because Beijing is now promoting its adoption internationally,” said the RSF report.

“As well as obstructing the work of foreign correspondents within its borders, China is now trying to establish a ‘new world media order’ under its control, as RSF showed in its latest special report on China.”

The RSF Index report sees the growing raft of cyberlaws – such as in the Pacific – as an example of this Chinese-inspired media manipulation.

Special mention was made of the Philippines, whose President Rodrigo Duterte is one of the world leaders – along with US President Donald Trump – most consistently spreading “hate” towards journalists.

‘Silenced with impunity’
“When sworn in as president in June 2016, Duterte issued this cryptic but grim warning: ‘Just because you’re a journalist, you are not exempted from assassination, if you’re a son of a bitch. Freedom of expression cannot help you if you have done something wrong.’”

Three Philippine journalists were killed in 2018, “most likely by agents working for local politicians, who can have reporters silenced with complete impunity”.

“The government, for its part, has developed several ways to pressure journalists who dare to be overly critical of the summary methods adopted by ‘Punisher’ Duterte and his notorious ‘war on drugs’.

“After targeting the Philippines Daily Inquirer and the TV network ABS-CBN in 2017, the president and his staff have now unleashed a grotesque judicial harassment campaign against the news website Rappler and its editor, Maria Ressa” (who was recently arrested and now faces six charges).

“The persecution was accompanied by online harassment campaigns waged by pro-Duterte troll armies, which also launched cyber-attacks on alternative news websites and the site of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines in order to block them.

“In response to all these attacks, the Philippine independent media have rallied to Ressa’s call to, ‘Hold the line’.”

Pacific report cards:
The Pacific report card on media freedom from the RSF World Press Freedom Index includes:

New Zealand (7) + 1 = 10.75
“The press is free in New Zealand but its independence and pluralism are often undermined by the profit imperatives of media groups trying to cut costs. Concern was voiced about the editorial integrity of New Zealand’s leading news portal, Stuff, after the Australian entertainment giant Nine Television Network took over its owner, Fairfax Media.

“Stuff was forced to close a third of the sites it hosted and major budget cuts were imposed on the local media outlets it owns. The situation could have been even worse if the Commerce Commission had not blocked another proposed merger between Stuff and New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME), which owns the country’s leading daily, The New Zealand Herald…”

Australia (21) – 2 = 16.55
“Australia has good public media but the concentration of media ownership is one of the highest in the world. It became even more concentrated in July 2018, when Nine Entertainment took over the Fairfax media group. Mainly concerned with business efficiencies and cost-cutting, this new entity resembles Australia’s other media giant, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.

“Under the very conservative Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, the government has abandoned any attempt to regulate the media market. The space left for demanding investigative journalism has also been reduced by the fact that independent investigative reporters and whistleblowers face draconian legislation …

“At the same time, the migrant detention centres run by government contractors on the islands of Manus and Nauru are in practice inaccessible to journalists and have become news and information black holes.’ [Manus is now closed with the asylum seekers living with the local community].

Samoa (22) Unchanged = 18.25
“Despite the liveliness of media groups such as Talamua Media and the Samoa Observer group, this Pacific archipelago is in the process of losing its status as a regional press freedom model. A law criminalising defamation was repealed in 2013, raising hopes that were dashed in December 2017 when Parliament restored the law under pressure from Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, giving him licence to attack journalists who dared to criticise members of his government.

“A few months later, in early 2018, the prime minister warned Samoan media outlets not to ‘play with fire’ by being too critical in their reporting or else his government would censor their websites…”

Papua New Guinea (38) + 15 = 24.70
“Although the media enjoy a relatively benign legislative environment, their independence is clearly in danger. Journalists are exposed to intimidation, direct threats, censorship, prosecution and bribery attempts.

“The situation is all the more precarious because the media groups they work for rarely defend them when they are under attack. As a result, self-censorship is on the rise and many media outlets are regarded as Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s mouthpieces.

“All this was particularly visible during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the capital, Port Moresby, in November 2018, when journalists who wanted to raise sensitive issues were censored by their bosses and the government was accused of accommodating the Chinese delegation’s demands for certain journalists to be excluded although they had obtained accreditation for the events concerned…”

Tonga (45) + 6 = 24.41
“Independent media outlets have increasingly assumed a watchdog role since the first democratic elections in 2010. However, politicians have not hesitated to sue media outlets, exposing them to the risk of heavy fines. Some journalists say they are forced to censor themselves due to the threat of bankruptcy. In an effort to regulate ‘harmful’ online content, especially on social networks, the government adopted new laws in 2015, one of which provides for the creation of an internet regulatory agency with the power to block websites without reference to a judge.

