Jayapura, 14/2 (Jubi/IslandsBusiness) – Participants attending the workshop on media self-regulation in the Pacific at the 3rd Pacific Islands Media Summit reiterated the need to educate journalists about the role of media and the importance of self-regulation; to overcome divisions among media at the national and regional levels; and to keep the momentum and consultations around media self-regulation going.
Workshop participants discussed the preliminary findings of a feasibility study for a regional media self-regulation mechanism. The study had been commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF). It has been prepared by Dr Ian Weber, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Journalism Programme at the University of the South Pacific.
Speaking to participants, Ricardo Morris, Pacific Freedom Forum’s Regional Coordinator said that the idea of a regional media self-regulation body came out of discussions during World Press Freedom Day celebrations in 2012. He added that “this is an option for the media to make a decision on rather than simply saying it can’t be done we would like the media to discuss what the implications are with regards to a regional self-regulation scheme.”
