Pacific Journalism Review (Pacific Media Centre, School of Communication Studies, Auckland University of Technology)
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Noted: Reporting guide for a crisis: Review of HIV/AIDS Media Guide and Research Report on the Media's Reporting of HIV/AIDS, by Ruth Polland and Emma Walters
No full textThe booklet, published by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and sponsored by the Swedish Trade Union movement, is divided into three parts: the basics, the media and more about HIV. It provides answers to frequently asked questions and presents explanations on transmission, treatments, oppurtunistic infections and alternative terms to use so as to avoid promoting misconceptions about people living with HIV and AIDS. These sections are extremly useful, especially for their clarity and precision. 
Tuning in: Does TV news influence the political process in Fiji?
Get PDFLocal television news programmes in Fiji have been the most watched programmes for the entire 13-year history of broadcast television in the country. Although survey polls consistently show that television news is extremely popular, the influence it may have due to its popularity has not previously been investigated. This article is based on a study examining the influence that television news programmes have on communities in Fiji. The study shows that the influence of TV news is complex and is interwoven with cultural, economic and political contexts. Findings for the study indicate television news is not only an influential source of information, but that it is also an agenda setter for Fiji public opinion. The research conducted indicates that television news influenced people in Fiji before the 2006 general election. While this influence did not necessarily change the way people voted, it may have helped set the political agenda. Television news may not only be informing the public about forces that shape their lives, but it may be a shaping force itself
Commentary: Pasifika media in the digital era
No full textThe proportion of people who identified as Pacific Islanders in New Zealand grew by 14.7 percent to 265,974 in the 2005 Census. Overall, Pacific people now comprise almost 7 percent of the total New Zealand population. As the Pacific communities have grown, so have the Pasifika media developed and grown. Today, most of the Pacific Islands community has become well served by radio, newspapers, online media and, to a lesser extent, television—but not well served by mainstream media. Almost all of the media services are owned/and or operated by Pacific Islands businesses or organisations based either in New Zealand or in the Islands. This commentary outlines the state of Pasifika media in New Zealand and the challenges ahead for telling Pacific stories in the digital era
Fiji 2000: Journalists and the George Speight coup: REPORTING THE FIJI COUPS
No full textMuch criticism of both the local and international media’s role during the May 2000 coup in Fiji emerged after the crisis. Critics included editors and journalists of the local and international media and political and historical analysts who knew the ‘real reasons’ behind the coup and did not see this being reported. This article analyses interviews with 17 journalists, 13 local four foreign reporters, who covered the coup, and their reaction to criticisms made against them over coverage. It also assesses possible effects on some journalists by the so-called Stockholm syndrome because of their close association with businessman George Speight and his fellow captors who held the Mahendra Chaudhry government hostage for 56 days
Sydney freelance journalists and the notion of professionalism
Get PDFFreelance journalists experience constraints in their practice which impact upon their independence; yet they invoke the idea of professionalism similar to that of the employed journalists to justify their position as journalists. However, the reality of their practice makes them accept the imperative of the rules of game set by news managers and others, which significantly compromises their independence. An in-depth interview of freelance journalists working in print media in Sydney, Australia, reveal that this is a true analysis of the prevailing situation for the freelance journalists, making their claim of professionalism weak. However, the complexity of the situation is manifested in a strong sense of public service prevalent among Sydney freelancers. As freelance journalists are becoming significant in number in many parts of the word (IFJ, 1999), the question of professionalism in freelance journalists should be considered as an important aspect in any comprehensive discussion on journalism. 
Information provision and restriction: The roles of the police, media and public in coverage of the Coral-Ellen Burrows murder inquiry
Get PDFSix-year-old Coral-Ellen Burrows disappeared in September 2003 after her stepfather, Stephen Williams, had apparently dropped her off at school, though in fact he had murdered her. After extensive searches, her body was found 10 days later. Williams pleaded guilty to murder and was duly sentenced. The intensive cross-media coverage of the search for Coral-Ellen—of the kind that Innes (1999) commenting on media and police interactions in Britain calls ‘blitz coverage’, made this case the pre-eminent news story of 2003. However, the attenuated nature of the search also exposed some of the tensions inherent in the relationships between those parties interested in the case. We understand these to consist of six entities which have an existence that is both material and conceptual: these are the victim’s family, possible suspects, the local community, the police, the media, and the national public, in this case envisaged in a dual role as wider community and media-audience. All of these stand in relationship to the more abstract yet rigid institution of the law, whose dictates guide the behaviour of the police, and strongly influence that of the media. This paper reports on research carried out by analysis ofNew Zealand Herald, Wairarapa Times-Age and TV One coverage of the case, and by two interviews with journalists investigating the forces that shaped the media coverage
Commentary: Small Pacific states and media freedom: A Kiribati case study
No full textFor more than 50 years, the governments of Kiribati have manipulated the affairs of the Broadcasting and Publications Authority (BPA). The authority runs a radio station and newspaper reaching the majority of the population of Kiribati. The interference is simply a warning to those working for the authority that they do not have freedom to inform the public. In practice, the political opposition would oppose this interference, describing it as draconian and demanding more media freedom. But when the opposition came to power, it would also restrict the work of journalists. Thus reporters have often been caught in the crossfire between the politicians and are fearful of their future. Some journalists have been accused of being anti-government or sanctioning stories that embarrass the political leaders. This commentary explains—from the firsthand experience of this journalist—why in the digital era small Pacific nations such as Kiribati face a more fundamental issue: protecting the public’s right to know
Still European and female, but older: Profiling the New Zealand journalist: Research report
No full textThis survey (n=514) updates and extends previous surveys of New Zealand journalists, by measuring attitudes to resourcing, news coverage, ethics and standards, changing technology, ownership and other topics. Reasonably broad coverage of print, broadcast and internet journalists was achieved. Low pay and a lack of support and training, rather than staff numbers, were the standout concerns. Most respondents believed coverage of local, political, business and features was good, while sports achieved the highest rating and foreign coverage the lowest. Respondents generally rated ethics and standards as important, and while they had concerns about sensationalism, they did not seek more regulation. They considered the media was generally performing its watchdog role well, but had concerns about the impact of decreasing resources (especially staff numbers, levels of experience, and time to develop in-depth investigations) on that watchdog role, as well as the impact of changing technology, commercial and advertising pressures. They were evenly divided between antagonism and tolerance in their stances towards public relations. Respondents’ political views were generally neutral or slightly left. There were significant differences across gender, job status, employer and age in many of the results. Demographic data suggest the workforce is becoming more feminised, (as earlier surveys have suggested), with disproportionate numbers of younger women and older men, and an apparent pay disparity between males and females
Noted: Dual purpose resource for media freedom: Review of Freedom of the Press 2006: A global survey of Media Independence, edited by Karin Deutsch Karlekar
No full text"Just how many surveys of the world press freedom do we need? One view is that there can never be enough because, every time Freedom House, Reporters San Frontiéres, the International Federation of Journalists or the Committee to Protect Journalists releases one, the message of media freedom is disseminated. Of course, the counter argument is that the same message loses its impact when so many competing non-governmental organisations announce their various lists derived form different formulae...
Noted: Crucial democracy media role: Review of Pacific Futures, edited by Michael Powles
No full textMany chapters in Pacific Futures examine the exclusive and thorny nature of democracy and its weaknesses in the region, governance problems, the tension between human rights and culture, law reform and nation-building, neo-liberalism and the 'disciplining' of Pacific Island states, and 'whose Oceania'—contending visions of community.