Lack of reporters, resources big challenge for Pacific media, say local journalists

By Josephine Latu, Pacific Media Watch

A serious lack of reporters and financial resources means that “some stories do not get told”, say some journalists from the region.

Three visiting correspondents from the Pacific Islands, including Samoa Observer editor Mata’afa Keni Lesa, Matangi Tonga photojournalist Linny Folau and Cook Islands News political journalist Nerys Case, discussed the challenges faced by local media at a public forum held on Friday at the University of Auckland.

Folau said that although the Matangi Tonga website – the most popular online source for Tongan news – gets over 60 million hits every year, all reporting is carried out by only herself and the editor, Pesi Fonua.

“The challenge is a lack of resources and trying to remain afloat as a small organization,” she said.

She added that young people in Tonga are “just not attracted to journalism” as a career due to the demands of the profession.

With such a small pool of reporters, Folau said: “The result is that news gets left out. [We] can’t cover everything, daily, and… we have to pick and choose. The challenge is [selecting] what’s more important.”

In the Cooks, the daily newspaper Cook Island News is sustained by only three reporters plus the editor, John Woods.

Nerys Case, originally from the UK, took up the post of political journalist at the paper, after her position was advertised three times with no local applicants.

“There was no interest, it’s not seen as an attractive area of work,” said Case.

Threat of the watchdogs

Due to lack of manpower, local news only trickles to overseas audiences, as the Cook Islands News website is only updated once a week.

Case added that political reporting was especially challenging, as most politicians do not appreciate the watchdog role of media.

“Many believe the media is an irritating fly to be swatted away. They don’t see us as holding them to account – they think we should just leave them alone.”

Meanwhile, the editor of the Samoa Observer, Mata’afa Keni Lesa said that most of Samoa’s journalists do not have proper training. Although the newspaper trains recruits on the job, “as soon as the next job opportunity shows up, they’re gone”, he said.

Lesa added that the Samoa Observer was “the lone voice of opposition” in a one-party state, and was seen by the government as a threat.

From the audience, Lisa Williams-Lahari, founder of the Pacific WAVE Media Network, commented that Samoa had some of the most “punitive” media laws in the region which in some ways, were “worse” than the Fijian regime.

The panel discussion was chaired by University of Auckland’s Dr. Steven Ratuva and also included award winning Samoan journalist at the New Zealand Herald Vaimoana Tapaleao.
The three visiting journalists were in New Zealand on a week-long exchange programme sponsored by NZ’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. As part of the programme, they visited the Beehive in Wellington as well as various media organizations, including meetings with MP’s and leading media professionals.

Pictured Top: Samoa Observer editor Mata'afa Keni Lesa

Above: Panellists - NZ Herald's Vaimoana Tapaleao, Matangi Tonga's Linny Folau, Cook Island News' Nerys Case, University of Auckland's Steven Ratuva (back row), and Samoa Observer's Mata'afa Keni Lesa.

Above right: Founder of Pacific WAVE media network, Cook Island journalist and human rights activist Lisa Williams-Lahari

Josephine Latu is a postgraduate communication studies student from Tonga at AUT University’s Pacific Media Centre who is also contributing editor of Pacific Media Watch.

Young people not interested in journalism careers, say Pacific media veterans

By Gladys Hartson, Pacific Media Watch

Most young Pacific people do not see journalism as a bona fide career path, according to three Pacific Island journalists who are in New Zealand this week as part of an inaugural exchange programme sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).

At a panel discussion held at the University of Auckland Centre for Pacific Studies on Friday, Samoa Observer editor Mata’afa Keni Lesa said that while the challenges faced by island media are “multiple [and] too many to name”, the lack of training, resources, and manpower were key problems.

This also becomes an issue when recruiting new journalists into the newspaper.

“We get some young people coming through with some training – not top of the line training… But still, we train so many people [on the job] but as soon as the next job opportunity shows up, they’re gone,” he said.

Lesa has a small staff of less than ten people.

“We try work hard with what we got”, he added.

From the Cook Islands News daily paper, Nerys Case, a political journalist originally from the UK, said she has seen a “massive loss of population” in Rarotonga, especially as young people leave the country for better job opportunities overseas.

Cook Island News currently only employs three reporters, she said.

