Pacific Media Centre: pmw2627The Pacific Media Watch freedom of expression monitoring project at AUT University has been awarded a $15,000 development grant to expand its regional database and journalism resource.
The PMW project was adopted by AUT’s Pacific Media Centre in 2007 and has been developed by Pacific Islands contributing editors based in the School of Communication Studies for the past three years.
Previously, the project had been steered by journalists in the region working as vo
lunteers.A grant has now been awarded by the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust to the PMC which will enable the project to expand its educational and research role for the region and to enhance the involvement of postgraduate student journalists.
“This is an important development for us and will enable the PMC to significantly improve the resources made available through the university’s PMW database and integrate it with other digital developments planned by the centre for later this year,” says PMC director Associate Professor David Robie.
Contributing editor of the project for the past 18 months has been Josephine Latu of Ton
ga. She followed Taberannang Korauaba of Kiribati who worked on the project in 2007.Other AUT postgraduate student journalists have also contributed to the text, video and audio resource, which links to the new regional news website Pacific Scoop.
Pacific Media Watch was originally established at the University of Technology, Sydney, and University of Papua New Guinea in 1996.
Background on Pacific Media Watch
The PMW database is at: www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz
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6 comments:
Dear David,
I read with delight about the $15,000 grant to the PMC to expand its database and journalism resource.
Please extend my congratulations to the team on this achievement.
We are in awe of the wonderful work you are doing in the field of Pacific media and look forward to seeing the expanded resources.
Best wishes,
Mark
Congrats to David Robie and team at AUT for their tireless efforts and there will never be enough grants to recognise that excellence!
To Josephine Latu and other student editors to come, all the best with this important and much needed work.
akamaroiroi,
onwards, lis
You deserve congratulations and a mention in next year's Honour's List!
Croz
kia orana and congrats PMW !
Recognition of this sort is long, long overdue. Compared with the volunteer time, PMW should get ten times that, at least.
Starting in 1996 from PNG, no other news organisation of any sort in or outside the region has covered leading media and regional affairs with as little resource, or as for long, by people so few in number.
The grant is mere pittance compared to what this institution of Pacific journalism should be getting. So congratulations to the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust at AUT for providing regional leadership.
PMW updates prompt plenty of debate within the region, now globally thanks to their partnership with Scoop news agency.
Like any other organisation, PMW has its critics, including me, on occasion.
Implicit in any criticism from me is recognition and deep, unhesitant respect.
My own newspaper lasted only 4 years. PMW will be 15 in 2011 next year - and the $15,000 grant will help ensure it gets there.
Point to remember, on this occasion, is that PMW is an example of a news media pioneer, and remains so. Even today, older organisations like PIBA, PINA or PACNEWS rarely attain as much coverage on media issues.
If I was a donor seeking to make long-term impact, I would be funding internships for young Pacific journalists to make their way here to Aotearoa. Six week or month internships would give intending students time to culturally acclimatise before uni, maximising study efficiencies.
Short term, they still need help with just about everything.
Again, respect and congratulations,
kia toa,
jason
Hi David,
Congratulations on finally getting a grant to ensure the future of PMW !
It's great to see the project able to continue.
Cheers,
Peter
Well done!
Titi
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