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IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies Vol. 2, No.1, July 2018, pp. 119-146 ISSN 2580-6580, E-ISSN 2597-9817
119
AsiaPacificReport:ANewZealandNonprofitJournalismModelforCampus-BasedSocialJusticeMedia
DavidRobie1
Abstract
For nine years, the Pacific Media Centre research and publication unit at AucklandUniversityofTechnologyhaspublishedjournalismwithan‘activist’edgetoitsstyleofreportage raising issues of social justice in New Zealand’s regional backyard. It hasachievedthisthroughpartnershipswithprogressivesectionsofnewsmediaandanon-profitmodelofcriticalandchallengingassignments forpostgraduatestudents in thecontextofcoups,civilwar,climatechange,humanrights,sustainabledevelopmentandneo-colonialism. An earlier Pacific Scoop venture (2009-2015) hasmorphed into aninnovative venture for the digital era, Asia Pacific Report (APR)(http://asiapacificreport.nz/), launched in January 2016. Amid the current globalclimateof controversyover ‘fakenews’anda ‘waron truth’anddeclining credibilityamongsomemainstreammedia,theAPRprojecthasdemonstratedonmanyoccasionsthevalueofindependentnichemediaquestioningandchallengingmainstreamagendas.Inthisarticle,aseriesofcasestudiesexamineshowthecollectiveexperienceofcitizenjournalism, digital engagement and an innovative public empowerment journalismcoursecandevelopauniqueonlinepublication.Thearticletraversessomeoftheregion’sthorny political and social issues—including the controversial police shootings ofstudentsinPapuaNewGuineainJune2016.
Keywords:AlternativeMedia,CampusMedia,CitizenJournalism,DigitalEngagement,IndependentJournalism
1ProfessorofJournalismandCommunicationStudiesandDirectorofthePacificMediaCentreintheSchool of Communication Studies, AucklandUniversityof Technology,NewZealand.He is also thefounding editor of thePacific JournalismReview research journal, editor ofAsia Pacific Report andconvenerofthePacificMediaWatchfreedomproject.Heistheauthorofseveralmediaandpoliticsbooks,includingMekimNius:SouthPacificMedia,PoliticsandEducation(UniversityoftheSouthPacific,2004)andDon’tSpoilMyBeautifulFace:Media,MayhemandHumanRightsinthePacific(LittleIslandPress,2014).Co-winnerofthe2015AMICAsianCommunicatorsAward,hewasaparticipantintheWorld Class Professor (WCP) program in partnership with CESASS, Universitas Gadjah Mada.Correspondinge-mail:[email protected]
David Robie
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Introduction
Oneoftheironiesofthedigitalrevolutionisthatthereisanillusionofgrowing
freedomofexpressionandinformationintheworld,wheninfactoftenthereverseis
true.Thesearebleaktimeswithgrowingnumbersofjournalistsbeingmurderedwith
impunity,fromthePhilippinestoSomaliaandSyria.Theworld’sworstmasskillingof
journalistswastheso-calledMaguindanao,orAmpatuanmassacre(namedafterthe
townwhosedynasticfamilyorderedthekillings),when32journalistswerebrutally
murderedinthePhilippinesinNovember2009(Lingao,2010).
But increasingly savage slayings in the name of terrorism are becoming the
norm.InearlyAugust2015,fivemaskedjihadistsarmedwithmachetesenteredthe
DhakahomeofasecularistbloggerinBangladeshandhackedoffhisheadandhands
while his wife was forced into a nearby room. According to the New York-based
CommitteetoProtectJournalists,506journalistswerekilledinthedecadebetween
2002and2012,almostdoublethe390slaininthepreviousdecade(Robie,2015b).
(BothReportersSansFrontières[RSF]andFreedomHousealsoreportedescalating
deathtollsanddeclines inmedia freedomin2016).ThemostrecentRSFreport in
April2018warnedthata‘hatredofjournalism’wasthreateningdemocracies,andwas
highlycriticalofChina’sincreasinglyauthoritarianmediainfluenceintheAsia-Pacific
region(RSF,2018).
Whilethereappearstobefarmoredemocraciesintheworldthaneverbefore,
thecommittee’sexecutivedirectorJoelSimonbelievesthereisasinisternewthreat.