“The re-election of Prime Minister Samuela ‘Akilisi Pōhiva’s [‘pro-democracy’] party in November 2017 was accompanied by growing tension between the government and journalists. This was particularly so at the state radio and TV broadcaster, the Tonga Broadcasting Commission (TBC) …”

Fiji (52) + 5 = 27.18
“The relatively pluralist and balanced coverage of the 2018 parliamentary elections – the second since the 2006 coup d’état – confirmed the Fiji media’s liveliness and spirit of resistance. But journalists are still restricted by the draconian 2010 Media Industry Development Decree, which was turned into a law in 2018, and the regulator it created, the Media Industry Development Authority, whose independence is questionable.

“Journalists who violate this law’s vaguely worded provisions face up to two years in prison. In this hostile legal environment, the acquittal of the country’s leading daily, The Fiji Times, and three of its journalists on sedition charges in May 2018 was seen as an encouraging victory for press freedom.”

Timor-Leste (84) + 11 = 29.93
“No journalist has ever been jailed in connection with their work in East Timor since this country of just 1.2 million inhabitants won independence in 2002. Articles 40 and 41 of its constitution guarantee free speech and media freedom. But various forms of pressure are used to prevent journalists from working freely, including legal proceedings designed to intimidate, police violence, and public denigration of media outlets by government officials or parliamentarians.

“The creation of a Press Council in 2015 was a step in the right direction despite the reservations expressed by the media about the way its members are elected. But the media law adopted in 2014, in defiance of the international community’s warnings, poses a permanent threat to journalists and encourages self-censorship.

“Coverage of the parliamentary elections in May 2018 nonetheless served to show the importance of the role that media pluralism can play in the construction of East Timor’s democracy.”

West Papua
Media freedom issues in West Papua are dire, but are partially hidden from a global gaze in the RSF Index report because they are reported on as part of Indonesia, which as a country is unchanged at 124th. The Index notes the following about President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s “broken promises”:

“President Widodo did not keep his campaign promises during his five-year term [and he now appears to have won a second term]. His presidency was marked by serious media freedom violations, including drastic restrictions on media access to West Papua (the Indonesian half of the island of New Guinea), where violence against local journalists keeps on growing.

“Foreign journalists and local fixers are liable to be arrested and prosecuted there, both those who try to document the Indonesian military’s abuses and those, such as a BBC correspondent in February 2018, who just cover humanitarian issues.

“As the Jakarta-based Alliance for Independent Journalists often reports, the military also intimidate reporters and even use violence against those who cover their abuses. Many journalists say they censor themselves because of the threat from an anti-blasphemy law and the Law on ‘Informasi dan Transaksi Elektronik’ (Electronic and Information Transactions Law).

Dr David Robie is a correspondent for Reporters Without Borders.

• RSF 2019 World Press Freedom Index
• Indonesian political system has ‘failed’ its minorities

China wants to create a “new world media order”. Video: Reporters Without Borders

Pacific media freedom and ignorance of Pacific issues by mainstream media in New Zealand are growing challenges for the region, says a journalism academic

“There are so many issues in the Pacific that are simply ignored by the mainstream media,” Pacific Media Centre director Professor Robie bluntly told the two-day Oceans and Islands conference for Pacific researchers that ended in the Fale Pasifika at Auckland University today.

He cited the ongoing human rights situation in West Papua – which will be marked tomorrow with flag raising ceremonies across New Zealand – and the recent New Caledonian independence referendum as examples of poorly covered issues.

READ MORE: The NZ news item that sparked the Scott Waide saga

The conference was hosted by the NZ Institute for Pacific Research, a NZ government-funded consortium of Auckland University, Otago University and Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

Addressing the centre’s research and public strategy, Dr Robie also shared his concerns about media freedom in the Pacific region and highlighted this week’s dramatic developments in Papua New Guinea in the wake of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference.

Scott Waide, one of the country’s most high profile and influential journalists, was secretly suspended over broadcasting a New Zealand television news item that criticised government spending on 40 Maserati luxury sedans.

Waide, deputy regional news editor of EMTV and who blogs on social issues in his My Land, My Country website, was reinstated a day after news of his suspension was leaked through social media networks, sparking a flurry of protests in international media.

“This outrageous meddling by the state-owned Telikom company’s board was kept quiet for a week until it finally went viral last Sunday.

‘Blatant censorship’
“This blatant act of censorship – publicly defended by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill – rebounded heavily on the government.”

