Freedom of information and media accountability in the Pacific: Case studies of Fiji, Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea

Journalists have long been seen as taking a Fourth Estate role or being 'watchdogs' of the state. However, in order to fulfil this role, journalists need access to government documents and to be able to get information about governments activities. Therefore, freedom of information (FOI) legislation is necessary to enable the media to have access to state information.

The implementation of FOI legislation has been slow in the Pacific, with the first such law due to be implemented in the Cook Islands in 2009.

This journal article examines media accountability systems and FOI legislation in the Cook Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea and compares them with Australia and New Zealand, which have FOI legislation since 1982.