Thisisinsomerespectsmoretroublesomethantheoldstyledictatorships.Simonhas
describedthisnewscourgeinTheNewCensorship:InsidetheGlobalBattleforPress
Freedomasthe‘democratators’,thoseleaderswhoprofesstobedemocraticbutare
actuallysubvertingtheirmirageofopengovernance(Simon,2015).
Whatarethesedifferencesbetweendictatorsanddemocratators?Dictatorsruleby force. Democratators rule by manipulation. Dictators impose their will.Democratatorsgovernwiththesupportofthemajority.Dictatorsdonotclaimtobedemocrats—atleastcredibly.Democratatorsalwaysdo.Dictatorscontrolinformation.Democratatorsmanageit.(Simon,2015,p.33)
Simonpointsoutthatdemocratatorswinelectionsyetwhiletheymaybefree,
theyarenotreallyfair,meaningtheyaredecidedbyfraud(ashasbeenwidelyalleged
intherecentcaseofPapuaNewGuineainJune2017)(Juffa,2017).Hehasagrowing
listofleadersthatfitthislabel,includingLatinAmerican‘populists’likeRafaelCorrea
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121
ofEquadorandDanielOrtegaofNicaragua,‘Europeanbacksliders’likeViktorOrban
ofHungary andViktor Yanukovych, the deposed former presidentofUkraine, and
African leaders such as Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Jacob Zuma of South Africa.
Undoubtedly,Fiji’sprimeministerVoreqeBainimaramaought tobeonthis list too
sincehavingbeenelectedinSeptember2014,endingeightyearsofmilitarybacked
dictatorship and providing a figleaf of legitimacy while continuing to manipulate
publicdebateandinformation(Robie,2016c).Anotherlistmembercouldarguablybe
PrimeMinisterPeterO’NeillofPapuaNewGuinea.Hispowerbasewasbeingtestedin
ageneralelectioninJune2017generalelectionafterhehadeffectivelyseizedcontrol
ofthecountrythroughanunprecedented‘constitutionalcoup’againsttheincumbent,
‘foundingfather’SirMichaelSomare,in2011(Pryke,2016).UsingtheCommitteeto
ProtectJournalists’criteria,theTrumpadministrationisalsobeingcondemnedforthe
alleged ‘fake news’ and ‘waron truth’ campaign and threats against amainstream
mediaalreadysufferingfromperceptionsofdecliningcredibility(Kolhatkar,2017).
Factsaretheenemyofcharlatansandconartists,henceTrump’sadviserandcampaignchairKellyanneConway’sofferof‘alternativefacts’(Bradner,2017)inthefaceofrealonesonthesizeofInaugurationDaycrowdsinWashington,DC.InTrump’smilieu,bonafidenewsreportsareconsidered‘fakenews’,whileConway’s lies (and those of the president) are simply ‘alternative facts’.(Kolhatkar,2017)
TheissueshighlightedbySimonaretosomedegreereflectedintheevolutionof
somejournalismprogrammesintheAsia-Pacificregion.Fortwodecades,[theauthor
has]beenaninitiatorofaseriesofindependentnewspapersbasedinprominentSouth
Pacific journalism programmes hosted at four universities in Australia, Fiji, New
ZealandandPapuaNewGuinea.Allofthepublicationshaveplayedan‘activist’rolein
raising issues of social justice and campaigning for more critical and challenging
assignments for student media in the context of coups, civil war, climate change,
developmentandneo-colonialism.Theyhavebeenbastionsoffreespeechandpublic
discourse,eventothepointofthreateneddeportationinthecaseofFijiforteaching
investigativejournalism(Robie,2003).
