Vol 2 No 1, November 1995

CONTENTS

Editorial

Articles

• THE TIMES OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA: AN
  INVESTIGATIVE TRADITION
  By Harlyne Joku
  In May 1995, one of the Pacific's best known newspapers closed. A regional magazine summed up The Times of Papua New Guinea thus: Strength: the diversity of views and efforts to cover national life full. Weakness: Loss of skilled journalists that it develops to organisations like the Post-Courier.

• SELF-CENSORSHIP: THE MOST INSIDIOUS GAG
  By Peter Cronau
  Journalists feel the pressures to conform to the accepted values of their workplace. But those pressures come not just from editors and producers above them, but significantly from the journalist's peers -- their fellow journalists.

• INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN MELANESIA: IS IT NEEDED?
  By Walter Nalangu
  Some argue there is no place for investigative journalism in Melanesia, particularly in Papua New Guinea. Such critics believe that for investigations to be effective then politicians must make changes. A media panel at a UNESCO-funded seminar at the University of Papua New Guinea debates these issues.

• PNG: UNDER THE SPELL
  By Helen Vatsikopoulis
  Corruption and law and order problems beset Papua New Guinea in its 20th year of independence. Says the former Governor of the Central Bank, Sir Mekere Morauta: 'This nation is under the spell of the statement that we are rich. So our riches will deliver us from the evils, from our own evils. They didn't. Where are we now?'

• OPEN SEASON FOR SNIPES
  By James Pinder
  'For 365 days a year, the media cop it from our pollies. But the overseas press are employed to report on the country and its goings on -- not the whims of our politicians, who, whenever they make a boo-boo, claim they are misreported.'

• ATTACKS ON THE PRESS
  By David Robie
  A record 173 journalists were held in prison at the end of 1994 and 72 journalists were killed in the line of duty -- eight more than the previous year. Pacific cases have been cited in monitoring of news media abuses.

• TIME TO LIGHT UP THE NBC AIRWAVES
  By Ian Boden
  'The [Papua New Guinea] National Broadcasting Commission is a shadow of its former self. The provincial Kundu service, following years of neglect, has become an unproductive shambles. The flagship Karai service has a weak signal. And the cash cow Kalang has contributed little.'

• INTERNATIONAL NEWS FLOW COOPERATIVE STUDY
  By Sorariba Nash
  A media cooperative study of foreign news and international news flow in the 1990s is under way. The objective is to define a New World (Dis)order geography of news gathering. Papua New Guinea and other Pacific nations are involved.

• THE COPYRIGHT LAW AND PNG
  By Professor John Nonggorr
  'Papua New Guineans would not be impressed by fancy arguments advanced elsewhere -- that it is immoral to copy somebody else's work and that a country should adopt copyright laws to enhance its international standing.'

• THE DEATH PENALTY: A FLAWED DEBATE
  By William Ferea
  Media debate on the controversy over capital punishment in Papua New Guinea has been emotional. But the arguments have been flawed and distorted.

• DILEMMA FOR FIJI MEDIA AND THE CONSTITUTION
  By Philip Cass
  Fiji prides itself on being at the crossroads of the Pacific and yet the rest of the great ocean remains almost invisible to the Fijian press, to whom the world consists of floods in India, stock prices in Australia and OJ in the US.

• BLEAK MEDIA SCENARIOS CONFRONT VANUATU
  By Kiery Manassah
  Lack of qualified and experienced journalists, a tendency to allow censorship and disregard for the notion of publicly funded broadcasting services belonging to the public hamper freedom of information.

  PINA 1995 CONVENTION IN PNG:
  

• 1 SERVING TRUTH WITH DEVELOPMENT NEWS
  By Sir Julius Chan
  Flawed journalism has sullied Papua New Guinea's good name and built up an unfortunate but valid distrust of the media. The country and its problems have been the victim of shallow journalists unable to look past the bad.

• 2 PEOPLE, NEWS AND GOVERNMENT
  By Sir Charles Maino
  Like all rights and freedoms, freedom of the press sometimes gets a rough handling by various authorities and governments throughout the world. In the Pacific, the right must be preserved for the interest of the people.

