A RESEARCH column I have written for the monthly Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers Association Bulletin since 1992 was dropped for the first time for the August 2000 edition to make way for three indignant letters responding to my column of the previous month.

In the July 2000 issue I had the audacity to describe the University of the South Pacific's journalism coordinator as one of the many "media heroes" of the Fijian political crisis: "... corageous individuals and organisations who have flown the flag of press freedom by struggling to bring news of the events to international audiences". The offending column had set out to show how Robie extolled the virtues of press freedom through his editorship of the Pacific Journalism Review.

The sarcastic letters lambasted my praise of Robie, accusing me of being ignorant of the "real" media heroes of the Fiji crisis, and defamed Robie in the process.

I remained silent at the time, figuring it was best not to ruffle further feathers while emotions were so exposed and lives were still in danger. Of course I took great delight in devoting my first column this year to announcing the University of the South Pacific's considerable success in the 2000 JEA Ossie awards, quoting judges' comments praising the heroic actions of Robie's students in covering the Fiji crisis.

It seems there is almost a sport in some Pacific circles - "Robie bashing". The former editor and Australian Press council fellow is certainly a figure who attracts polemics, a common response to those rare individuals who are willing to stand and defend treasured principles like press freedom and quality journalism against an unrelenting tide of self-interest, bullying, and political compromise.

So it came as no surprise to see that Robie's latest publishing effort - The Pacific Journalist - received an unfairly critical response from some of Fiji's entrenched media clique. The criticism was, quite simply, undeserved. To the contrary, this 18-chapter introductory text is an admirable achievement. Robie himself contributed seven of the chapters, while other Pacific media practitioners asnd educators wrote the rest.

While its intent was to be an entry-level instructional text and reader for Pacific Island journalism students and a reference tool for Pacific journalists, this book could serve well as a primary resource for Australian and New Zealand students.

There is an appropriate acknowledgement of the excellent three-volume The News Manual (1991), co-authored by David Ingram and the late Peter Henshall when they were lecturing at the University of Papua New Guinea. That was an excellent introductory text with simple English and a wealth of information for the entry-level reporter. I have used it in my classes at Bond University and with cadet journalists from Australia's Rural Press group.

Robie's book boasts many of the excellent features of The News Manual - amusing cartoons, handy graphics, and pertinent Pacific-oriented content. Chapters are divided into six parts covering news and news writing; media law and ethics; print media; broadcast media; online media; and issues in the media. An introductory curriculum could attempt to work through all of this material, although it would better serve as a text for a number of subjects throughout a programme. One shortcoming stems from this attempt to position the book as an all-purpose text and reader. In trying to be a one-stop textbook, it spans a challenging range of material from very basic news writing skills through to a fairly turgid account of the Pacific's coverage of HIV/AIDS in a chapter purportedly addressing techniques for undertaking health reporting. So at times it seems to overstep its brief, occasionally too complex for new recruits and on others too simple for advanced students.

Pacific content is somewhat dominated by examples from Papua New Guinea and Fiji, particularly in the chronology of Pacific media, perhaps because these are the larger centres of both journalism and journalism education in the region.

And despite several warnings throughout the book to beware of copyright breaches, a page mock-up from Harold Evans' excellent Newspaper Design (1976, p133) sneaks into a layout and subediting chapter without attribution.

But these are minor criticisms of a work which truly is a remarkable achievement, rich with instruction for aspiring reporters, and vivid with a Pacific flavour that will make it all the more relevant to its primary target audience.

To think that David Robie can edit and publish a work of this magnitude while fighting battles for the survival and independence of journalism at both UPNG and USP; in the midst of broader political turmoils in both countries; and while guiding his students to produce award-winning journalism reaffirms my decision to place him on a pedestal in that PANPA Bulletin a year ago.

Bring on the counter-attacks, Robie-bashers! The ball's in your court.

References:

Evans, H (1976). Newspaper Design. (2nd ed). Lonon: William Heinemann.

Henshall, P & Ingram, D (1991). The News Manual: A Training Book for Journalists. Sydney: Poroman Press.

Pearson, M (2000, July). "Pacific upheaval prompts reflection on press role". PANPA Bulletin, 192. p17.