“There seems to be no interest from the young people to become journalists. It’s not seen as attractive”.

Similarly, Matangi Tonga Online photojournalist Linny Folau said that although there is a journalism training programme in Tonga that targets high school leavers for certificate and diploma qualifications, the number of enrolments are low.

“Maybe they think it’s too demanding… Some go through the programme and get the knowledge but after working in the industry, they don’t like it,” she said.

New Zealand Pacific media

Meanwhile, award winning journalist from the New Zealand Herald Vaimoana Tapaleao said there is a real lack of Pacific journalists in mainstream media in New Zealand.

As a result, “huge expectations” are placed on the few Pacific staff in mainstream to cover and be knowledgeable about all things Pacific.

Tapaleao encouraged more young Pacific people to pursue a career in journalism, in order to fill this gap and bring more Pacific –relevant stories into the mainstream.

“When you walk into our office, you can tell straight away there’s only one islander, and the only other Polynesian I know is the Maori Affairs reporter,” she said.

Participants discussed the possibilities of having more opportunities for NZ-based Pacific journalists to spend time with their colleagues in the islands, as part of an ongoing exchange programme.

Gladys Hartson is a Graduate Diploma in Journalism student at AUT University and is working with Pacific Media Watch.

Pacific journalists visit PMC on MFAT exchange

Pacific Media Centre

Two Pacific journalists, along with representatives from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) met with the Pacific Media Centre team on Thursday June 24th to build networks and get familiarised with the centre's activities.

Editor of the Samoa Observer Mata'afa Keni Lesa and Cook Islands News political journalist Nerys Chase were accompanied by senior diplomat and director of the Auckland MFAT office Warwick Hawker and senior policy officer for the Pacific Division Helen Tunnah.

Matangi Tonga photojournalist Linny Folau could not make it due to illness.

Over a light brunch, the visitors were shown a promo video about the centre produced by former AUT communications students John Pulu and Sophie Johnson, followed by a Powerpoint presentation by Pacific Media Watch contributing editor Josephine Latu outlining the work of the organization. This covered a range of PMC projects in journalism training, research and news production.

Highlights included the twice-annual Pacific Journalism Review academic journal published by the centre, the new Graduate Diploma in Pacific Journalism programme to begin at AUT next year, the on-going Pacific Media Watch project, and the increasingly popular student-driven news website Pacific Scoop, a joint venture with independent media organization Scoop.

Reliance on international collaboration and networking with universities and associates in the region was also highlighted. Discussions about media developments followed.

Present at the meeting were PMC Asia Pacific Editor and Pacific Scoop co-editor Selwyn Manning, PMW contributing editor Josephine Latu, PMW reporter Gladys Hartson-Shingles, post-graduate student Tupouseini Taumoepeau, and former Fiji Post publisher and MA student Thakur Ranjit Singh. AUT Pasifika student advisor Isabella Rasch also attended briefly with a student.

In the photo (fromt left): MA student and Fiji political commentator Thakur Ranjit Singh, Cook Islands News political journalist Nerys Case, Samoa Observer editor Mata'afa Keni Lesa, PMW reporter Gladys Hartson, PMW contributing editor Josephine Latu, AUT post-graduate student Tupouseini Taumoepeau, Pacific Scoop editor Selwyn Manning and MFAT senior policy officer, Pacific Division Helen Tunnah.

Pacific journalists to visit PMC this week

Pacific Media Watch

Three Pacific journalists from Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands will be visiting the Pacific Media Centre this Thursday as part of a week-long exchange programme sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, focussing on policy and social issues as well as political journalism in the Pacific region.

The visiting journalists include Samoa Observer editor Mata'afa Keni Lesa, who is also the Samoa correspondent for Reuters, AFP and the Associated Press; Matangi Tonga Online photojournalist Linny Folau, who covered key stories such as the MV Princess Ashika sinking and Royal Commission of Inquiry hearings in Tonga; and Cook Island News political reporter Nerys Case, who has held a number of senior editorial positions in various magazine publications in the UK.

The journalists will also be visiting other established media organizations such as TVNZ and Spasifik magazine as part of their tour.

For more information on their PMC meeting (Thursday, June 24, 10am -12pm, AUT Tower WT002): See a flyer