Journalism diploma, specifically for Pasifika

Pacific Media Centre

A new one-year Graduate Diploma in Pacific Journalism is being offered to fulfil needs in New Zealand's increasingly diverse media environment at AUT University's School of Communication Studies.

Next year is the inaugural year for AUT's new Pacific graduate diploma, a programme spearheaded by Pacific Media Centre director Dr David Robie.

The development of the course follows a global trend towards specialist journalism courses and calls from the Pacific Island Media Association. There is an increasing demand for both more journalists in the growing Pasifika media industry and highly-skilled cross-cultural journalists for the mainstream, says Dr Robie.

This is a logical outcome of the demographic changes in New Zealand, and particularly Auckland.

The diploma targets Pasifika people who wish to enter journalism from another career, journalists and students from around the Pacific region seeking a New Zealand qualification, and Pasifika people already in the media wanting to upgrade their skills with a qualification.

Students will study papers within the Bachelor of Communication Studies in Journalism, as well as value-added Pasifika media papers and other electives that reflect particular interests in the Asia-Pacific region. The core papers include a media industry internship and optional study
of a Pacific language.

Reporting boost
"This new course will be a boost for regional Pacific reporting and will also contribute to a higher Pasifika community profile in the New Zealand media," says Dr Robie. "We hope journalists on this programme will push the boundaries of Pacific reporting in a challenging way."

Tagata Pasifika producer John Utanga says while many Pacific students pass through communications programmes around the country, most do not choose to major in journalism.

“In the current era there is so much more choice, but we know that while some students do the journo component, not enough do,” says Utanga, who is also current chair of AUT’s Pacific Media Centre.

“The bottom line is fewer people have chosen that option over the last few years – hence the reason for getting a Pacific-focused journalism course up and running,” he says.

An appointment of a Pasifika journalist by the School of Communication Studies is expected soon to run this programme. - Margo White

More about the course
AUT offers Pacific qualification - Samoa Observer
Human Rights Commission story
Enrolment information

Media kingpins start new group after divisive PINA resignation

By Josephine Latu, Pacific Media Watch

A group of established media veterans have formed a new group – the Pacific Media Association (PMA) – after this week’s resignation announcement by former vice president of the main regional body, the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) John Woods.

The new media organization includes as key members Samoa Observer founder Savea Sano Malifa, Vanuatu Daily Post editor Marc Neil-Jones, former Fiji Sun publisher now an editor at the Samoa Observer Russell Hunter, Taimi Media Network CEO Kalafi Moala, and Cook Islands News editor John Woods, among others.

Moala said the plan was to support independent media while avoiding organisational bureaucracy, and unlike PINA, the PMA it would be open to members from Australia and New Zealand.

“It’s been long overdue to have an ‘industry driven’ media association in the Pacific whose core values include press freedom and the united and co-ordinated effort to lift Pacific media to a high level of journalistic performance. Our independence is vital if we are going to fulfil our professional duties to our region,” Moala told Pacific Scoop.

Woods resigned earlier this week over alleged lack of transparency and maladministration in PINA, as well as the lack of action over Fiji’s media controls.

“Today’s media freedom situation in Fiji… is totally intolerable. A body like PINA should have led the outrage 24 hours ago. I am ashamed that we have reneged on our constitutional obligation to oppose censorship and media controls in Fiji,” he stated in his letter of resignation, circulated on the Pacific Islands Journalists Online network.

In response, PINA president Moses Stevens told Radio New Zealand that the organisation stood by its approach, stating: “Fiji is not a normal democratic government… It’s a military regime and we cannot deal with the situation as we would deal with a normal democratically elected government.”

PINA is currently based in Fiji, where the media has been heavily censored by the military regime in power.

Lisa Williams Lahari, founder of the Pacific WAVE network, said she was “sad but not surprised” at the recent PINA developments.

“This week’s crisis proves the point that we need to get regional media in order,” she told Pacific Scoop.

“I want an association that’s different from PINA. Anyone who as observed the repeated calls for transparency would know it’s a confirmation there’s a lot of trouble,” she said.

Lahari called for a new approach to regional media in forming alliances with new Pacific advocacy groups and media networks that have formed in the past few years.

She said her organisations, Pacific WAVE network and the Pacific Freedom Forum group, were ready to sign on to the PMA.

It is yet uncertain where in the Pacific the new organisation will be based, although Samoa has been suggested due to its air links and media environment.

Photo: Taimi Media Network CEO and publisher of the Taimi 'o Tonga newspaper Kalafi Moala is one of the founders of the new Pacific Media Association.

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.

New AUT media programme targets Pacific journalists

By Christopher Adams: Pacific Media Centre

A shortage of Pacific Islanders undertaking journalism training in New Zealand will be addressed next year with the introduction of a new course at AUT University.

The Graduate Diploma in Pacific Journalism will incorporate the core papers from the Bachelor in Communications Studies degree with a journalism major, along with electives focusing on the Asia-Pacific region.

Tagata Pasifika producer John Utanga says while many Pacific students pass through communications programmes around the country, most do not choose to major in journalism.

“In the current era there is so much more choice, but we know that while some students do the journo component, not enough do,” says Utanga, who is also current chair of AUT’s Pacific Media Centre.

“The bottom line is fewer people have chosen that option over the last few years – hence the reason for getting a Pacific-focused journalism course up and running,” he says.

Both Utanga and TVNZ Pacific affairs correspondent Barbara Dreaver, along with Tagata Pasifika’s Lisa Taouma, trained on Manukau Institute of Technology’s Pacific journalism course in the late 1980s.

“That was focused on Pacific journalism, and the idea was to get Pacific kids interested in journalism,” says Utanga.

The course closed in 1994 after government funding was phased out, and no similar course has been run since.

Dr Alan Cocker, head of AUT’s School of Communication Studies, says the new course is aimed at Pacific journalists who are already in the industry, but are looking to up-skill.

It is also available for Pacific journalists from the region or other Pasifika people looking for a career change into the media industry.

Diverse communities
“One of the key things is that AUT University, as part of its strategic plan, puts a lot of emphasis on serving the diverse groups of Auckland – particularly the Māori and Pasifika communities.”

Dr Cocker says the creation of the new programme was initiated by Pacific Media Centre director Associate Professor David Robie, who ran similar courses as head of journalism programmes at universities in Fiji and Papua New Guinea before joining AUT.

Dr Robie says the new programme has been “in the pipeline” for about three years while awaiting school and government approval.

A Pacific journalist with “mana in the industry” would be recruited to run the programme.

“AUT University has set itself a strategic goal of becoming the preferred university for Māori and Pasifika students,” he says.

But he adds there is a perception in Pacific communities that journalism is not a “highly desired” career path.

“It’s certainly not well-paid and often Pacific families encourage their young people to go into careers like law or medicine.”

He says the profile of journalism as a career path needs to be raised in Pacific communities.

But despite this, Dr Robie says a “coming of age” is currently taking place in New Zealand-based Pacific journalism.

“Two young, up and coming Pacific journalists have been in Samoa covering the tsunami disaster – the New Zealand Herald’s Vaimoana Tapaleao and Radio New Zealand’s Leilani Momoisea -and they are both graduates of AUT.”

The Graduate Diploma in Pacific Journalism is due to begin in March 2010, and could take up to about a dozen students in its first year.

Christopher Adams is a Graduate Diploma in Journalism student at AUT University.

Graduate Diploma in Pacific Journalism. No fixed deadline for applications, but best to apply early.

See also Pacific Scoop