Allofthepublicationshavewonawardsfortheirbrandofjournalism.Starting
with the University of Papua New Guinea’s Uni Tavur in 1994 and the Sandline
mercenarycrisis,whenthenPrimeMinisterSirJuliusChanwasforcedoutofoffice,
themodelshaveprogressedthroughWansolwaraattheUniversityoftheSouthPacific
David Robie
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(award-winning coverage of the 2000 George Speight attempted coup), to Pacific
ScoopforsixyearsatAucklandUniversityofTechnologywithextensivecoverageof
humanrightsviolations inFijiandWestPapua.ThePacificScoopventurehasnow
morphed into a new and distinctive independent venture for the digital era, Asia
PacificReport(http://asiapacificreport.nz/)launchedinJanuary2016.Inthisarticle,
aseriesofcasestudiesexamineshowthecollectiveexperienceofcitizenjournalism,
digitalengagementandaninnovativepublicempowermentjournalismcoursebased
at AUT’s Pacific Media Centre has developed a unique publication. This initiative
engageswiththeevolvingtheorybehindthepublications(Robie,2004a,2004b,2006,
2012, 2014c) such as reflected in Deliberative Journalism (DJ), Human Rights
Journalism(HRJ)andothermodels(Hackettetal.,2017;Nash,2016;Romano,2011;
Shaw,2011).
JournalismasCampus-BasedIndependentPublishing
OneofthemostinnovativejournalistsandmediaacademicsintheAsia-Pacific
regiontosuccessfullyintegrateinvestigativejournalism,journalism-as-researchand
independentcommunityjournalismwithanacademicprogrammeisWendyBacon,a
now retired professor of journalism at the University of Technology Sydney and
formerdirectoroftheAustralianCentreforIndependentJournalism(ACIJ).Shewrites
forNewMatildaandotherindependentmedia.Inoneofherearlierprogressivepapers
critiquing twenty-five years of journalism education and research in the academy,
Baconarticulatedhowjournalismeducationandresearchhadslowlywonacceptance
within thebroaderacademic fieldbut thatmany journalistshad felt ‘undervalued’
withinhumanitiesorsocialsciencefaculties(Bacon,2006).
It is ironical—and a sad statement about the declining status ofmainstream
journalism in Australia and New Zealand—that UTS in early 2017 announced the
closureoftheCentreaftera‘significantcontributiontojournalismand[as]astrong
advocate for the public right to know and the role of journalism in strengthening
democracy’ (Spongberg, 2017). An internal UTS memorandum on March 28 to
academicstaffacknowledged:
In itsover twenty-five-yearhistory,ACIJ collaborated inmajor investigationswith a wide range of media outlets and was involved in both national andinternational research collaborations such as the Global Environmental
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Journalism Initiative (via the Erasmus Mundus program overseen by theEuropeanCommission).(Ibid.)
Other ground-breaking investigations and analysis involved the reporting of
climatepolicyandclimatescienceinthemediabyBacon,andacelebratedstudyofthe
reporting of the 2011 News of the World phone hacking scandal in Australian
newspapers.More recently, key inquiries includedmedia reportingof the casesof
forensicpatients,withaBackgroundBriefingexposéforABCRadioNational(Bacon&
Nash,2017).
Baconhas ledbyexample inexaminingandpioneeringways that journalism
itself ‘might be regarded as research’ in academic context through establishing
research-based journalism projects (see for example her 2011 study for the ACIJ
auditing how tenAustralianmainstreamnewspapers reportedon a tense political
debateovercarbonpolicyinthecountry.Shefoundnumerousexamplesof ‘hostile’
mediacampaigningagainstthepolicyratherthanreportingandanalysingitandalso
misrepresenting climate change in defiance of a global consensus (Bacon, 2011).
Eventually, she and I established a ‘Frontline’ section in the New Zealand-based
journalPacific Journalism Review in 2012 to showcase examples of journalism-as-
research(Robie,2015b).IntheMayeditionthatyear,wepublishedtwoinvestigative
journalism articles with exegeses about nickel mining in New Caledonia and the
Freeport gold and copper mine in Indonesia’s most easternmost province Papua
(Abplanalp,2012;Gooch,2012).BaconfollowedthisupinthenexteditionofPJRwith
a theoreticalrationale for theneweditorialsection,explainingthat the journalhad
alwaysbeenconcernedtolink‘robustandinformedjournalism’withmediaresearch
that contributed to social development in the broader community, the media
industriesandinsidetheacademy(Bacon,2012).
