PORT MORESBY (PNG Blogs / Pacific Media Watch): A controversial new free, state owned newspaper has been criticised by a Papua New Guinea blogger as a "propaganda mouthpiece" that has been set up to support "a dictator in waiting".
The government-owned PNG Today is inserted as a supplement into The National daily newspaper (owned by Malaysian logging giant Rimbuan Hijau), and apparently only carries glowing articles about government achievements.
The PNG government in many forms over the past decade has produced its own "newspapers", usually as paid inserts into The National newspaper.
The latest one is headlined "millions to own homes", and according to PNG blogger Tim Paki is full of stories about the government's accomplishments:
"Page after page was filled with stories of grand new plans and infrastructure under construction. The publication seemed to be describing a place on earth where everyone was happy, customary lands were being saved, youth were being saved, women were being saved, sick people were being saved, banks were leaping forward to lend people money at extremely low interest rates, police were getting modern new barracks homes..."
Paki said several people who worked in Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's media unit were also listed as the newspaper's journalists and editors, including the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Isaac Lupari, who is listed as the publisher of the new newspaper.
"Join the Prime Minister in giving your own thanks to the just mentioned people because they are playing a critical role in the government getting control of the news media or dominating it through strong pro-government propaganda messages. This is one of the first, essential baby steps in any national leader being able to successfully turn themselves into a dictator," the blogger wrote.
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Pacific Media Watch