• 3 A BLURRED AND DISTORTED VIEW OF PNG
  By Gabriel Dusava
  Some 'mischievous' news media do not present a full portrait based on real life in Papua New Guinea but a caricature -- without the humour of a cartoon -- which too often misses the point.

• 4 SHARE THE WHOLE VISION, GOOD NEWS AND BAD
  By David Robie
  Image-massagers sprucing up Pacific government images aren't enough. While issues such as the raskol problem, land disputes and Bougainville remain unresolved, there will continue to be a 'bad press'.

• 5 REGIONAL CONFLICTS: GETTING BOTH SIDES
  By Sorariba Nash
  How well has the mass media in the South Pacific fared covering military, social and political conflicts in the region -- such as Bougainville? What are the problems encountered by journalists covering such disputes?

• 6 PACIFIC MEDIA AWARDS
  PINA Pacific Media Award winners at the 1995 convention.

• 7 NOW THE NEGATIVE NEWS FROM PARADISE
  By Kunda Dixit
  Pacific countries are increasingly sensitive about media coverage. Singled out for special scrutiny and criticism are the Australian and New Zealand media, which specialise in the region. An Asian perspective.

  PROFILES IN MEDIA
  

• Wendy Bacon: A BULLET AND AN ORCHID
  By Sophie Kuasi
  Wendy Bacon, a winner of the Walkley Award, exposed corrupt activities by some New South Wales police officers and also foreigners implicated in the Fiji coups. Now an academic, Associate Professor Bacon assisted University of PNG's new investigative journalism course.

• Neville Togarewa: A SCOOP IN THE JUNGLE
  By Nimo Kama
  From his observation and association with the three newspaper companies, Neville Togarewa believes in investigative journalism is mostly lacking in Papua New Guinea. However, it is demanding. It involves courages as well as resources.

• Abby Yadi: FROM FISH TO BUSINESS
  By Sophie Kuasi
  Abby Yadi once had his name written on a bullet after taking an inside photograph of a Defence Force helicopter which was published on the front page of the Post-Courier. His family was also threatened during the Bougainville crisis.

• A PHOTOGRAPHER'S DATE WITH A NUCLEAR DEATH *Photos
  By David Robie
  President Jacques Chirac's controversial final round of nuclear tests at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls in 1995 unleashed an unprecedented storm of international protest. And dilemmas for journalists covering the riots in Papeete and the junkets by French authorities. The Vanuatu government banned news reports on protests. A journalist on board the original environmental campaign ship Rainbow Warrior -- bombed by French secret agents a decade ago -- recalls the events. He was later arrested by the French military.

• CAT-AND-MOUSE OVER THE FRENCH NUKES
  By Ekonia Peni
  French nuclear tests and the controversial draft Pacific logging code of practice drew most of the media coverage at the Madang South Pacific Forum meeting. But logging was almost brushed aside by the host country.

Forum

• Give 'new kid on the lock' a fair chance
  Henry Chang, Editor-in-Chief, The National
  
• Tabloid transition
  Peter Cronau, Director, Australian Centre for Independent Journalism
  
• Ancient Remingtons
  David Ingram, National Training Manager, SBS Radio
  
• World-class education
  Dr Suzanna Layton, Lecturer, Department of Journalism, University of Queensland

Reviews

• Nius Bilong Pasifik: Mass Media in the Pacific, edited by David Robie
  Reviewer: Associate Professor Robert Robertson
  
• Pacific Journalism Review
  Reviewer: Peter Miva
  
• PNG: A Fact Book on Modern Papua New Guinea
  Reviewer: David Robie
  
• Politics of the Media, by Ian Ward
  Reviewer: David Robie
  
• Blood on their Banner: Nationalist Struggles in the South Pacific, by David Robie
  Reviewer: Alan Robson
  
• Development and the Environment in Papua New Guinea: An Overview, edited by Hans-Martin Schoell
  Reviewer: Peter Miva
• News on a Knife-edge: Gemini Journalism and a Global Agenda, by Richard Bourne Reviewer: David Robie

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