Niue’s only newspaper turns 30

Last month marks the 30th anniversary since the first issue of Niue Star was published on the 11th of June 1993.  The family owned newspaper is the pride of Michael and Halosi Jackson of Hakupu.  BCN News spoke

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Masiu: Free media must always be the pinnacle of democracy

Papua New Guinea Minister for Communication & Information Technology, Timothy Masiu, has again assured that the anticipated PNG Media Development Policy is not meant to ban or regulate media. His latest comments

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Comparing media law in Fiji and PNG

This piece is the third in a series that addresses media freedom in Papua New Guinea. In this part, the authors compare a media law that was in place in Fiji for years with a proposed media policy in PNG this year.

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Death of a newspaper

The closure of New Caledonia’s only daily newspaper Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes highlights the commercial and political challenges facing media across the Pacific. The death of a newspaper strikes hard — and not

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Samoa in press freedom’s top 20

Samoa has jumped into the top 20 in the latest press freedom index released by the global group Reporters Without Borders out of 180 countries and territories assessed. It is one of only two Pacific nations in the top

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PINA challenges Pacific countries to follow Fiji’s lead and repeal media legislation

The repeal of Fiji’s draconian media law, known as the Media Industry Development Authority (MIDA) Act 2010, should act as a signpost for other Pacific countries who have regulated their media through legislation.

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PNG Communication Minister Masiu denies ‘control of media’

Papua New Guinea’s Communication Minister Timothy Masiu has hit back at reports termed as inaccurate over the control of media in Papua New Guinea from his ministerial statement in Parliament. Masiu said it was

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PNG media under threat

Over his nearly four-year tenure as Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, James Marape has continued to trumpet his slogan – “Take Back PNG”. The trademark phrase, which has similar connotations to former U.S

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No need for Fiji media bill, public consultation told

“We don’t see the need for this bill” was the message of Fiji media veteran, William Parkinson at public submissions on the Media Industry Development Act (MIDA) yesterday. Parkinson, was speaking to a submission

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Pacific Media Institute to host communications and democracy summit in Majuro

The Marshall Islands’ capital, Majuro, will host a first-of-its-kind Pacific summit on communications and democracy next February. Conference organiser, the Pacific Media Institute (PMI), states the summit will

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Courage and impact

Lagipoiva honoured for climate coverage The editor of Pacific Environment Weekly in Samoa, Dr. Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, became the first Pacific Island journalist to receive a ‘Journalists of Courage and

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COVID-19 lessons for public messaging

Whether it was the early reports out of China in late 2019, the World Health Organization’s announcement of a pandemic in March 2020, or the dreaded first official announcement of an in-country case, everyone

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Media Council condemns attack on the media at University of PNG

The Media Council of Papua New Guinea (MCPNG) has condemned an attack by male students at the University of Papua New Guinea on media representatives who were covering a protest march staged by female students on

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Facebook and Pacific news

The importance of Pacific news on Facebook was thrown into sharp relief by the stand-off in January between the Australian government and Facebook over the government’s media code. Facebook closed access to Pacific

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Facebook: Can’t live with it, can’t live without it

Pacific governments face a crucial dilemma with social media. How they react will define our future. The decision this week by Solomon Islands’ cabinet to ban Facebook is wrong, of course. It represents

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Fiji @ 50: Death of a regional giant

Slowly but surely the once mighty Fiji Television Limited has started to crumble, taken apart from within by a combination of government pressure, acquiescent board members and questionable divestments. Last month the

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McGarry barred from Vanuatu

Vanuatu Daily Post journalist Dan McGarry has been stopped from re-entering the country by Vanuatu immigration officials. McGarry was until recently, the Media Director for the Daily Post. However the government earlier

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Fiji calls for media bids

by Anish Chand Media organisations in Fiji which are to tender for government printing and broadcasting services have to show examples of commitment to national unity, national identity development and nation building.

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A win for Fiji Times

Fiji’s High Court in a landmark decision last month cleared the Fiji Times of sedition charges and declared its three newspaper executives free men. The fourth accused, a letter writer to the newspaper’s Fijian

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Media freedom under attack

WITH the trial of three newspaper executives underway in Fiji in May on charges of sedition, the assault of a newspaper journalist in Papua New Guinea, the removal of the general manager and her news manager at the

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Shake up for Radio Australia

New voices for Pacific broadcasters THE Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is once again making changes that will affect broadcasting into the Pacific. From 22 January, ABC’s Radio Australia (RA) will introduce

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Making news in death

Obituary ROSALYN ALBANIEL EVARA 1976 – 2017 IN death, Papua New Guinea journalist, Rosalyn Evara, has shone the spotlight on an issue which often escapes notice in regional news coverage – violence against

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Death in Moresby

Call to probe spousal abuse PACIFIC journalists have called for an investigation into the death of Rosalyn Albaniel Evara – Business Editor of the influential Papua New Guinea newspaper, the Post Courier. Evara died

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The man behind the Panama Papers

GERMAN journalist Frederik Obermaier would never have foreseen how his life would change in a year. He and his colleague Bastian Obermayer (no relation) were investigative reporters for the German newspaper Suddeutsche

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