Melanesian Media Freedom Forum – Day two: The second day of the Melanesian Media Freedom Forum began with praise for the work of young Pacific journalists by Professor David Robie and ended with a warning that threats to journalism in the region were increasing.

In between forum delegates heard about the continued problems of female journalists, who continue to be under-represented at senior levels, and debated ways in which international organisations could help.

Many of the discussions took on a strong human rights theme and delegates were reminded that Article 19 of the United Nations’ International Declaration on Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

Professor Robie, who is head of the Pacific Media Centre at Auckland University of Technology and editor of the highly respected Pacific Journalism Review, presented to the forum from Indonesia.

He also gave the pre-conference keynote address on October 28.

In a wide-ranging talk, Professor Robie spoke to delegates about some of the most serious issues facing journalists in Melanesia, including climate change and the independence struggle in West Papua.

Professor Robie has long been a trenchant critic of the way the West Papuan struggle has been almost completely  ignored  by the mainstream press in Australia and New Zealand.

He praised the work of younger journalists and students in exposing the dangers of climate change in the Pacific and screened excerpts from two student films during his talk.

After the opening session, delegates discussed where and how media workers in Melanesia could look for support from larger global organisations.

A special session on the experiences of women journalists took place later in the  morning, with women journalists, editors and free lancers speaking about common problems.

These included demands that they show “respect” for men they are interviewing, a  background of violence against women in many places and traditional notions of gender roles.

Statements  by conference delegates
Melanesian journalists face growing levels of political and legal threats, physical assaults, illegal detention and intimidation.

In a statement released after the conference, media delegates to the forum said the range and scope of threats was increasing, with prosecutions, restrictive legislation, online abuse and racism between ethnic groups a growing issue.

Female journalists faced the threat of violence both on the job and within their own homes.

The statement said threats to media freedom were having professional, personal and health affects on journalists across Melanesia.

The situation in West Papua was of particular concern with attacks on journalists resulting in deaths and injuries.

The unwillingness of politicians and officials to engage in dialogue was undermining the media’s accountability role.

Public figures were becoming more resistant to responding to direct questions from media, choosing instead to issue media releases, or statements on social media or to preferred media outlets.

In addition to undermining the crucial accountability role of the media, this placed broadcast media (which requires actuality) at a disadvantage.

In the statement, media delegates said the ability of journalists to exercise their professional skills without fear was critical to the functioning of Meleanesia’s democracies.

There needed to be a better understanding of the role of journalism in Melanesian democracies.

The issue of social media and fake news, which had been a feature of discussion on day one, was reflected in the statement, which said the media was ready to work with all parties that wanted to improve the social medialandscape.

“There is an urgent need to for the media to assert its role as a source of accurate and impartial information and to play a role in building social media literacy and public understanding of how to identify credible sources of information,” the statement said.

“The global decline of democracy is making it easier for our governments to silence the media. It is expected this will become a bigger challenge in the future if it is not addressed, as national leaders, media organisations and journalists come under pressure and misinformation campaigns continue.

“Misinformation, propaganda and fake news are a growing problem: there is widespread concern around misinformation and offensive material being posted on social media platforms, sometimes by anonymous sources, some of them state and politically-partisan actors.

“The media’s role as an antidote, and as a balancing source of verified information is under-recognised and under-supported.”

Solidarity
Academics at the forum read out a draft statement expressing solidarity with media workers in Melanesia in their struggle for freedom of expression, security and professional recognition.

The academic statement cited Article 19 of the United Nations’ International Declaration on Human Rights, but also the United Nations’ 2030 development goals, particularly those designed to strengthen peace, justice and strong institutions; climate action; reduce inequalities; and gender equality.

Academic delegates to the forum called for journalists  working in Melanesia and across the Pacific, to be guaranteed the following  basic rights as professional communicators:

• Freedom of expression
• Freedom from physical abuse, threats or intimidation in pursuit of their work
• Recognition of their status as professional communicators
• Security of digital communication
• Equality for all media workers in terms of their professional standing, regardless of gender.
• Recognition and protection under law of these rights.

Pacific Journalism Review
Pacific Journalism Review, which is produced through the Pacific Media Centre at Auckland University of Technology, will produce a special edition based around the main themes of the forum in 2020.

It will be edited by Dr Kasun Ubayasiri of Griffith University, Professor Robie and Dr Philip Cass.

Papers can include:

• The politics of press freedom in Melanesia.
• The intersection between custom and indigenous knowledge in contemporary Fourth Estate practice.
• Gender and identity in Melanesian journalism.
• Human rights journalism in Melanesia.
• Reporting climate change and human migration.
• Circumventing censorship and restrictions to free and fair publication
• Legal safeguards to press freedom.