This provided an impetus for the publicationof university-based radical and
independentmedia.AColumbiaJournalismReviewanalysisofthe‘transformation’of
Americanjournalismflaggedanerawherethedominanceofestablishedandlegacy
newsmediaandnetworkswasrapidlygivingwaytoarupturedandwidelydispersed
gathering and distribution of news through digital media and connective media
networks. The fundamental question being asked by the authors, Downie and
Schudson,wasthatofhowtocounterthethreattoindependentreportingthathad
been providing ‘information, investigation, analysis and community knowledge’ in
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bothlocalandglobalaffairs(Downie&Schudson,2009).Suchquestionshavebeen
similarlyaddressedby,amongothers,inNewZealandpoliticaleconomistGeoffKemp,
and inAustralia journalismresearchmethodologyadvocateChrisNash inhis2016
bookWhat is Journalism? and cultural studies theoristGraemeTurner inhis 2016
bookReinventingtheMedia.Bothtitleswerepublishedin2016.
Downie and Schudson (2009) acknowledged that many universities in the
UnitedStateswerepublishingthereportingofstudentjournalists‘onthestates,cities,
andneighbourhoods’wherethecampuseswerelocated.Frequently,thestudentwork
in journalismclassesandnewsserviceswassupervisedbyprofessional journalists
employed by the faculties. Sometimes the student work is published by the
universities’ownmedia,atothertimesitispublishedbyindustrymediaseekingto
supplementtheirowncoverage,occasionallyforapublishingfee.Amongthebetter
known US university daily newspapers is the Columbia Missourian
(www.columbiamissourian.com),whichhasbeenpublishingsincetheUniversityof
Missourijournalismschoolwasopenedin1908.TheGraduateSchoolofJournalismat
the University of California at Berkeley with local news outlets and the Walter
Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona StateUniversity in Phoenix and its high-
profileCronkiteNewsService(cronkiteneww.jmc.asu.edu)areamongothers.Downie
andSchudsonnote:
Universitiesarealsobecominghomes for independentnonprofit investigativereportingprojectsstartedbyformernewspaperandtelevisionjournalists.Someare run by journalists on their faculties,while others, such asTheWatchdogInstitute at San Diego State University, are independent nonprofits that useuniversity facilitiesandworkwith facultyandstudents. (Downie&Schudson,2009)
Whilethismayseemratherencouragingforindependentcampus-basedmedia,
andDownieandSchudsoncitemanysuccessfulexamplesandmodels,thereisalsoa
downside to this development. Jonathan Peters has cautioned in the Columbia
Journalism Review that at the time of writing at least four university newspaper
advisershadbeenstrippedfromtheirrolesorfacedtheirpositionsbeingcurbedor
axedaltogether(Peters,2015).Hewarnedthatthisdevelopmentwasraisingconcerns
among independentmedia advocates about the survival of some university-based
publications.
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125
“Twoofthecaseshavepromptedlawsuits,andoneoftheformeradvisershasfiledagrievance.Atoneschool,theentirejournalismprogramwascancelledandfundingtoprintthestudentnewspaperwasslashed”(Peters,2015).
PeterscitedFrankLoMonte,executivedirectoroftheStudentPressLawCenter,
which provides legal and material support for student editors and journalists, as
saying:“It’saperfectstormoffinancialstressforcollegesanduniversities…Andthe
localconditionsareripeforcensorshipandretaliation”(ascitedinPeters,2015).
Atthetimeofwriting,theNewZealandmediaindustryhasclaimedtobeindire
straits,afterfailingtowrestafavorableverdictfromtheCommerceCommissionon
anapplicationfromthetwolargestnewspaperchainsinthecountry,NZMediaand
Entertainment(NZME)andFairfaxMedia,tomerge(CommerceCommission,2016).If
theyhadsucceededintheirbidtoput90percentownershipofprintmediaunderthe
umbrellaofasinglecompany,thepluralityofmediainthecountrywouldhavebeen
seriously undermined with untold damage to representative democracy. The
Commissiondeclaredinitsrulingon3May2017thatamergedidentitywouldhave
had‘directcontrolofthelargestnetworkofjournalistsinthecountry’,oneemploying
more editorial staff than the next three largest mainstream media organizations
combined.Includingitsradionetwork,themergedentitywouldhavea‘monthlyreach
of3.7millionNewZealanders’:“Thismergerwouldconcentratemediaownershipand
influence to an unprecedented extent for a well-established modern liberal
democracy”(CommerceCommission,2017).