Dr Robie, who is also the convenor of the PMC’s Pacific Media Watch freedom project in collaboration with international press watchdogs such as the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, criticised corporate and political inference in PNG’s news and current affairs media.

He said what had happened was salutary for Pacific press freedoms. While he described the reinstatement for Waide as a victory for media freedom in the region, he said the journalists’ own reflective comments were “lessons for the rest of the Pacific”.

“Papua New Guinea is a democracy and the media is free to hold those in authority to account,” Waide had said on his blog. “This means highlighting flaws in policy and making sure mistakes are pointed out and corrected. It is an essential part of our democracy.”

Dr Robie cited the Waide suspension as an example of some of the research, publication and storytelling provided by the PMC.

“We try to give lot more storytelling with Pacific voices and Pacific context,” he said.

“We try to provide an outlet for Pacific views and also information right across the region.”

Professional development
AUT’s PMC in the School of Communication Studies operated as independent university-based educational media by providing space for postgraduate students to have their stories published and broadcast for professional development.

This had contributed a lot to Pacific storytelling, he said.

“If we do things independently media-wise, there are a lot of stories that we can tell that much of the mainstream just ignores.”

The Pacific Media Centre’s Professor David Robie talks Pacific storytelling. Video: Blessen Tom/PMC

PMC publishes the following media:

• An online general news and current affairs website called Asia-Pacific Report and PMC Online which focuses on media issues and research.

• Its own YouTube (more than 200,000 viewers) and Soundcloud channels.

• Pacific Journalism Review, a peer reviewed journal, the only New Zealand-based publication specialising in journalism, media issues, communication and diversity in the South Pacific, Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.

PJR is ranked on the SCOPUS metrics database and is in its 25th year of publication and is hosted on the open access indigenous research platform Tuwhera at Auckland University of Technology.

• Pacific Journalism Monographs, a peer-reviewed research companion to Pacific Journalism Review, which publishes longer research projects in an online and booklet format.

• Southern Cross, a weekly radio programme on Pacific affairs run by the PMC on Radio 95bfm at the University of Auckland.

Strong links
The PMC also has strong links with the University of the South Pacific journalism programme (Fiji) and Gadjah Mada University’s Centre for Southeast Asian Studies in Indonesia and the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre in the Philippines, and community publishing partnerships with organisations such as RNZ Pacific.

Professor Robie also mentioned PMC’s three-year-old Bearing Witness climate change project and talked about its “outstanding results” by award-winning postgraduate students reporting environmental issues.

He screened the trailer of Banabans of Rabi – A Story of Survival, a short documentary by Hele Ikimotu and Blessen Tom that was premiered at the Nuku’alofa International Film festival last week.

The inaugural Oceans and Islands conference concluded today.

Sri Krishnamurthi and Blessen Tom of the Pacific Media Centre are working as part of a PMC partnership with the NZ Institute for Pacific Research.

• More Oceans and Islands conference stories

Papua New Guinea’s O’Neill government has taken revenge against senior EMTV Reporter Scott Waide, who was suspended over his broadcasting of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s comments about the Maserati scandal.

I was informed soon after APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) that the O’Neil  actually planned on sacking Waide. However, there was pushback from the management and staff so they decided to instead suspend him and order that he go on leave.

I suspect given the recent unrest in Port Moresby involving security forces, they had to be careful not to trigger another incident.

READ MORE: O’Neill defends government on suspension of EMTV journalist Waide

So the real question is, who was behind the decision calling for Waide’s “sacking/suspension”, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill himself, or the usual suspects such as O’Neill’s Chief Media Officer Chris Hawkins and Minister for APEC Justin Tkatchenko?

EMTV is owned by Telikom PNG that is ultimately owned by Kumul Holdings Consolidated, a state-owned enterprise.

Shadow minister
The minister responsible for state-owned enterprises is William Duma and I am the shadow minister.

I will be writing to the minister and CEO of Kumul Consolidated Holdings asking them for an explanation behind this suspension.

I don’t expect a response, but what I can assure them is that following the removal of O’Neill in February 2019, the person behind the decision can expect to be sacked.

Last week, Opposition Members were on FM100 radio talkback that was telecast live on EMTV. However, half way through the programme we were cut off air. This is the second time it has happened.

It appears those feeding from a corrupt O’Neill government are starting to get desperate in their efforts to take away our rights – including our freedom of speech.

It’s time Papua New Guineans start to seriously think about organising ourselves in the cause to hold to account a corrupt prime minister and his cronies.

