I spent five years in Papua New Guinea, two representing the
NZ Foreign Affairs and Trade organisation as a training adviser and later as a
Training Adviser to the PNG Harbours Board. So when I read and listened to Dr
David Robie’s presentation at an AUT
Fourth World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC)
conference in Auckland I was captured by the report given by
Emily Matasororo, leader of the Journalism Strand at the
University of Papua New Guinea, who was on campus that fateful day last month
(June 8) when heavily armed PNG police in camouflage fatigues opened fire with
tear gas and live rounds on the peaceful students. She was actually in the
crowd fired on.
Her report reminded me of my time there.
Dr David Robie is
professor of journalism and director of AUT University’s
Pacific Media Centre. He is a strong
advocate of independent media at the country’s journalism schools. David has
published the media transparency blog
Café Pacific since 2006.
Picture below is University of Papua New Guinea’s Emily
Matasororo … in the background, images of heavily armed police shortly before
they opened fire on peaceful students. Image:” Del Abcede/PMC
 |
| Emily Matasororo of PNG. |
David
Robie wrote “It was surprising that a conference involving some of the brightest
minds in journalism education from around the world should be ignored by New
Zealand’s local media.
The
range of diversity alone at the Auckland University of Technology hosted event
was appealing, but it was the heady mix of ideas and contributions that offered
an inspiring backdrop, he said.
Topics
included strategies for teaching journalism for mobile platforms – the latest
techniques; “de-westernising” journalism education in an era of new media
genres; transmedia storytelling; teaching hospitals; twittering, facebooking
and snapchat — digital media under the periscope; new views on distance
learning, and 21st century ethical issues in journalism are just a
representative sample of what was on offer.
Keynote
speakers included Divina Frau-Meigs (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle) with a
riveting account on how “powerful journalism” makes “prime ministers jump”, the
Center of Public Integrity’s Peter Bale
(a New Zealander) on the need to defend press freedom, and Tongan newspaper
publisher and broadcaster who turned “inclusivity” on its head with an
inspiring “include us” appeal from the Pacific, ”where we live in the
biggest continent on planet Earth”.
But
for me, the most moving message of all came not from those who spoke about “reporting dangerously”
(such as Simon Cottle) or the very future of journalism, but from a young
quietly spoken Papua New Guinean woman who has “lived” through a freedom of
speech and the press struggle while facing live bullets.
Emily Matasororo, leader of the Journalism Strand at the
University of Papua New Guinea, was on campus that fateful day last month (June
8) when heavily armed PNG police in camouflage fatigues opened fire with tear
gas and live rounds on the peaceful students. She was actually in the crowd
fired on.
Emily’s testimony
Matasororo gave her testimony at a WJEC16 panel on journalism education in the
Pacific chaired by me, with the presence of the panel members being sponsored
by the NZ Institute of Pacific Research.
Explaining
how the two months on student
unrest began across Papua New Guinea’s six universities – but mostly
centred on UPNG in the capital of Port Moresby, and the University of
Technology in the second city Lae – she said it was an irony that protests were
triggered on World Press Freedom Day (May 3).
“The
Journalism Strand was preparing to celebrate freedom of the press that day.
However, this did not eventuate because the academic space was taken up by a
student forum.
“This
was the beginning of an eight-week stand-off by the students who demanded that
the Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, step down from office and face police over
allegations of fraud. However, the prime minister said: ‘I will not step
down.’”
Among
other issues that spurred the students into organising class boycotts and
protests was the O’Neill government’s actions in dismantling the police fraud squad [National Fraud and
Anti-Corruption directorate] – the very office that would investigate the prime
minister. But, as Matasororo pointed out, the squad was later reinstated.
Another
O’Neill move was adjourning Parliament until November to stave off the
possibility of the no-confidence vote. (A Supreme Court ruling forced the
reconvening of Parliament and the vote).
Violating the Constitution
Students became convinced that Prime Minister O’Neill was acting in violation
of the Constitution and they saw themselves as defending the rule of law on
behalf of all Papua New Guineans.
Earlier
in the protests students at UPNG had set on fire 800 copies of the two
national dailies being sold at the Waigani campus front gates in frustration
over what they perceived to be the news media taking sides and promoting the
O’Neill government’s agenda.
“The
burning was an indication that they disliked the papers’ coverage of events
leading up the [first] protest. Why should the Student Representative Council
go as far as preferring certain media outlets over others?” Matasororo asked
the forum which was syndicated
globally on livestream.
“The Post-Courier, The National and
television station EM TV were banned covering student activities on campus. The
UPNG is a public and government-run institution and is a public space open to
everyone, including the media. If students reacted that way, it brought up
issues of credibility and integrity of the freedom of the press in Papua New
Guinea.
“Which
brings to light the question of ethics.”
Matasororo
quoted from a Loop PNG report bylined Carmella Gware, who talked to a student leader in spite of
the ban on local media:
“We saw the newspapers and saw
that the reports were very shallow and biased.
“They were not actual reports of
what we students are portraying at the university. That’s why, to show our
frustration, we went out to the bus stop and burnt those papers.
“What we displayed in the
morning shows that we have no trust in the media,” the student leader stated
(sic) said.
Investigation needed
“While I acknowledge and appreciate the tireless efforts of the media’s
coverage of the student protests,’ said Matasororo, “for me this is a very
strong statement that needs to be investigated.
“This
needs to be done by all stakeholders concerned to promote fair and just
reporting and the essence of good ethics and good journalism.
“The
stakeholders must include, but not be limited to he following: the publisher
and managements of the papers, the Media Council of PNG, Transparency
International, Ombudsman Commission and the journalism educators of the UPNG
and the Catholic-run Divine Word University.
“For
the publishers, credibility is questioned; for the Media Council it is a threat
against the profession; and for the educators – where are we going wrong in
teaching ethics, are we giving enough prominence that it deserves?
“These
are questions that need to be answered, in order to promote a robust and
conducive environment in which journalists should operate in.”
On
June 8, said Matasororo, the protests – until then peaceful – “took an ugly
turn”. Several students were wounded, some news reports saying as many as 30.
But there were no deaths.
“Social
media was running hot with images and comments uploaded in real time. Some of
what was coming from social media was emotional reporting.
“Information
was distorted with some news stations reporting casualties.
“An
Australian-based media outlet reported four deaths and isolated reports on radio, television
and social media that day created a new level of fear, confusion and anxiety
among residents.
“For
me that day, I saw how powerful the media was, and when it is not applied
correctly, it can be tragic.” Go to the site below and click on the video
of the event chaired by Dr David Robie at the bottom of the blog. Its well
worth the effort.
Here in New Zealand our own
students have since the introduction of users pays in university education
become almost voiceless. Laws have been passed that limit the activities of
students and press coverage of our universities has dropped dramatically.
Universities spend most of their
time and money on advertising and competing for students because of the
neoliberal [business] model. Salaries for University mangers have gone through
the roof, here in Palmerston North the VC is the highest paid public servant in
the city…while student fees have climbed to meet these outrageous salary
increases.
While I doubt if the government
would call in the armed offender squad to stop a revolution amongst students,
they have threatened to call in the police to break strike action by Airport
Custom Officers. As our higher education system is now completely money based it
may not be too long before students see the need for stronger action relating
to how their universities are being run. Our students like those in PNG need a
media which cares about students as it does about advertising revenues from universities.
A bit of investigative journalism around the billions now owed by students
wouldn’t go amiss…but don’t hold your breath…