AccordingtooneofNewZealand’sleadinginvestigativejournalists,NickyHager,
whoco-authoredthe2017bookHit&Runallegingacover-upofanSASatrocityin
Afghanistan in 2010 that killed six civilians, including a three-year-old girl, and
wounded15,theprevioustwoyearshadbeenaturningpointforthemedia(Hager&
Stephenson,2017).Theseyears,hesays,mayberememberedasmomentwhenNew
Zealand newsmedia stopped being able to carry out their Fourth Estate function
(Hager,2017).
2015wastheyearwhenTV3slashedseriouscurrentaffairsandinvestigativejournalism.ThesamehappenedatMāoriTelevision:twooutofthreemajorTVchannels at once, bothwith a strong smell of political interference.The NewZealandHerald,whichuntilrecently,hadthebestarrayofcolumnists,mergedits news with Newstalk ZB radio, cutting various critical commentators andreplacingthemontheHeraldwebsitewiththeopinionsoftalkbackhosts.2016saw plans for the mega-merger of the two main private newspaper/media
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companies, a further great, panicked rationalization. Government-friendlymediacelebritiesincreasedindominance.Clickbaitwassoubiquitousthatitwasceasingtobeapejorativeterm.(Hager,2017)
ThisshrinkingmainstreammediapluralityinNewZealandprovidesacontext
for examining publication of campus-based media based at AUT’s Pacific Media
Centre, where student and faculty editorial staff have successfully established an
independent digital press over the past decade. I have been involved with four
university-basedjournalismpublicationsovertwodecadesaskeyadviser/publisher
in PapuaNewGuinea (Uni Tavur, 1993-1998); Fiji (Wansolwara, 1998-2002); and
Aotearoa/NewZealand(PacificScoop,2009-2015;AsiaPacificReport,2016onwards)
(seeFigure1),andalsowithapublicationinAustralia(Reportage,1996).Iwasalso
oneofthetwofoundinglecturersofTeWahaNuiandtheassociatedNewsProduction
course at AUT during 2003-2007 and I written extensively about this experience
elsewhere(Berney&Robie,2008;Robie,2006).
Figure1.PapuaNewGuineapoliceblockadingtheentrancetotheUniversityofPapuaNewGuinea,wheretheaward-winningUniTavurwaspublishedandwhereAsiaPacificReport
hasanetworkofcorrespondents.(Source:UniTavur)
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TheAsiaPacificReportPublishingEthosInmid-2007, thePacificMediaCentreOnlinewasestablishedas theumbrella
website for AUT’s Pacific Media Centre in providing independent research tools,
publications and resources for the region (www.pmc.aut.ac.nz). It also initially
became the publication outlet for students on the postgraduate Asia-Pacific
JournalismStudiespaper,establishedthatyearasthefirstcourseofitskindatany
New Zealand university. The PMC Online website was closely associated with the
Pacific Journalism Review research journal’s website (www.pjreview.info) and the
Pacific Media Watch monitoring service and database
(www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz)(Robie,2014a).
BoththePMCandScoopMediaLtd, collaborated to launchPacific Scoop as a
specialistnewsandanalysisoutletcoveringtheSouthPacificregion.Itwasalsoboth
an educational outlet and a publication open to contributing academics and
journalists.Catering for thisniche fieldwasacollaborativeeffortof thenScoopco-
editorSelwynManningandme.InAugust2009,thepartnershipbetweenthePMCand
theScoopMediagroupresultedinthelaunchofPacificScoopasajointcollaborative
publicationattheAUTMāoriExpo.Thiswasararedevelopmentbetweenanindustry
mediagroupandanacademicinstitution.