Opposition Madang MP Bryan Kramer is the shadow minister for state-owned enterprises, including the Telikom-owned EMTV. He founded the Allegiance Party and is an investigative journalist who publishes Kramer Report.

• EMTV suspends senior journalist Scott Waide over NZ Maserati news story
• More Scott Waide stories

The suspension of EMTV deputy news editor Scott Waide has brought us to a new low in Papua New Guinea’s downward spiral.

Freedom of speech and expression are a fundamental constitutional right entrenched in the constitution, are pillars of democracy and this suspension is a breach of this fundamental right.

We have become a dictatorship in essence and it’s happening right before our eyes. Leadership comes with the territory, and scrutiny and criticism are part of this package and the media plays a big part.

READ MORE: EMTV suspends senior journalist Scott Waide over APEC story

Biased reporting is not healthy for this country and it is indeed a sad day for PNG for one of its most loved journalists to be treated this way.

In fact, it’s disgusting and nauseating witnessing the gross abuse of power in recent times by those vested few in their bid for survival.

Desperation calls for desperate measures. All our oversight institutions and laws have been raped and plundered to a point where the remains are a dysfunctional wreck.

If we can’t condemn this stupid and selfish act then all of us leaders should resign in shame as we’d have failed miserably our mandated responsibilities as freedom of speech and expression is one of the foundation principles of any democratic society.

This is totally wrong, EMTV. What’s your role as a media outlet in nation building in PNG? The management should hang their heads in shame for stooping this low.

• Pacific Media Watch updates

Papua New Guinea’s freedoms of speech, expression and access to information were challenged yesterday when Chinese officials barred both local and non-Chinese media from attending meetings at three Asia-Pacific Economy Cooperation (APEC) venues.

It began in Parliament when Chinese President Xi Jinping was giving an address after being welcomed by a guard of honour. 

EMTV journalist Theckla Gunga, who was assigned to cover the Chinese President’s visit, reported that just after 11am, Chinese officials accompanying their president ordered the microphones to be removed from the speaker where they had been placed to record the speeches.

READ MORE Chinese President Xi’s early PNG arrival upstages APEC rivals

“Chinese officials who are organising the official opening of the Chinese-funded six lane road have refused to give audio feeds to media personnel,” she said in a WhatsApp message.

“Microphones belonging to both local and international media have been removed,” said Gunga.

The officials, however, allowed Chinese state-owned broadcaster CCTV to record President’s Xi speech.

Gunga and other journalists spent about 10 minutes arguing with the Chinese officials but were still refused.

‘No media, no media’
One hour later, EMTV Online reporter Merylyn Diau-Katam faced another group of Chinese officials at the gate of a Chinese government-funded school.

“Before the President arrived a bus full of Chinese media personnel were driven into the gate on a bus,” she said.

“And when we wanted to go in, we were told our names were not on the list even though we had APEC accreditation passes,” Diau-Katam.

“No media. No media, a Chinese official said,” she said.

Diau-Katam was not the only one refused entry. In the group was a photographer from Japanese public broadcaster, NHK and other media. A PNG government official also spent several minutes arguing with the Chinese security to let him in.

At 5pm yesterday, Chinese officials again booted out local and international media from a meeting between the Chinese President and Pacific Island country leaders.

EMTV anchor and senior journalist, Meriba Tulo, was among others told to “get out” of the meeting while Chinese media were allowed into the room.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) was also told to leave. They spoke to Post-Courier’s senior journalist, Gorethy Kenneth. She said Chinese officials from Beijing were initially angry with the presence of international media.

“I said: ‘We are here to cover the meeting, our names have been submitted.’ And they said: ‘No, all of you get out,'” Kenneth said.

Scott Waide’s blog columns are frequently published by Asia Pacific Report with permission. He is also EMTV deputy news editor based in Lae.

• PNG journalists boycott APEC leaders’ arrival
• ‘All of you get out” – China boots out media
• Other APEC stories

In November every year, the Papua New Guinean National budget usually takes centre stage. But not this year.

This week, the 2019 budget came two days before the start of the biggest meetings of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation).  People were interested in it for a day, then it faded into the background.

Then BOOM… Enter China-US geopolitics…

On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping, the most influential world leader in the Asia-Pacific arrived in Port Moresby with the largest delegation of officials.

They came on two large planes and the festivities for his delegation demonstrated just how important China’s money is to the Papua New Guinea ( government.

World politics is being played out on PNG soil. It already is, by the way.

From the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Singapore, US Vice President, Mike Pence indicated he would be revealing how “dangerous” the Chinese One Belt One Road Initiative is to the rest of the world including the Pacific.

