the Pacific Islands

Press freedom in the Pacific Islands

Debbie Singh

Spc, Noumea

It has often been said that a country cannot be fully democratic unless it can boast a free press. But what exactly is a “free-press”? And how does one define press freedom in the context of media own ership, control, development, human rights and globalisa tion? The South Pacific Commission in New Caledonia played host to a regional communications conference in December 1997.

The meeting was organised by Radio France Overseas (RFO) and the Noumea based University of Communication. It was attended by both regional and international media personalities and has as its theme “Globalisation and the Islands”. Among topics dis cussed was media freedom and democracy in the Pacific Island region. I have chosen to tackle the topic from a development and human rights perspective, particularly in terms of the influential role the media can play in ensuring sustained, democratic devel opment of the region. It is clear that information is vital for the empowerment of people both as individuals, communities, groups and nations, now more so than ever as the world moves into the new millennium and increasing emphasis being placed on infor mation, communication, information technology and exchange.

The latter being particularly evident with the advent of the inter net and the democratisation of information via this network.

The mainstream news media, as we know, is a powerful force.

It is a shaper of opinions and ideology. It is what links the public with national and international events. It is often a mover and a shaker. The media has and will continue to play a large and cru cial role in launching the Pacific Island region into the 21st Century. And it is in this context that a free and informed press is vital to the democratic development of a nation. Ideally, it should also add to efforts to ensure the full and equal participation of its people in nation-building and national development. But, nothing comes without a price. And the price tag on any form if freedom is usually quite high. Coupled with freedom and independence also comes responsibility and accountability - for actions, state ments and opinions. And subsequently, the need for fair, accurate and objective reporting - that will lead to the sustained democrat ic development of nations and their people.

The Pacific Island region can be proud to boast a rich and vibrant press - one that is in tune with its cultural heritage; yet abreast of current national, regional and global affairs - the latter feature placing many Pacific media organisations on par with our more “advanced” neighbours, Australia and New Zealand.

While the regional media in this part of the world many not often have the same approach, equipment, resources (both human and financial) or technology to ensure the efficient and timely

covering of events as out larger neighbours , this has not deterred us from effectively pursuing and actively breaking major news stories. Some of these have sent turbulent waves through govern ments and subsequently led citizens to voice their concerns in a more informed, active manner and enhanced their participation in the governance of their respective nations.

Information is power. And with power comes the need for accountability and responsibility. It is, therefore imperative that we, as journalists, exercise this responsibility in ensuring facts are reported accurately, particularly in terms of the public’s “right to know” versus objectivity and fairness. This exercise of responsi bility is what I feel a democratic media is truly about - the ability to report facts, inform the masses, question injustices and abuses, raise awareness and provide an open forum for discussion - with the end result being empowerment of the masses to make up their own minds on issues - all within the framework of a mature, responsible and fully democratic press. The Pacific Island region is evolving, rich, diverse and dynamic. Pacific Island countries and territories are developing at differing paces - thus the dissem ination of information through any type of media must reflect and accommodate these varied rates of development and should ideal ly, include the needs of those “on the ground”, that is, at the local level. For instance, how can one define the information needs of tiny Niue in comparison to vast Papua New Guinea? Literacy lev els, geographical diversity, infrastructure and skills are a few fac tors that come into play here. It is here that the concept and prac tice of what I loosely term “journalism for development” plays a vital role. And how is this achievable in the context of our present topic? In discussion media freedom and democracy, I would say it is certainly necessary to look at the topic in a broad context.

Basically, this means the way in which news is covered. Who decides what makes the news, cross-cuts, influences and impacts on nations, on smaller communities, on groups, families and indi viduals. This should entail that the news be reported from forward thinking perspective; in that, the question; what happens after the opinion, interest and outcry have been generated - must be addressed to ensure the problem does not become “yesterday’s news”. Looking at the picture in this context, it is clearly evident that the opinions of the media are, to a great extent, what general ly rule. Certainly, the media plays an initial, crucial role in formu lating public opinion. Does this mean that journalists should take over the running of a country? Well, not quite. However, the media and the journalists who comprise it have huge power and influence to make or break - be that governments, individuals or institutions. Our media are directly contributing to the develop ment of the Pacific Island region - be that through uncovering of injustices and corruption or reporting on the lack of sanitation and water in a Pacific village. And it is here that I would raise these few questions: How does the news of the day not only inform but also empower the masses? How does it account for the needs of everyone, bearing in mind the special features of our region?

What is its effect and impact in terms of raising public awareness of raising public awareness of issues? Is its message effectively heard at the grassroots or local level? Does it advocate on behalf of marginal groups such as indigenous people, youth and women?

Does it address their problems? Or ignore them completely?

These are some questions which in my view, hiust be answered to enable our regional news media to fully participate in the sus tained democratic development of Pacific Island countries and territories.