SUVA (Fiji Sun/Pacific Media Watch): An alumnus of the University of the South Pacific has received a top award at the recent 24th Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for his significant contribution to the Asia-Pacific media landscape.
The director of Auckland University of Technology’s Pacific Media Centre, Professor David Robie said he was pleased to win such an award.
“It was not only a personal achievement award, but also a recognition by a large Asian organisation for many of the media freedom and education issues confronting the Pacific and work that has gone into tackling these,” he said.
The former head of the USP regional journalism programme said this was the first time someone from the Pacific region had won the award.
“In the past, there had been an American winner and a couple from the UK, but most people recognised in the awards are from Asia,” he said.
While recalling his stay at USP, Professor Robie told the univertsity magazine that one of the proud moments was to graduate with a doctorate from the University in 2004.
“This was the first in media education at USP, and the first journalism doctorate at any of the journalism schools in New Zealand and the Pacific,” he said.
Colleagues acknowledged
Professor Robie acknowledged the contribution of some USP academics towards journalism.
“There are many who have contributed, but I would like to single out development studies professor Vijay Naidu, economics professor now politician Biman Prasad and Shailendra Singh who have strived so hard to keep a vibrant journalism programme going over many years with limited resources,” he said.
“USP is truly a unique educational institution and I enjoyed my years there,” Professor Robie said.
“USP has a proud record in journalism education and it ought to recognise this and strongly support the education of a profession in the Pacific that is fundamental to democracy in an era when truth and integrity are under threat in the face of rapidly changing digital technologies,” he added.
In 2005, Professor Robie was awarded the NZ-based Pacific Islands Media Association (PIMA) Pacific Media Freedom Award for an "outstanding contribution" to the development of journalism in the Pacific and New Zealand.
AMIC board member Dr Pirongrong Ramasoota of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand said that the award was given to Professor Robie for his “unstinting contribution” as an Asia-Pacific journalist, media educator and “human rights and environmental champion”.
Dr Ramasoota added that Professor Robie’s 20 years of journalism and academic research in Asia-Pacific media had made an exceptional impact in all areas of the award categories – research, education, institution building and excellence in journalism.
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Pacific Media Watch