Related topics that will be considered include social justice, human rights and environmental and climate change reporting in the Melanesian media. The journal also publishes an unthemed section and other papers related to journalism studies, and journalism education, theory and practice will also be considered by the editors.

The deadline for submissions is February 20, 2020.

Dr Philip Cass is acting editor of the Pacific Media Centre’s Pacific Journalism Review, one of the sponsors of the Melanesian Media Freedom Forum inaugural conference at Griffith University in Brisbane. Part one of his report is here.

• Call for PJR papers

Melanesia Media Freedom Forum – Day One:
The problems of operating in the Pacific and the impact of online news and the emergence of “citizen journalists” were common concerns for all delegates to this week’s Melanesian Media Freedom Forum.

The forum, held at Griffith University’s South Bank campus in Brisbane, drew professional and academic delegates from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and West Papua.

During the opening session on Monday, Fred Wesley from the Fiji Times talked about the problems of operating under the Fiji media Act, particularly the provisions which imposed heavy fines and possible prison sentences on individual members of staff as well as the company.

He said he paper had to second guess every day, but was trying to push the boundaries back where it could.

He said The Fiji Times needed to strengthen its online team and be extra vigilant. The Times now needed to be an instant newspaper that operated across several platforms.

Victor Mambor from Tabloid Jubi talked about the pressures of operating in West Papua and the realities of racism, beatings and constant threats and intimidation from Indonesian security forces.

He told the forum he had had a gun held to his head in front of his wife by Indonesian security forces.

He said a growing problem was online provocations from people spreading distorted versions of events.

When the Indonesian government didn’t like the news it simply shut down the internet in West Papua. It also used the online media to spread false stories and make claims that West Papua was not part of Melanesia.

It also tried to control reporting of what was happening so that people were unaware, for instance, of shootings in Jayapura.

He said anybody could become a member of the Indonesian Online Media association for the equivalent of $5. He said it 400,000 members but only 1000 sources.

Georgina Kekea from the Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI) said the media in Solomon Islands had played a role in promoting peace during the ethnic crisis and still had a role to play in promoting peace and development.

There was a need to produce positive stories while still holding the government accountable.

She said there needed to be a way of properly defining and regulating who was a journalist.

She cited a recent example of a government delegation to China which was allocated two spots for journalists, only one of which was filled by an actual journalist. She expressed scepticism about the notion of ‘citizen journalism.’

She said people should not be able claim they were journalists without some method of properly accrediting them.

She suggested this could be done through organisations such as MASI.

Sean Dorney
Melenesian authorities did not want journalists to do their job properly and things were getting worse, Sean Dorney told delegates to this week’s Melanesian Media Freedom Forum.

Dorney, who is regarded by many as the journalist emeritus of Pacific reporting, told delegates they were at the forefront of upholding democracy in Melanesia.

“Keep the fires burning,” he said.

Dorney, who was accompanied by his wife Pauline, herself a former broadcaster, said recent events in Kiribati with a 60 Minutes crew were an example.

He said that despite the version of events that had been circulated the Australian team had done everything it could to ensure it had the proper approvals but were still put under house arrest.

He said the Vanuatu government’s expulsion of Daily Post media director Dan McGarry, who was at the forum, was an example of the same problems occurring in Melanesia.

Dorney said the best option under such circumstances was for members of the media to stick together.

“We don’t have lots of friends in governments,” he said.

“We have to keep up the good fight and keep in touch with each other.”

The work of the media was essential in keeping democracy alive.

“I have nothing but admiration for anybody working in the media in the region,” Dorney said.

• More information

Meg Taylor
The future of many Island states was not guaranteed, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Dame Meg Taylor told an audience at Griffith University’s South Bank campus on Monday night.

Dame Meg said climate change was the biggest threat to the Pacific.

“We live in unprecedented times of change which will test our abilities to respond,” she said.

“Decisions made now will affect what happens for decades to come.”

However, the islands faced other challenges, such as increasing militarism and Dame Meg expressed concern about the spectre of new or reactivated naval bases in the region.

(China has reportedly expressed interested in establishing a naval base in Vanuatu, which has prompted Australia and the United states to consider re-activating the Royal Australian Navy base on Manus in Papua New Guinea – ed)

In her speech, dame Meg, who is nearing the end of her second term in office, said the Forum’s concept of forging a Blue Pacific identity was challenged by climate change and the need to defend and define the borders of its member states.

She was politely scathing of a remark by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who, she said, had referred to the Pacific as empty space.

Dame Meg said the Blue Pacific concept was based round control of the islands resources, ownership of the ocean resources, fighting climate change and creating a new era of autonomy.

While individual island economies were vulnerable and based largely on fishing and tourism, acting collectively the islands would be in a better position.

She said there was an urgent need to invest in small scale resilience projects and opportunities in the face of climate change.

She said it was necessary to weight up the cost of such projects against the cost of the effects of climate change.