Infrastructure projects
This announcement comes on the back of US$60 billion funding (about NZ$87 billion) aimed at the Asia-Pacific region. Also note that China has allocated the same amount to African countries for various projects including infrastructure.

Australia has announced its own funding initiatives for the Pacific of 7 billion Kina (NZ$3 billion).

In the foreign ministers’ meeting, the US-China tension is already being felt as the US and China tussle over free trade and other issues.

On the ground in Port Moresby, there is a strong US and Australian military presence.

From China, a strong trade presence and message about building relationships. From the outset, China appears to have all its moves planned out and is ticking off each item on its list of things to do.

At least for the government, the attention from world leaders is important. Maybe APEC is an opportunity.  Maybe it is a double edged sword – with opportunity on the one side and debt on the other as has been the case in other countries like Sri Lanka.

What stands out is China’s willingness to engage. President Xi is here for four days. America’s Trump and Russia’s Putin both sent their number twos.

As US Vice-President Pence, tweeted and jetted into Cairns, President Jinping met with Pacific Island Forum leaders and representatives in Port Moresby in the afternoon.

Scott Waide’s blog columns are frequently published by Asia Pacific Report with permission. He is also EMTV deputy news editor based in Lae.

Survivors in Papua New Guinea’s earthquake in the Highlands face tough challenges. And so do the relief agencies and government authorities trying to deliver support to them.

Many of the worst affected areas in Hela and the Southern Highlands provinces are in isolated spots.

The people don’t live in large villages that you see on the coast. They live in small hamlets of 5-10 houses spread out over a plateaus or valleys.

They have no road access.

Many have to walk for hours to get within line of site of a mobile telecommunications tower in order to send a text message. Data signals are too weak and problematic.

For other locations, it takes more than a day.

Some of the villages are relatively close to the LNG site. But it looks deceptively close on a map.

Difficult to reach
What you’re dealing with on the ground are terrains that are extremely difficult to reach – even within a day’s walk. That is precisely why helicopters are vital in this disaster.

In some villages, people have had to build helipads on mountainsides to allow for medical teams to land safely.

Chopper pilot Eric Aliawi, who took an EMTV crew to one of the locations, had to land on three logs that had been placed on a spot dug out on a mountain side because the helipad had not been completed.

Even after landing, the crew and the doctors had to walk for about half an hour to get to the village.

A few commentators have said that the people affected are subsistence farmers and that they still have food to eat because they plant crops.

The reality is that their gardens have been destroyed and it is dangerous for them to go into the foothills and the valleys, or mountainsides, because of the ongoing aftershocks.

Trauma of death
They are also dealing with the trauma of the death and destruction that happened in their villages. They will have to adjust to normal life as time goes by.

Their houses have been destroyed and they have moved from the locations of their hamlets to central locations like schools, airstrips and mission stations to seek help.

Congregating in large numbers in one location is unusual for them. Losing their independence and relying on someone to give them food is also not something they are accustomed to.

They need is help to get back on their feet and resume their way of life.

They need the following:
Good quality tarpaulins for shelter – They live in a high rainfall area. The temperature drops rapidly at night and without shelter, young children and older people will get sick.

Food – With limited access to their gardens, food is a priority for them.

Water – Their water sources have been polluted. They need large water containers, tanks and clean water (as an immediate need).

Cooking pots – This is important if they are to boil drinking water.

Warm clothes + blankets – Sweaters, hoodies and simple blankets will help a lot to ease their burden. It is not as important as the others mentioned, but it will help.

Children’s clothing – also not an immediate priority but it will help a lot.

6 to 15cm nails and tools – in order to rebuild their houses, they need nails and tools like bush knives, axes and hammers. It is very difficult to obtain items like this where they are.

Disposable delivery trays, disposable suture trays – during the earthquake, sterilisation equipment at the Tari Hospital was damaged. The doctors need this to send to aid posts so that health workers can handle deliveries and other treatment.

The government contacts are:

Thomas Eluh – PA for Southern Highlands

Joseph Bando – PA Hela Province

Dr Tana Kiak – Tari Hospital

Inbox Scott Waide on Facebook for contact details, or text him on +675 70300459. Or email scott.waide@gmail.com for information. This article was first posted on Scott Waide’s blog, My Land, My Country.

• More PNG earthquake reports

By Vasinatta Yama in Kurumul, Papua New Guinea

Polling for Papua New Guinea’s Jiwaka province — created in 2012 by being split off from Western Highlands — has started, with some parts of Jimi electorate voting yesterday.

It will continue today, with North Waghi and Anglimp South Waghi electorates going to the polls.