By late2015, themedia scapearoundPacific Scoop had changed.Co-founder
SelwynManninghadresignedasco-editorin2011andconcludedhisroleonScoop
Media’sboardinthesameyear.Throughhisnewindependentcompany,Multimedia
InvestmentsLtd,Manning founded in2012security-intelligenceanalysissite36th-
Parallel.com, open-source intelligence sites ForeignAffairs.co.nz, LiveNews.co.nz,
NewsKitchen.eu and de.Newskitchen.eu. In 2013, he co-founded the popularDaily
Blog,whichrecruitedanever-growingstableofprogressiveandleftistcolumnistsand
commentatorsandcollaboratedwithRadioWaateatoofferNewZealand’sonlydaily
current affairs television program, the half-hour Fifth Estate. In 2014, Manning
foundedandlaunchedEveningReport.nzwhichcombinesreportageandanalysiswith
publicinterestwebcasting.
ThePacificMediaCentrehadbythenstartedtoseekanewplatform.Anactive
digitalcollaborationwithLittleIslandPresspublisherTonyMurrowtoproducethe
microsite‘EyesofFire:30YearsOn’,anextensionofthe30thanniversaryeditionof
mybook,EyesofFire(Robie,2015a)abouttheRainbowWarriorbombinginJuly1985,
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wasakeyfactorinthepioneeringnewventure.Weproducedaseriesoforalhistories
by some fortyAUT journalismand televisionstudents.A subsequentmeetingwith
SelwynManningconfirmedourdecisiontopressaheadwithestablishingAsiaPacific
Report.Reflectingonthe2009 launchofPacificScoop,Manningarguesthat ‘itwas
quiteasuccessfuleffortatbrandinganicheservice’,buthecautionedthatperhapsit
benefitted strongly from being attached to Scoop (Selwyn Manning, personal
communicationwiththeauthor,6July2016).
MultimediaInvestmentsLtd,theparentcompanytoEveningReport.nz,ownsor
partownsanetworkofcomplementarynewsoutlets,eachoccupyingaspecificniche,
andcumulativelyexportingmorethan30,000published itemspermonthtoglobal
aggregationcompanies.ThenonprofitjointventurebetweenMultimediaInvestments
LtdandthePacificMediaCentre’sAsiaPacificReportplugsthewebsite’s‘Asia-Pacific-
rich’contentintothisnetworkandenablesittoachieveconsiderablereach,adding
valuetothereadershippotentialtoeachitempublished(Figure2).InMay2018,the
publicbroadcasterRadioNewZealandannouncedacontentsharingagreementwith
thePacificMediaCentreandAsiaPacificReport inrecognitionofthemasa‘natural
partner’inAsia-Pacificnewsandcurrentaffairscoverage(RNZ,2018).
Figure2.AnAsiaPacificReportfrontpageonlinefeaturingWaitangiDay;corruptionin
PapuaNewGuinea,theCatholicChurchcondemningPhilippinesPresidentDuterte’s‘reignofterror’whichhasalreadyledto7600assassinationsinsevenmonths;andAustraliaand
Indonesiadiscussingcyber-securitybutfailingtoaddressWestPapua.(Source:APR,6February2017)
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Establishing this opportunity of reach and the opportunity to create a
contemporary online environment where the PMC and AUT Asia-Pacific students
developtheirprofessionalandpolitical talentswasakey factordrivingAsiaPacific
Reportwithinarichlearningenvironment.Ourwebsitepolicydeclaredthatthefocus
wasstudentsreportingon‘arangeofAsia-Pacificissuesrangingfromclimatechange
andtheenvironmenttoeducationandhealthtopolitics,media,lawsocialjusticeand
sustainablebusiness’(AboutAsiapacificreport.nz,n.d.).TheNewZealandreportageis
inpartnershipwithstudentsat theUniversityofSantoTomas,Philippines,andthe
UniversityoftheSouthPacific,Fiji.Thecoreobjectives:
1. [Providing]anindependentAsia-Pacificvoicetellingtheuntoldstories2. [Providing]aneducationalmediaresourceboostingthequalityonregional
reporting3. Addressingjusticeforthemarginalized,and4. ProvidingAsia-Pacificjournalisminternships
Figure3.AnAsiaPacificReportfrontpageonlinefeaturingtheBattleofMarawiCityinMindanaointhesouthernPhilippines;acontroversial‘battleofPagaHill’indigenouslandrightsstruggledocumentary;closureofacanneryinAmericanSamoa;andPapuaNewGuineapoliceopeningacommunicationscommandcentrefortheJune2017general