• More information

Dr Philip Cass is acting editor of the Pacific Media Centre’s Pacific Journalism Review, one of the sponsors of the Melanesian Media Freedom Forum inaugural conference at Griffith University in Brisbane. Part two of his report is here.

What should we expect for the future of media freedom in the Pacific? And how do we sift through the “bullshit” as emerging journalists? These were two of the many questions raised at the pre-conference keynote for the Melanesian Media Freedom Forum at Griffith University, Brisbane.

Attending on the night where various media professionals, many with extensive careers in the Pacific. A few notable attendees included SBS correspondent Stefan Armbruster, retired foreign correspondent Sean Dorney, radio journalist Pauline Nare and academic Dr Tess Newton Cain.

Key note speaker, Professor David Robie focused the night’s conversation on the lack of media freedom in West Papua with the main issue being the lack of international media attention and its effect on opportunities to make positive humanitarian changes.

READ MORE: WEST PAPUA: PMC director blasts politicians, media over ‘shameful silence’ on rights violations

To date, 528,000 West Papuans have lost their lives to a slow-motion genocide.

Dr Robie and audience members expressed their disgust and concern at the silence and inaction from international governments and the lack of media reporting on these events.

With a death toll as high as this, it becomes clear that the lack of journalistic reporting on this issue is a deliberate decision. This is not a number that can simply be ignored.

Dr Robie likened the media situation in West Papua to the cases of imprisoned female investigative journalists in Iran. The deliberate action of imprisoning critical journalists who are exposing human rights abuses is a mirrored pattern in the Pacific.

However, although there are international journalists being imprisoned there is an exciting emergence of “citizen journalism” a term that describes the creation, collection and distribution of news and information by the public on the internet and social media.

West Papuans are using the resources that they have on the ground and in their hands to capture the human rights abuses they are experiencing and actively sharing these online, forcing open the eyes of the world onto the slow genocide occurring in West Papua.

The “citizen journalism” coming out of West Papua has created global pressure on the Indonesian Government, which initiated a blackout across West Papua on August 21, 2019  in response to the growing unrest. Black spots are still active today in Jayapura and Manokwari.

Coming to the end of the keynote presentation, Dr Robie unfurled the West Papuan flag  from behind the podium. In an act of solidarity, he asked all attendants to stand with him and make the promise that they would endeavour to be honest, passionate and critical journalists when it came to writing about the atrocities in West Papua.

If mainstream media are deliberately choosing not to report on the events in West Papua, then independent journalists must make the conscious decision to do so instead.

As the lecture came to an end it became clear that conversations around West Papua did not simply end with the slideshow. Conversations and deliberate actions of those present following this event are sure to be the catalyst for change for media freedom in not only West Papua but across the Pacific.

Papua Merdeka from Sorong to Samarai.

• Moale James is a student at the University of Queensland undertaking her Bachelor in Journalism. Moale also proudly identifies as a mixed-race Papua New Guinean-Australian.

Pacific Media Centre director Professor David Robie condemned the Australian and New Zealand governments and mainstream media for their “deafening silence” over the West Papua crisis last night.

Speaking in the pre-conference keynote for next month’s Melanesian Media Freedom Forum (MMFF) at Griffith University’s South Bank campus in Brisbane, Dr Robie said Canberra and Wellington needed to get behind the Vanuatu-led Pacific initiatives on West Papuan self-determination or face growing insecurity in the region.

He told the audience – which included experienced “Pacific hands” Dr Tess Newton Cain, Lee Duffield, Sean Dorney, Bob Howarth and Stefan Armbruster – that the 1969 UN-mandated plebiscite on the future of West Papua was a sham and that a fresh vote was needed.

READ MORE: Veronica Koman wins prize for West Papua work

While praising public broadcasters ABC and RNZ Pacific for their coverage of West Papua, Dr Robie described the mainstream commercial media’s reporting of recent protests in Papua as “shameful.”

Dozens of people have been killed and many thousands forced to flee over the past three months as Indonesian military and police clashed with Papuan demonstrators protesting against racism.

Dr Robie said some Pacific media were doing a better job of covering the crisis than mainstream Australian and NZ news organisations.

Dr Robie also said it was embarrassing that international news agencies were doing a better job of covering something “right on our own doorstep”.

“West Papua has generally been poorly covered by New Zealand mainstream media – and only slightly better in Australia – apart from RNZ Pacific and a handful of specialist websites such as the Pacific Media Centre’s Asia Pacific Report,” he said.

Dr Robie spoke about the principles of “human rights journalism” as a guiding framework for covering conflicts in the region.

Journalists with ‘guts’
He commended specific journalists and media practitioners who have incorporated this into their work and “stuck their necks out in defence of a free press.”

“It takes serious guts to do so in the Pacific.”