Polling for Jiwaka was deferred last Friday until yesterday and today after identifying issues with the updated electoral roll.

Ballot boxes for Jimi Open where dispatched from 6 am.

For some areas in Jimi that received their ballot boxes, polling began about 9am, while others are still waiting.

Provincial Steering Committee chairman Michael Wandil said that by last night or early today, the 184 wards in the province should receive its their ballot boxes and go to the polls.

Jiwaka province polling officials received the preliminary roll just last Thursday, which resulted in the delay in the stamping of ballot papers and cross checking of names.

Scrutineers calm
Scrutineers have remained calm and very happy that they were able to observe the pre-counting of the ballot papers.

The stamping and packing of ballot papers by the steering committee has taken longer than anticipated.

There has been tight security since last Friday.

Provincial Police commander Joseph Tondop assured the public that there was a strong police presence everywhere, and polling would not be affected.

Jiwaka was created in May 2012 , the year of the last general election, and the provincial capital is temporarily located in Kurumul. Mostly provincial matters are handled in Kurumul and a handful in Minj.

Papua New Guinea’s highest mountain, the 4509m Mt Wilhelm, is on the border on Jiwaka, Simbu and Madang provinces.

Meanwhile, Loop PNG reports that under fire Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato has announced plans to establish a task force to spearhead the voter registration system immediately after the 2017 general election.

There has been widespread condemnation of the state of the electoral common roll with thousands of people stating that they are not listed.

EMTV News elections coverage stories are republished with permission.

• More PNG election stories

By Theckla Gunga in Port Moresby

A joint parade between members of Papua New Guinea’s three disciplinary forces has been conducted in Port Moresby to mark the launch of the election operation.

The launch at the weekend signified the commencement of the Joint Operations in the National Capital District and Central Divisional Command. At least 10 companies were part of the parade. It was a short parade from the back of the Boroko Police Station to the front car park.

The parade was led by members of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, followed by the Defence Force and Correctional Services.

Once the parade took their position, Deputy Police Commissioner in charge of operations Jim Andrews was invited by Head of the Command Sylvester Kalaut to review the parade.

Commissioner Andrews encouraged the members of the disciplinary forces to assist the Electoral Commission over security for the voters, candidates and election officials.

Although the 2017 National Election is conducted by the Electoral Commission, members of the three disciplinary forces have been engaged to ensure the elections are securely and safely conducted.

These officers will be providing security during the polling and counting periods, and in the remaining two weeks of campaign.

NCD and Central is the last command to launch its Natel Operation.

Similar operations were launched in the other divisional commands such as New Guinea Islands and Highlands divisional commands.

NCD and Central will go to the polls on June 27.

Pacific Media Watch News Desk

The Media Council of Papua New Guinea today condemned the “unacceptable … harassment and violence” targeting media workers covering the country’s 2017 general election campaign.

An EMTV camera crew was “harassed and assaulted” last Thursday in the Moresby South electorate in the National Capital District of Port Moresby and was covered by the television network.

The MCPNG said in a statement the harassment and violence on May 11 was “unacceptable and unwarranted”.

The media had an important role to play in the dissemination of information and awareness about the 3331 candidates contesting the 89 open electorates and 22 provincial seats, said council president Alexander Rheeney.

“Papua New Guinea’s 4 million-plus eligible voters are depending on the media for critical information on the 2017 general election, the candidates as well as political parties and their policies,” he said.

“The media should be allowed to report without fear or favour in this general election as they have in previous elections.

“The incident last Thursday involving an EMTV camera crew and the supporters of a particular candidate is unacceptable,” Rhenney said

‘Accept responsibility’
“All candidates should accept responsibility for the conduct of their supporters so any unruly behaviour should and will be reported to the appropriate authorities.”

Rhenney said the media industry remained united and vigilant in striving to inform and educate the public. He called on candidates or supporters who “had issues” with the media to take their complaints to the MCPNG.

EMTV reports that its crew was verbally assaulted and a senior cameraman punched and hit in the back with a 16 kg tripod by supporters of sitting Moresby South Member of Parliament Justin Tkatchenko.

“The mob demanded footage[to be] deleted and threatened to assault four crew members in an EMTV vehicle on Lawes road,” EMTV reports.

Journalists Bethanie Harriman and Stanley Ove Jr were collecting generic pictures of election banners around Port Moresby with senior cameraman Konts Kara when the assault happened.

After collecting pictures at Gerehu, the crew stopped in Moresby South.

