PMW ID
7810
MELBOURNE (Radio Australia Pacific Beat / Pacific Media Watch): A regional media watchdog group, the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF), is calling on Papua New Guinea's media to be careful about threats of violence.
In the weeks since the political standoff began in PNG, there have been disputes involving reporters, politicians, soldiers and police.
Last week one reporter had a gun pointed at him and had his reporting equipment confiscated, while the ABC's local reporter was threatened by those involved in the short mutiny.
The PFF is calling on media organizations to support their staff.
Presenter: Pacific Correspondent Campbell Cooney
Speaker: Titi Gabi, chair of the Pacific Freedom Forum
In the weeks since the political standoff began in PNG, there have been disputes involving reporters, politicians, soldiers and police.
Last week one reporter had a gun pointed at him and had his reporting equipment confiscated, while the ABC's local reporter was threatened by those involved in the short mutiny.
The PFF is calling on media organizations to support their staff.
Presenter: Pacific Correspondent Campbell Cooney
Speaker: Titi Gabi, chair of the Pacific Freedom Forum
COONEY: When former Papua New Guinea Defence Force Colonel Yaura Sasa staged last week's military mutiny, the story and events around it became headline news around the world. But the tension around the mutiny and unhappiness about how the situation was being reported globally led to a backlash against those PNG reporters covering the event on the ground.
Titi Gabi is the chair of the Pacific Freedom Forum.
GABI: It has been quite serious, especially where the radio reporter was threatened to be shot by a very angry and agitated soldier. His recorders and mobile phone were confiscated. It became really scary. I mean he was just doing is job. It was about 7 am, 8 am around there, because he lives between the barracks and he had just gone down to see what was happening. The second instant involved the ABC reporter, Firmin Nanol. He was not allowed into a press conference by the Defence Minister of the Somare camp, not the minister, but the PR, the public relations officer, the former journalist of the Somare-appointed defence minister. He was shouted at and screamed at and told not to enter because they didn't like the use of the word "coup" in his earlier story that he had filed. And I'm calling on them to talk about it, to report it as soon as it happens, either to their own newsrooms or the immediate managing director or the DM, because at this stage, we still don't have a Media Council that's really active and but they must report it, they must talk to somebody, they must talk about it.
COONEY: Colonel Yasa, the leader of the mutiny - did he order immediate action and response to that? Is that correct?
GABI: He did tell the conference from the report I got that he apologised at the conference and then promised to return what was confiscated.
By about midday, I got a phone call that his stuff had been delivered to his house at the barracks.
COONEY: But covering the recent political events in Papua New Guinea is causing issues for many of the reporters involved. Strong cultural, village and social links means many are expected to take one side in the fight between the O'Neill and Somare camps for control of PNG's government. As well, Papua New Guineans take politics, Parliament and the institutions around both of them seriously. And while many reporters would not say that they would actively support the previous Somare government, they are unhappy with the disregard the O'Neill government appears to have treated the Constitution.
Titi Gabi agrees that this is causing a conflict of interest many are struggling with.
GABI: That is correct, it's a really difficult situation right now and on top of that, a lot of them are very inexperienced, very young reporters and it's been really stressful for them so I don't know whether they're getting coaching or guidance. But we've got some senior journalists out there, but yes, really difficult, it's quite hard.
Titi Gabi is the chair of the Pacific Freedom Forum.
GABI: It has been quite serious, especially where the radio reporter was threatened to be shot by a very angry and agitated soldier. His recorders and mobile phone were confiscated. It became really scary. I mean he was just doing is job. It was about 7 am, 8 am around there, because he lives between the barracks and he had just gone down to see what was happening. The second instant involved the ABC reporter, Firmin Nanol. He was not allowed into a press conference by the Defence Minister of the Somare camp, not the minister, but the PR, the public relations officer, the former journalist of the Somare-appointed defence minister. He was shouted at and screamed at and told not to enter because they didn't like the use of the word "coup" in his earlier story that he had filed. And I'm calling on them to talk about it, to report it as soon as it happens, either to their own newsrooms or the immediate managing director or the DM, because at this stage, we still don't have a Media Council that's really active and but they must report it, they must talk to somebody, they must talk about it.
COONEY: Colonel Yasa, the leader of the mutiny - did he order immediate action and response to that? Is that correct?
GABI: He did tell the conference from the report I got that he apologised at the conference and then promised to return what was confiscated.
By about midday, I got a phone call that his stuff had been delivered to his house at the barracks.
COONEY: But covering the recent political events in Papua New Guinea is causing issues for many of the reporters involved. Strong cultural, village and social links means many are expected to take one side in the fight between the O'Neill and Somare camps for control of PNG's government. As well, Papua New Guineans take politics, Parliament and the institutions around both of them seriously. And while many reporters would not say that they would actively support the previous Somare government, they are unhappy with the disregard the O'Neill government appears to have treated the Constitution.
Titi Gabi agrees that this is causing a conflict of interest many are struggling with.
GABI: That is correct, it's a really difficult situation right now and on top of that, a lot of them are very inexperienced, very young reporters and it's been really stressful for them so I don't know whether they're getting coaching or guidance. But we've got some senior journalists out there, but yes, really difficult, it's quite hard.
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Pacific Media Watch
PMC's media monitoring service