Media Freedom Week in Papua New Guinea

Overview

The Media Council of Papua New Guinea will be implementing a cluster of events to commemorate World Press Freedom Day and advocate for media freedom in PNG from May 3-9.

The events will comprise theme movies, media breakfast, media freedom music festival, media sector and community engagements through forums and concerts, and formal dinner with national leaders and international guests.

Events will also be hosted in Port Moresby and Lae. 

Goal

Advocate for Media Freedom in PNG by 2020 by addressing the inadequate support and action for media freedom in PNG by the State, civil society and the media profession in terms of newsroom decisions and self-censorship. 

Objectives

            • Promote freedom of expression and freedom of the press (media) as a basic human right as enshrined in Article 19 (XIX) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

            • Promote Freedom of media as qualified under section 46 of PNG Constitution, and Freedom of information as a qualified right under Section 51, Right to Freedom of Information. 

            • Promote liberation of media from State restrictions, internal restraints by the management of media outlets, and inadequate support from the civil society for a free and responsible media.

            • Promote interaction and interdependence of the media; civil society, private sector and the State.

Events

            • Movie marathon

            • Media breakfast

            • Music for Media Freedom Festival

            • Media freedom dinner

            • Civil society engagement ( concerts/ speeches)

 

 

2009 WALK AGAINST CORRUPTION

"Corruption is Everyone's Business. What have You Done About It?"

 

From TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL PAPUA NEW GUINEA

 

The 2009 Walk Against Corruption was launched at the Government Haus on Friday 17th April 2009 by the Governor General, Grand Chief Sir Paulias Matane. The silently suffering majority of Papua New Guineans are privileged because we will have Sir Paulias, a grand champion in the fight against corruption to be leading the 2009 Walk Against Corruption in Kokopo which has attracted immense support from that region of PNG. Private sector entities, public sector agencies, SOE's, NGOs, civil society organisations, all Papua New Guineans and friends of PNG, your support is very vital for us to build a movement against corruption in Papua New Guinea. Corruption has become very entrenched in our society. It will take an equally powerful force to bust it. We won't beat it over night; neither can we eradicate it completely. In a country that is gravely ill with corruption, we can't expect other countries to drink our medicine. We have to drink it ourselves to heal the ailment of corruption. With our efforts today we can trust more and more Papua New Guineans will reject corruption tomorrow. Only with your support we will be able to put action to words on the 14th of June and get those in positions of authority to bring out to light and account for the following cases and many more that have been botched up, sliced and diced and swept under the carpet: 1. Taiwan Dollar for Diplomacy scandal, 2. US$40 million Singapore account and the 3. Moti Affair. As citizens and friends of Papua New Guinea we should be very concerned about the gross mismanagement and the resulting opportunity cost of mismanaging the nations public funds. Every day we hear and read about horrifying stories of money being spent to serve the interests of a handful in a country that is so rich, yet so poor as indicated by the social and economic indicators.

The Walks Against Corruption will be held concurrently on the 14th of June in Port Moresby and Kokopo. Walk Against Corruption Details: Date: Sunday 14th June 2009 Assembling Time: 5:30 am To be held in: Port Moresby and Kokopo Port Moresby Assembling Venue: Murray Barracks Ovals Route: 3 Mile Rd, Angau Drive, Lahara Service Station and back to Murray Barracks Ovals Price: K2000.00 per team of 10 for corporate entities and K200 to sponsor a school team by corporate entities. Please contact Henry Yamo on phone 320 2188 / 320 2182 or email tipng.communications@daltron.com.pg to sponsor a team.

Below is a list of corporate and individual leaders who will be putting action to words having registered teams to participate in the 2009 Walk Against Corruption.
Will you join us or, pass the buck to someone else to fight your battles in the corruption battle field?

Entity

1. PNG Ports Corporation 2. Mirupasi Lawyers 3. British American Tobacco 4. JDA Wokman Ltd 5. Gadens Lawyers 6. UMW Limited 7. Monier Limited 8. Lands & Physical Planning 9. Graffiti Signs 10. Mineral Resource Authority 11. Eda Ranu 12. PNG Power 13. Lihir Gold Limited 14. Investment Promotion Authority 15. National Research Institute (NRI) 16. Institute of National Affairs 17. Monian 18. Gadens Lawyers 19. PNG Motors 20. NASFUND 21. NASFUND Contributors Savings & Loans

Thanks to the above organisations we have registered 25 corporate teams and 10 school teams so far.
We need 100 more teams to put some grunt into action to show our complete rejection of corruption.
With bigger and better economic times for PNG ahead, it is high time we put the brakes on corruption or it will be history when the major economic resources have been depleted.

 

Annual District Thanksgiving & Wok Misin Sunday (please click to enlarge image)

World Press Freedom Day

Happy World Press Freedom Day,

 Every year, May 3 is dedicated to World Press Freedom; to remember, celebrate and emphasise the importance of press freedom, which is crucial for the functioning of a healthy democratic and free society.

This year, World Press Freedom Day will be celebrated in Papua New Guinea with events in Port Moresby and Lae over this week, and termed as “Media Freedom Week”, where the central theme will be 'Media Freedom is your Right'.

International guests including Ray Martin and Simon Dring will join PNG in celebrating its media freedom events, and so please invite as many stakeholders as possible through your contacts.

Please find attached some useful resources for Editorial, Adverts, Cartoons, and Photos on http://www.worldpressfreedomday.org/ from the  World Association of Newspapers (WAN).