On Lawes Road in Konedobu, supporters loyal to sitting MP Justin Tkatchencko attacked senior cameraman Kara.

Threatened over footage
“Mr Kara was verbally assaulted by the mob who then threatened to break a camera if the footage wasn’t deleted,” EMTV reports.

“The crowd advanced on the company vehicle banging on the windows, taking the keys off the driver, and forcing the cameraman to delete footage of the sitting MP’s campaign banners.

“A senior coordinator of the minister’s campaigning team accused EMTV of being biased in reports while swearing at the crew.”

Tkatchenko’s first secretary Keith Puairia was contacted by journalist Harriman and Puairia contacted the campaign coordinator, confirming the incident.

Elections in Papua New Guinea have traditionally been considered a time of great risk.

Media Niugini Limited management made a statement saying that EMTV News remained independent and impartial.

• EMTV crew assaulted by candidate’s supporters

By Theckla Gunga in Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea’s Opposition has challenged why a protest referendum requested by University of PNG students has not been carried out by the Electoral Commission.

Students across the country have been calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill until allegations of corruption against his administration have been fully investigated.

Students at UPNG made a petition calling for O’Neill to stand aside but did not hand this to a government delegation two weeks ago, saying they wanted to present it to the prime minister personally.

Opposition Leader Sam Basil said on EMTV that while the Metropolitan Police Superintendent for Morobe, Anthony Wagambie Jnr, had successfully overseen an “awareness” protest by the students at the University of Technology on Wednesday, the same opportunity should be given for UPNG students.

“I commend the Lae Metropolitan Superintendent, Anthony Wagambie Jnr, and Unitech students for conducting a successful campaign in Lae,” Basil said.

Basil added, however, that for UPNG a referendum could not be conducted because of the absence of the Chief Electoral Commissioner.

Goilala MP William Samb also made comments stating that the while Unitech’s senate had allowed their students to conduct a referendum, the UPNG senate should do the same.

“I challenge the UPNG senate to write a letter to the Electoral Commission to conduct a referendum,” Samb said.

The protest is to petition O’Neill, to step down following a series of allegations labelled against him.

Today marked more than four weeks of unrest and class boycotts at both UPNG’s Waigani and Taurama (medical school) campuses.

Theckla Gunga is an EMTV journalist in Port Moresby.

• Students threaten mass exodus from UPNG
• Electoral Commission nullifies Unitech student vote in new PNG twist
• Students reach out to public in ‘awareness’ day
• Unitech boycotts classes, Tabar slams
• UPNG students’ actions
• Take your petition to the PM, says Parkop
• UPNG warns student planned protest ballot ‘bordering on contempt’
• UPNG students shrug off threats

By Scott Waide in Lae

An overwhelming majority of students at Papua New Guinea’s University of Technology in Lae has voted to boycott classes from tomorrow amid demands that Prime Minister Peter O’Neill step aside and for the police commissioner to reopen the Fraud Squad office, reports EMTV.

A referendum was conducted on Friday.

Electoral Commission officers counted the votes and later announced that 2059 students had voted “yes” while 296 voted against the boycott.

Forums have been ongoing but the Students Representative Council’s (SRC) constitution does not allow the students to progress to a boycott without a referendum.

While the students’ voice has been loud, the SRC has raised concerns over the silence of unions, workers and non-government organisations who have in previous years held governments to account.

Earlier, in a separate interview, Vice-Chancellor Dr Albert Schram said the university administration had not been closed and after two days of forum, normal operations would resume.

He said normal university functions would continue if there was a yes vote for the boycott.

UPNG students ordered back
At the national University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby, reports Adelaide Kari, the Senate, the supreme body comprising the vice-chancellor and heads of departments for all schools at UPNG, held a special meeting on Friday.

Among the 5 resolutions of the meeting was a call for normal classes to resume tomorrow.

However, the students have vowed to continue the boycott.

Earlier on Friday, the National Academic Staff Association ccomprising all academic staff from UPNG issued a statement supported the boycott.

NASA president Emmanuel Gorea said his colleagues supported the stand the students were taking and called on the Prime Minister and the government of PNG to receive the student’s petition.

However, he said that they would cater for students through remedial classes to cover the loss of learning.

Scott Waide and Adelaide Kari are EMTV reporters.

• UPNG students burn 800 newspapers in protest
  
• PNG media council calls for ‘respect’ for role of journalist

The concerns coincide with World Press Freedom Day celebrations earlier this week on May 3 and  follow  local  journalists  being  subjected  to  “intimidation  and  threats  of harassment” when reporting on issues relating to the arrest of high profile personalities, says the MCPNG in a statement.

