PORT MORESBY: The Pacific Island News Association (PINA) has agreed to have its media research office set up in Port Moresby after a meeting in Port Vila last year.
PINA president Moses Stevens said during a consultative workshop with journalists in PNG.
Stevens said PINA had "gone dead" after controversies erupted within the organisation. But he said the new board which was sworn in last year wants to revive the regional organisation for newsmen and women.
He said one of the key areas identified was research.
He said PINA needed to assist journalists in the region to package their information for the public.
Stevens said PINA had found that lessons and experience from the Media Council of PNG could be used as a guideline to assist PINA to be effective. He said PINA had acknowledged these efforts by the Media Council and had agreed to establish the research centre in Port Moresby.
However, the PINA head office would remain based in Suva, Fiji.
Meanwhile, Stevens said issues affecting freedom of media in Fiji should be left to the Fiji government. He said PINA had a role to strengthen media and not to change a military government into a democratic government.
Stevens said Fiji was progressing into having democratic election and those members of the media from within the region should respect that and let the process be completed. - PINA/Pacific Media Watch
Pacific Media Watch