Scott Waide, Neville Choi and Sincha Dimara from Papua New Guinea’s EMTV were praised as was the Vanuatu Daily Post’s Dan McGarry and the Post Vila-based independent journalist Ben Bohane.

“Fiji’s Simpson @ Eight – Stan Simpson is doing an excellent job on the University of the South Pacific expose at the moment – and Alex Rheeney and Mata’afa Keni Lesa at the Samoa Observer are examples,” he said.

“West Papua Media is one of the networks of citizen journalists which has also played a key role. And Stefan Armbruster of SBS News and Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific are key contributors too.”

“But there are many more journalists who deserve credit.”

MMMF conference
A select group of Pacific journalists will be gathering for the MMFF conference at Griffith University on November 11-12 to map out a media freedom strategy for Melanesia.

Some of their presentations are expected to be published in a special edition of Pacific Journalism Review research journal.

During his keynote, Dr Robie presented a “wish list” for journalist action, including pressing for an impartial investigation into cases of arbitrary arrest and impunity in West Papua; open access to news workers, diplomats and human rights advocates; and a new independent plebiscite on West Papuan self-determination.

After his speech, Dr Robie unfurled the West Papuan flag of independence – the Morning Star – and wrapped it around himself, saying: “Journalists really need to decide where they stand in relation to the issue.”

The whole room of journalists, academics and activists then came up to the front and joined Dr Robie around the flag.

• The Melanesia Media Freedom Forum
• Wamena riot death toll remains shrouded in mystery

Media freedom in Melanesia will be the focus of the next edition of Pacific Journalism Review in partnership the Melanesian Media Freedom Forum with academics and journalists invited to submit papers on the subject.

The research journal will focus on the political and socio-cultural challenges and constraints for a free press in Melanesia.

This will follow a special double edition due to be released this July.

READ MORE:Pacific media freedom and news ‘black holes’ worsen for World Press Freedom Day

PJR editor and director of the Pacific Media Centre Professor David Robie welcomed the opportunity to partner with the forum for the conference in November.

“Media freedom is tracking downwards at the moment and we need a challenging forum like this to clear the air over threats to the region,” he told Pacific Media Watch.

“Also, those courageous journalists in the region who are holding the line need to be celebrated for their work and this will be a tremendous opportunity to uphold media freedom.”

Papers can include but are not restricted to human rights journalism in Melanesia, gender and identity, environmental or climate change journalism, press freedom and the intersection between custom and indigenous knowledge in contemporary Fourth Estate practice.

Other topics
Other journalism topics will be publish as usual in themed editions of the journal.

The deadline for submissions is January 20, 2020.

Pacific Journalism Review is also encouraging presenters to take part  in the Melanesian Media Freedom Forum in Brisbane on November 11/12, 2019.

Co-organised by Griffith University and the Melanesian Media Freedom Group, the forum will give priority to presentation on media freedom in the region, but also welcomes presentations on social justice, human rights, environmental and climate change reporting in the Melanesian media.

Forum co-organiser and director of the journalism programme at Griffith University, Dr Kasun Ubayasiri said the time was right for practitioners, academics and media freedom activists to come together to discuss the changing media landscape in Melanesia.

“We are hearing about increasing threats to media freedom in Melanesia from journalists, editors and media watchers across the sub-region,” he told Pacific Media Watch.

“There seems to be a spread in authoritarian attitudes, policies and practices by governments, often presented under the pretext of ensuring ‘stability’, and the apparent increase in intensity and frequency of threats seem to align with this shift in Melanesian politics.”

Incidents reported
Pacific Media Watch has reported on recent incidents involving such threats and policies in the region:

• Last week in Papua New Guinea, which may face a change in government this week, an opposition politician warned the country’s two foreign-owned daily newspapers that the new government would “deal” to them.
• In Indonesia, the government banned foreign journalists from covering recent electoral proceedings in West Papua.

Dr Ubayasiri, who is co-editing the next edition of PJR, said a free press was vital for a robust and healthy democracy and there was no logical reason to undermine it.

He said he had worked under media restrictions and censorship in South Asia as a former journalist.

“Media freedom is an issue very close to my heart.”

Chair of the Melanesian Media Freedom Group and MMFF co-organiser Dr Tess Newton Cain said she appreciated the challenges to a free media.

Difficult circumstances
“Based on my experience of living and working in Melanesia, I am very well aware of the difficult circumstances in which journalists and media outlets are operating.”

An expert on Melanesia, Dr Newton Cain said she hoped the forum would provide senior members of the industry with an opportunity to come together and address the challenges media freedom faced throughout the region.

Scholars are invited to submit 200-300 word abstracts for conference presentations.

The forum abstracts deadline is June 20, 2019.

• Pacific Media Watch reports on World Press Freedom Day