Some media  were also banned from covering related stories.

The  MCPNG,  as  an  example,  highlighted  recent  incidents  that  bordered  on  intimidation  and harassment of journalists.

April  18,  2016:  Members  of  the  Royal  Papua  New  Guinea  Constabulary  (RPNGC),  including  a  deputy  commissioner,  shouted  at  members  of the  media  and  told  them  to leave  after  they  arrived  at  the  National  Fraud  and  Anti-Corruption Directorate (NFACD) premises at Konedobu in the National Capital District (NCD).

April  22,  2016:  A  journalist  from  a  daily  newspaper  was  called  by  members  of  the RPNGC  and  advised  that  he  would  be  interrogated  over  mobile  phone  text  messages that  he  exchanged  with  the  NFACD  director,  Chief  Superintendent Mathew Damaru.

April 28, 2016: Journalists from the  Post-Courier were barred from entering the University  of  Papua  New  Guinea  (UPNG)  in  Port  Moresby  to  cover  student  preparations for an anti government protest calling on Prime Minister Peter O’Neill over corruption and erosion of democracy  allegations.

April 30, 2016: Student leaders at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) advised that three media organisations – PNG Post–Courier, The National and the television station EMTV – were  banned  from  entering the campus to cover the student protest and boycott of classes.

Subject to scrutiny
MCPNG  president  Alexander  Rheeney, who is also editor of the Post-Courier,  said  the incidents  pointed  to  a  trend  where  officials  “choose  to  be  discreet  in  their  dealings,  despite  holding  public  offices  that  are  and  should  be  subject to scrutiny”.

“Policemen are officers of the law and in the course of dispensing justice should be subject to public scrutiny, including media coverage for the benefit of ordinary Papua New Guineans,” he said.

About  the  attempted  interrogation  of  the  reporter,  Rheeney  said  the  act was  a worrying  development for journalists who swore an oath to protect their sources when writing stories in  the public interest.

“The actions of the policemen in attempting  to  interrogate the  reporter  concerned are unwarranted. While media organisations do not wish to stand in the way of and respect police  investigations,  the  reporter  and  his  or  her  employee  should  be  contacted  and a meeting arranged in the presence of a third party, preferably a company lawyer,” added Rheeney.

Recent events at UPNG which led to the banning of three media organisations recently  also needed  to  be  put  in  perspective, according  to   Rheeney.

The ban only put the student  movement  at  a  disadvantage  as  coverage  by  media  organisations  would  give  them  a  nationwide footprint.

“Including the two daily newspapers in your media strategy can instantly give you close to 100,000 readers on any given day. Throw in the coverage of EMTV and the story gets into the homes of over a million  viewers,” Rheeney said.

‘Smart media’ for students
“Students need to be smart in how they  use the media, a ban  doesn’t help their cause.”

Rheeney  said  concerns  of  bias  in  news  coverage  should  be  raised  directly  with  the media  organisation concerned, or  the  MCPNG.

It should be submitted with evidence, if any, to enable the media organisation or the council to consider it on its merits and for action to be taken.

Contact the Media Council of PNG

By Leanne Jorari in Port Moresby

After almost a year of negotiations, paired with several road bumps along the way, Media Niugini Limited is now 100 percent Papua New Guinean-owned.

State owned enterprise Telikom PNG, the country’s leading telecommunications company, has become the sole owner of EMTV’s parent company, Media Niugini Limited, with the announcement in Suva that Fiji Television Limited had divested all its shares.

Fiji Television had owned EMTV for a decade, after Australia’s Channel Nine network ownership.

In a closed-door meet yesterday in Suva, Fiji, the shares were transferred and the handover/takeover completed between major shareholder of Fiji TV, Fijian Holdings Limited and the SOE.

The CEO of Telikom PNG, Michael Donnelly, praised the Media Niugini team for their job well done and promised to remain in the race to win the business and continue the form the company has kept throughout the years.

The acquisition of Media Niugini, paired with the recent purchase of radio station FM 100 will allow Telikom to delve into the media industry using the synergies between the organisations to invest in multi-dimensional platforms, ushering the entrance of the digital era in Papua New Guinea.

According to Donnelly, all parties were in agreement with the K20 million (NZ$10.2 million) asking price with a mandatory deposit of K2 million, paid by Telikom PNG towards the end of 2015.

In Suva, Fiji Village also reported Fiji Television Limited’s divestment of its shares.

Since mid-last year, Fiji TV has been on the lookout for potential partners for Media Niugini Limited and in October, the company was approached by Telikom PNG.