While
news media in Papua New Guinea (PNG) remain among the most vibrant in
the South Pacific, they faced setbacks in 2011, with allegations of
corruption tainting the independent Media Council of Papua New Guinea
(MCPNG) and a “constitutional coup” in December that effectively left
the country with two prime ministers and two administrations.
Under Section 46 of the constitution, freedoms of
speech, press, and information are guaranteed. Journalists can be sued
for defamation in civil cases, but defamation is not a criminal offense.
In November 2011, the Malaysian timber company Rimbunan Hijau, which
operates the single largest logging operator in PNG and owns the
country’s top-selling daily newspaper, filed a major defamation suit
against its press rival, the Post-Courier, over its coverage of
an official investigation into the company’s logging interests in the
Pomio District of East New Britain Province. The Post-Courier
had reported several stories of police, allegedly sent by Rimbunan
Hijau, assaulting landowners who were unhappy with logging operations in
the area. Threats of defamation suits were also leveled at reporters
covering the sale of the former prime minister’s official jet by the
chief executive officer of the state-owned Air Niugini airline, Wasantha
Kumarasiri.
PNG does not yet have an access to information
law. The MCPNG serves as a buffer against government pressure by
lobbying for media freedom, managing a complaints process, and
undertaking media research. The council also has a well-developed code
of ethics, which member journalists follow. However, the council’s
executive director, Nimo Kama, was suspended in June 2011 after an
independent audit of Australian government funding to the organization
found evidence of fraud.
Threats and harassment against journalists and
attempts to interfere with their work occur occasionally, particularly
in reprisal for investigative reporting on corruption issues. In June
2011, the government banned a reporter with the popular radio station FM
100 from seeking information on the controversial District Services
Improvements Grants and told her that her e-mail messages would be
ignored. However, FM 100 said in a statement that it would not back down
from investigative reporting. A Nau FM reporter was also reportedly
threatened and intimidated in an e-mail message from a staff member at
the MCPNG while investigating the council’s administrative problems.
In August 2011, the majority of Parliament members
rescinded their confidence in Prime Minister Michael Somare while he
was out of the country receiving medical treatment, and voted in former
cabinet minister Peter O’Neill to replace him. O’Neill remained in
office until December, when the Supreme Court ruled that his election
had been unconstitutional and that Somare should be reinstated. However,
O’Neill arranged to be reelected by Parliament in a one-sided vote and
declared himself the legitimate prime minister. Both administrations
refused to back down and conducted media relations as well as the
business of government. Although there were no direct threats or reports
of harassment against the media in connection with the crisis,
relations between politicians and the press became increasingly strained
toward the end of the year.
Both daily newspapers are foreign owned. The Post-Courier is owned by an Australian subsidiary of the U.S.-based News Corporation, while the National,
which has a larger circulation than its older rival, is owned by
Rimbunan Hijau. Broadcast media consist of the main public broadcaster,
the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), as well as several major
commercial radio networks, such as Nau FM and FM 100, and the main
television station, EMTV. A number of the private outlets are owned by
Fijian companies. Radio is an important source of news due to the
country’s isolated settlements and low literacy rates. According to a
media monitoring website, radio news services in PNG are seen as leading
the fight against endemic corruption, whereas newspapers are alleged to
have been compromised by corporate interests.
The government does not restrict access to the
internet, but lack of infrastructure limited internet penetration in the
country to 2 percent of the population in 2011.
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