PINA Media Summit in Savusavu, Fiji

Journalists address remoteness of Pacific region audiences
(Savusavu, Fiji)—The second full day of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) Media Summit largely revolved around the theme of reaching spread out, rural audiences—a problem shared by news media around the world.

In the Pacific, distance and remoteness are especially noteworthy. Examples from the region include the Solomon Islands (249,000 square miles of territory--land and sea); Fiji (1 million square miles); Micronesia (1.15 million square miles); Cook Islands (757,000 square miles), and Palau (233,000 square miles). By comparison, the largest US state, Alaska, has 665,000 square miles.

“Remoteness is a real issue,” noted Kalifi Moana, PINA president. He said it’s PINA goal to reach all of the areas of the Pacific with media training and partnerships, even remote areas like New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and the Federated States of Micronesia. He said that the diversity of the peoples of the Pacific is a strength, not a burden. “Togetherness is our advantage,” he observed.

Other speakers like Rose Amos from the National Broadcasting Company in Papua New Guinea also stressed that “it’s our responsibility to give a voice to the voiceless in rural areas,” one of the key principles of peace journalism, it must be noted. Yet the challenge of reaching these audiences with news and information is formidable, given the distances as well as challenges like unreliable electricity and internet connectivity.

Pecili Naviticoko, the president of Vualiku Radio in remote northern Fiji, echoed these challenges to engaging rural audiences, noting that access to many of the places his media outlet serves is by boat only, and is thus weather-dependent. “There’s no shortage of stories” in these areas, he said. “The challenge is receiving them.” He shared slides showing his reporters “going the extra mile” by boat and on foot, wading through flooded areas, to help those in remote communities tell their stories.

Naviticoko and several other speakers noted the ongoing relevance of radio as often the only tool that can reach remote areas, especially during storms and earthquakes (like the one in Vanuatu several years ago).

Other sessions on day two focused on financing media, advising attendees to diversity revenue sources. It was commented that although paywalls have succeeded in larger markets like Fiji, for a variety of reasons, they wouldn’t work in smaller countries.

The day finished off with panels on women in media, development partners, and public service media. Especially poignant was the presentation of Esther Pavihi of the Broadcasting Corportation of Niue (population 1,600). She detailed her life in a one-person newsroom and overcoming ongoing struggles like rebuilding after a fire. Her dedication to journalism is admirable, and infectious.

Overall, the Media Forum was successful not just in the information shared, but in the networking done by the 150 or so attendees. I had the chance during a plenary session to share details about my East-West Center programs for Pacific journalists. I hope my networking pays off with even greater participation from these reporters.

A panel of Pac Islands journalists addresses their
common challenges during PINA.