Internet media developments have had a far-reaching impact on journalism education in the South Pacific, particularly Papua New Guinea and Fiji. This is a commentary on how, more than a decade after the military coups, the post-coup 1990 Constitution of Fiji casts a shadow on media and journalism education methodology, in spite of the new "free speech" 1997 Constitution (which became effective in July 1998). The multiracial Fiji Labour Party-led government, elected in May 1999, has promised a more liberal approach to the news media.
David Robie
University of South Pacific, Fiji Islands
Use of the Internet as a news media resource in the Pacific was pioneered by University of Papua New Guinea in 1996 when it established its first online newspaper and archives website. Activity has since moved to the University of Hawai'i -East West Centre, with its Pacific Islands Report news site, and the University of the South Pacific's regional Pacific Journalism Online. Over the past two years, there has been a proliferation of online newspapers in the Pacific, initially in Papua New Guinea, where all three of the country's English-language papers are now online. The value of news websites was realised by the PNG media which "gained high profiles internationally, especially during the Sandline mercenary crisis and its aftermath" (Robie 1997: 61).
News websites have been developed in many locations in the Pacific including American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Vanuatu, and New Zealand, where an online Tongan newspaper is produced. However, in Fiji -- the second major news industry nation of the region -- most media have been slow to use the medium due to political pressure in Fiji -- even from other news media quarters -- to curb or control independent news and research websites. A controversy in August 1998, described by some as the first "freedom of the Internet" case in the region, surfaced, ironically, just four weeks after the country's new Constitution took effect on 27 July 1998. The constitution guarantees freedom of expression and the press along the lines of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This article examines the background of the controversy and the media dilemmas it poses to a country where freedom of speech has remained a sensitive issue ever since the military coups of 1987. It also examines the implications of the controversy for the region in relation to issues of media truth, fairness and balance, and to the future of journalism training and education.
(Issue No. 6)