 

 

Press freedom declines in every region, says Freedom House

Israel, Italy and Hong Kong lose 'free' status
www.freedomhouse.org

WASHINGTON (Freedom House /Pacific Media Watch):  Journalists faced an increasingly grim working environment in 2008, with global press freedom declining for a seventh straight year and deterioration occurring for the first time in every region, according to Freedom House's annual media study. The rollback was not confined to traditionally authoritarian states; with Israel, Italy and Hong Kong slipping from the study's Free category to Partly Free status.

"The journalism profession today is up against the ropes and fighting to stay alive, as pressures from governments, other powerful actors and the global economic crisis take an enormous toll," said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House executive director.

"The press is democracy's first defence and its vulnerability has enormous implications for democracy if journalists are not able to carry out their traditional watchdog role."

Freedom House formally released its findings from Freedom of the Press 2009 on Friday, May 1 at 10 a.m. in Washington in front of the organisation's giant Map of Press Freedom at the Newseum:  www.freedomhouse.org

The study indicates that there were twice as many losses as gains in 2008, with declines and stagnation in East Asia of particular concern. While parts of South Asia and Africa made progress, overall these gains were overshadowed by a campaign of intimidation targeting independent media, particularly in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East and North Africa.

There were some notable improvements. The Maldives made the study's largest jump, moving to the Partly Free category with the adoption of a new constitution protecting freedom of expression and the release of a prominent journalist from life imprisonment. Guyana regained its Free rating with fewer attacks on journalists and a government decision to lift a boycott on advertising in the main independent newspaper.

Out of the 195 countries and territories covered in the study, 70 (36 percent) are rated Free, 61 (31 percent) are rated Partly Free and 64 (33 percent) are rated Not Free. This represents a modest decline from the 2008 survey in which 72 countries and territories were Free, 59 Partly Free and 64 Not Free. The new survey found that only 17 percent of the world's population lives in countries that enjoy a Free press.

Key regional findings include:

- Asia Pacific: Cambodia dropped to Not Free status because of increased violence against journalists. Hong Kong slipped to Partly Free as Beijing exerted growing influence over media. China's media environment remained bleak. Media in Taiwan faced assault and growing government pressure. South Asia saw improvements in the Maldives, Bangladesh and Pakistan, while Sri Lanka and Afghanistan suffered setbacks.

- Central and Eastern Europe/Former Soviet Union: The region suffered the biggest drop in press freedom of any region, with journalists murdered in Bulgaria and Croatia and assaulted in Bosnia. Russia's score declined with the judiciary unwilling to protect journalists from attacks, as well as the frequent targeting of independent media by regulators.

- Middle East and North Africa: The region continues to have the world's lowest level of press freedom. Restrictions on journalists and official attempts to influence coverage during the Gaza conflict led to Israel's Partly Free status. The Israeli-Occupied Territories/Palestinian Authority saw declines with both Hamas and Fatah intimidating journalists. Iraq saw the security environment for journalists improve and new legal protections for media in the Kurdish areas.

- Sub-Saharan Africa: Press freedom suffered in Senegal with an increase in both legal and extralegal action taken against media. In Madagascar, media outlets critical of the government were targeted. Other declines were seen in Botswana, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Lesotho, Mauritania, South Africa and Tanzania. Comoros, Sierra Leone, Angola and Liberia improved.

- Americas: Guyana regained its Free rating, while Haiti and Uruguay saw significant improvement. However, Mexico's score dropped again because of increased violence, the government's unwillingness to make legal reforms, and pressure on media from local and state officials. Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua registered major declines.

- Western Europe: The region continues to boast the world's highest level of press freedom. However, Italy slipped back into the Partly Free category with free speech limited by courts and libel laws, increased intimidation of journalists by organised crime and far-right groups, and concerns over the concentration of media ownership. Greece also suffered a significant decline.

Launch of 2009 Media Pool Competition

The 2009 Media Pool Competition was launched at the Lamana Hotel in Port Moresby on Friday, May 1, with announcement of sponsorship by Telikom, National Capital District Commission, and others.

The competition cues off next Saturday, May 9, with a record 23 teams participating.

Visit http://2008telikommediapoolcompetition.blogspot.com/ for all the updates.

 

Support our Papua New Guinea-made products

Few countries are as blessed with abundant natural resources as Papua New Guinea.

Its largely mountainous terrain is swathed in dense tropical rainforest, the soil is rich for cultivation and the South Pacific waters off its coasts teem with fish.  Beneath the ground lies a wealth of minerals, including gold, silver and copper, and there is oil and natural gas awaiting exploitation.

It is a beautiful country too, one of the most biodiverse in the world with a dazzling variety of flora and fauna, insect and birdlife.

Yet while PNG is resource rich, it is cash poor, and 33 years after achieving independence from Australia – not very long in the life of a country – it still faces significant challenges of nationhood.

The continual decline in the delivery of service from the Public Service has resulted in poor supporting infrastructure – particularly transport, power, health, communications and education; law and order problems; a high cost of doing business; a lack of accessible support for new and existing businesses; and a shortage of new investment are among the factors that have held back socio-economic development.

PNG Made products mean jobs and wealth creation opportunities for Papua New Guineans.

New incentives must be aimed at addressing these problems if we are to trigger further investment and growth including producing and marketing more PNG Made products.