TUVALU MEDIA TOLD TO BE MORE VIGILANT http://www.pacnews.org

FUNAFUTI: Non-government organisations insist Tuvalu government's tight control over the local media industry is stifling the freedom of expression in the country, Pacnews reports

NGOs and media representatives at a national workshop on democracy said government dictated to the sole radio outlet in Tuvalu, the Tuvalu Media Corporation (TMC), which also publishes the country's monthly newspaper.

They said the TMC's predicament was often misunderstood by the outside world and was similar to the media industry situation in Niue, where the government had full control over its media industry.

A former TMC journalist said she was reprimanded a number of times because of negative reports about the government.

Workshop participants said the media was not independent and free enough to publish reports deemed to paint a bad picture of the government.

A reporter said journalists were not even at liberty to do investigative journalism because of the cultural concerns, and authorities were not cooperative.

However, Kausea Natano - a former senior civil servant and now a candidate for the country's upcoming elections - said TMC reporters and management were ignorant of their rights under the corporate status of the national radio.

He said the whole purpose of turning the national radio into a corporate body was to ensure its independence from government.

Natano said journalists were thus free to take government to task to ensure a more transparent and accountable society.

NGO representatives admitted while their voices were not considered at national level, more needed to be done to educate them on their role.

The president of the Tuvalu National Council of Women, Katalaina Malua, said civil societies in Tuvalu needed training on their role in relation to government. She said NGOs also needed to know how to effectively take advantage of the media as a tool in raising their concerns.

+++niuswire

PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is an independent, non-profit, non-government organisation comprising journalists, lawyers, editors and other media workers, dedicated to examining issues of ethics, accountability, censorship, media freedom and media ownership in the Pacific region. Launched in October 1996, it has links with Journalism Program at the University of the South Pacific, Bushfire-Media, Journalism Studies at the University of PNG (UPNG), the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ), and Pactok Communications, in Sydney and Port Moresby.

© 1996-2002 Copyright - All rights reserved. Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit educational service. Copyright remains the property of the original producers as indicated. Recipients should seek permission from the copyright owner for any publishing. Copyright owners not wishing their materials to be posted by PMW please contact us. The views expressed in material listed by PMW are not necessarily the views of PMW or its members. Recipients should rely on their own inquiries before making decisions based on material listed in PMW. Please copy appeals to PMW and acknowledge source.

For further information, inquiries about joining the Pacific Media Watch listserve, articles for publication, and giving feedback contact Pacific Media Watch at:

E-mail: delaro@clear.net.nz Fax: (+679) 30 5779 or (+612) 9660 1804
Mail: PO Box 9, Annandale, NSW 2038, Australia
or PO Box 78028, Auckland 1002, New Zealand
New website: http://www.pmw.c2o.org

Return to Pacific Media Watch