Journalism study calls for more collaboration
SUVA: Research evaluating the general state of investigative journalism in seven Pacific Island
countries proposes collaboration between media, civil society organisations, academia, and other
social institutes to help strengthen capacity.
The author, Shailendra Singh, is former divisional head of journalism at the University of the South
Pacific and former editor of The Review news magazine. He points out that lack of resources in
newsrooms, lack of training for journalists and repressive environments pose major constraints for
investigative journalism in the Pacific.
Singh, who has widely researched and written on corruption and governance issues in Fiji and the
Pacific, is a current doctoral candidate at the University of Queensland.
His paper, "Investigative journalism: Challenges, perils, rewards in seven Pacific island countries",
was published in the latest Pacific Journalism Review, a media research journal based at Auckland
University of Technology's Pacific Media Centre.
The paper looked at the environment for investigative journalism in Fiji, Cook Islands, Papua New
Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
It found a “discouraging trend” of harsher media legislation, harassment and beatings of journalists
and false charges and lawsuits levelled against journalists and media organisations.
Singh writes that the Pacific media can overcome constraints by “working with the competition”
on major stories and collaborating with other institutions central to Pacific Island life, such as
community-based civil organisations, academia and religious bodies.
Opposing persecution, Churches, the study states, can speak out against the persecution of journalists and provide sanctuary when necessary since they wield a fair amount of moral authority and influence in the islands.
But despite the challenges, Pacific media has some comparative advantages, he suggests.
While newspapers may find it difficult to engage in investigative journalism due to daily deadlines
and resource constraints, monthly-circulated magazines may have an advantage in this specialist
area due to lower overhead costs and more time to work on stories.
Singh said Fiji’s Review magazine rose from obscurity and boosted its circulation with some
major exposes, such as the National Bank of Fiji scandal in the 1990s. This gives magazines strong incentives to carry out investigative journalism to boost their circulations.
More recently, award-winning Fiji-journalist Stanley Simpson had exposed several suspect corporate dealings in the local magazine, Mai Life. But one drawback was that other Fiji news media did not pick up his stories.
Also, the study suggests trans-border cooperation between local media and overseas counterparts
to expose issues suppressed by Pacific governments, such as the Samoa Observer and Television
New Zealand joint investigation into Samoa’s baby adoption fraud involving American couples.
In places where journalists are shackled by harsh laws, Singh pointed out that information could be
passed onto overseas news media for publication.
Pacific Media Watch
SUVA: Research evaluating the general state of investigative journalism in seven Pacific Island countries proposes collaboration between media, civil society organisations, academia, and other social institutes to help strengthen capacity. The author, Shailendra Singh, is former divisional head...
SUVA: Research evaluating the general state of investigative journalism in seven Pacific Island
countries proposes collaboration between media, civil society organisations, academia, and other
social institutes to help strengthen capacity.
The author, Shailendra Singh, is former divisional head of journalism at the University of the South
Pacific and former editor of The Review news magazine. He points out that lack of resources in
newsrooms, lack of training for journalists and repressive environments pose major constraints for
investigative journalism in the Pacific.
Singh, who has widely researched and written on corruption and governance issues in Fiji and the
Pacific, is a current doctoral candidate at the University of Queensland.
His paper, "Investigative journalism: Challenges, perils, rewards in seven Pacific island countries",
was published in the latest Pacific Journalism Review, a media research journal based at Auckland
University of Technology's Pacific Media Centre.
The paper looked at the environment for investigative journalism in Fiji, Cook Islands, Papua New
Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
It found a “discouraging trend” of harsher media legislation, harassment and beatings of journalists
and false charges and lawsuits levelled against journalists and media organisations.
Singh writes that the Pacific media can overcome constraints by “working with the competition”
on major stories and collaborating with other institutions central to Pacific Island life, such as
community-based civil organisations, academia and religious bodies.
Opposing persecution, Churches, the study states, can speak out against the persecution of journalists and provide sanctuary when necessary since they wield a fair amount of moral authority and influence in the islands.
But despite the challenges, Pacific media has some comparative advantages, he suggests.
While newspapers may find it difficult to engage in investigative journalism due to daily deadlines
and resource constraints, monthly-circulated magazines may have an advantage in this specialist
area due to lower overhead costs and more time to work on stories.
Singh said Fiji’s Review magazine rose from obscurity and boosted its circulation with some
major exposes, such as the National Bank of Fiji scandal in the 1990s. This gives magazines strong incentives to carry out investigative journalism to boost their circulations.
More recently, award-winning Fiji-journalist Stanley Simpson had exposed several suspect corporate dealings in the local magazine, Mai Life. But one drawback was that other Fiji news media did not pick up his stories.
Also, the study suggests trans-border cooperation between local media and overseas counterparts
to expose issues suppressed by Pacific governments, such as the Samoa Observer and Television
New Zealand joint investigation into Samoa’s baby adoption fraud involving American couples.
In places where journalists are shackled by harsh laws, Singh pointed out that information could be
passed onto overseas news media for publication.
Pacific Media Watch
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