The president of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), the region’s main body for news organisations, has called for greater protection for journalists who report on organised crime networks. Kalafi Moala made the call at a panel discussion on organised crime in Savusavu, on Vanua Levu, as Pacific media professionals gathered in Fiji for this year’s PINA Media Summit, according to RNZ.
Key facts
- Moala, who is also RNZ Pacific’s correspondent in Tonga, said journalists investigating drug trafficking face increasing threats to their personal safety, RNZ reported.
- He recalled an incident involving a journalist from Tonga’s Kele’a newspaper who reported on Tongan gangs: a gang member went to the newspaper’s office the following day and threatened the journalist.
- Moala said that in Tonga alone, organised crime has become more sophisticated.
- More than 200 people are taking part in the summit, and Moala said it is PINA’s biggest gathering yet, according to RNZ. Ahead of the event, FBC News reported that more than 120 media personnel from across the Pacific would convene.
- FBC News reported the 8th Pacific Media Summit is being held at the Wasawasa Lodge in Savusavu, co-hosted by PINA and the Fijian Media Association (FMA), the body representing Fiji’s news organisations, and is in Fiji after a lapse of 14 years.
- Rosi Doviverata of Women in Media Fiji said reporters can sometimes wait two or three months for responses from government ministries, RNZ reported.
Why it matters
Moala said that as crime grows, continued reporting and scrutiny are needed, but journalists must be protected from threats and violence while doing their job, according to RNZ. The call lands as Pacific governments weigh how the state should respond to organised crime and as cocaine detections across the region have risen.
For readers in Fiji and the diaspora, the summit is the region’s biggest media gathering, and the issues raised there — safety, access to official information, and training — shape what newsrooms can report back home.
What Moala told the summit
Moala told RNZ Pacific he hoped the summit would address fundamental issues facing journalism in the region, listing storytelling, engagement with government and other powers, research and fact-checking.
He said those basics need to be brought back and re-emphasised in training, and gave a reason: a lot of young people are coming into the profession. On PINA’s role, he said the association lets members stand together on the key principles of the profession, adding that “it is always better to stand together than to stand alone,” as quoted by RNZ.
The training point sits alongside journalism training in the same town, where the summit is being staged.
Access to information a barrier for women in media
Speaking before the launch of the summit in Savusavu, Doviverata said Pacific women in media continue to face challenges in the industry, including accessing information from government agencies, RNZ reported.
She said delays in responses can hold up reporting on issues affecting communities. Doviverata told RNZ’s Pacific Waves programme that the wait is frustrating, and that people in the community ask why a story has not been reported when the newsroom is still waiting on ministries to respond.
Background: the summit’s return to Fiji
FBC News reported that FMA General Secretary Stanley Simpson said the last time the summit was held in Fiji, in 2012, media organisations were living under censorship and some journalists refused to attend. Simpson said the Savusavu summit “celebrates all we have overcome on this ongoing journey and how we can continue to strengthen a democratic blue Pacific.”
Simpson said organisers deliberately took the region’s biggest media gathering out of Suva and into Vanua Levu, closer to some of the communities newsrooms struggle hardest to serve. He said the programme would also discuss how AI and digital innovation, while posing challenges, can offer solutions.
The two accounts differ on the size of the gathering. FBC News, reporting on September 16, put attendance at more than 120 media personnel; RNZ, reporting on September 23 from Savusavu, said more than 200 people are taking part. The reports also differ on the opening date, with FBC News naming September 22 and RNZ saying the summit officially begins on Wednesday. The same RNZ report was republished by Scoop.
Neither report names any new protection mechanism, funding commitment or government response to Moala’s call.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the summit formally open, and who is representing the Fiji Government?
FBC News reported ahead of the event that Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka would open the summit on September 22, and that Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica would represent the Fiji Government on the opening High-Level Panel on September 23. RNZ, reporting on September 23, said the summit officially begins on Wednesday.
What is on the summit programme?
According to FMA General Secretary Stanley Simpson, quoted by FBC News, the main programme in Savusavu covers press freedom, media sustainability, climate and disaster reporting, artificial intelligence and digital innovation, public broadcast funding, independence, and inclusive media leadership.
What happened the last time the summit was held in Fiji?
Simpson told FBC News that when the summit was last held in Fiji in 2012, media organisations were living under censorship and some journalists refused to attend. He said the Savusavu gathering celebrates what the region’s media has overcome since.
What does Women in Media Fiji say helps female Pacific reporters advance?
Rosi Doviverata of Women in Media Fiji told RNZ’s Pacific Waves that support from colleagues and editors helps female reporters progress in their careers. She said that in Fiji, “we are where we are because of that male allyship,” and that the organisation is active and engaging with different organisations because of that support.