election.(Source:APR,29May2017)
What doesAsia-Pacific Report offer that had not already been part ofPacific
Scoop?Thenewventurehasafarstrongerandmoreradical‘Asia-Pacific’contentmix
with wider and more relevant Asia content, especially human rights, with the
occasional piece, usually analysis, that is truly global. In one year thewebsite has
climbed to a monthly audience of more than 23,000. Among the more successful
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audiencereachesinthepasteighteenmonthsofpublishingwasduringthePhilippines
presidential electionon 9May 2016whenAsia PacificReport ran a live feed from
Rappler in Manila (with the anchor page having 1786 views that day) (LIVE:
#PHVote2016, 2016). Between the 2006 and 2012 national census, the Filipino
diasporacommunity inNewZealandmorethandoubled from15,285to37,302. In
2013, 40,350 people claimed Filipino ethnicity (Story: Filipinos, n.d.). Asia Pacific
Reporthasalsorunseveralinsightfularticlesaboutthetough-talkingpresident-elect
RodrigoDuterte.ThiswasbothbeforehewassworninonJune30andsincethen,as
thenumberof‘warondrugs’extrajudicialkillingshasreachedmorethan7800people
andmartiallawhasbeendeclaredonthesouthernislandofMindanaointheso-called
‘BattleofMarawiCity’againstjihadistrebels(Robie,2016a)(seeFigure3).
ThelargestaudienceforasingleAsiaPacificReportstoryhasbeen7540on15
March2017aboutanattackoutsideacourtroomonayoungwomanreporterworking
forthestate-runFijiBroadcastingCorporation(Figure4).ReporterPraneetaPrakash
was‘shootingfootageofamansentencedinacorruptionrelatedcaseinSuvawhena
remandprisonerbeingescortedbypolicetothecellblockthrewastoneatherwhich
struckherstomach’(Vacala,2017).Theassault tookplaceunderthegazeofpolice
officerswhodidnothing.
Figure4.PresenterAmritaSagaroftheFijiBroadcastingCorporationNewsnarratesthe
attackonreporterPraneetaPrakash.(Source:AsiaPacificReportembeddednewsbulletin,15March2017)
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DiscussionofCaseStudiesThefollowingsectionssketchshortcasestudiesofsomeoftheexemplarissues
duringAsiaPacificReport’sstart-upyear.Theyaretypicalexamplesofcoverageonthe
websiteanddemonstrateissuesthatarerarelyinthemainstreamNewZealandmedia
discourse,evenwhentheyhavebeenadoptedinaglobalmediascape.Sincethelast
weekof January2016withthelaunchofAsiaPacificReportbyPacificCooperation
FoundationchairmanLauluMacLeauanae,thewebsitehasprojectedastrongclimate
changeandenvironmentalfocus.
Case 1: February-March 2016: De Brum, Nuclear Zero Lawyers and ClimateChange
Thewebsite’sfirststorytoreach2000views,shortlyafterbeinglaunched,was
anexclusivereportaboutMarshall IslandsForeignMinisterTonydeBrumandthe
NorthernPacificrepublic’slegalteamNuclearZerobeingnominatedforaNobelPeace
Prize for their ‘courageous step’ in filing lawsuits against the nine nuclear nations
(Archer,2016).AshighlightedinanewdocumentarybyJohnPilger,TheComingWar
withChina,theUnitedStatestested60nuclearbombsintheMarshallIslands,23of
thematBikiniAtoll,and‘vaporised’threeislets(Pilger,2016).Theywerenominated
bytheOslo-basedInternationalPeaceBureau,which isdedicatedtothevisionofa
worldwithoutwarandisitselfaNobelPeaceLaureate.In2015,TonydeBrumwas
oneofthefourwinnersoftheRightLivelihoodAward,alsoknownasthe‘Alternative
NobelPrize’.ThepeopleoftheMarshallIslandswerejointrecipients.Asanine-year-
oldboy,deBrumwitnessedthe‘greatest-everHellfireignitedbytheUSA’—theCastle
Bravo bomb, one thousand times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb and
detonatedin1954(deBrum,2015).Hehasdedicatedmuchofhislifeto‘banningall
nuclearweaponsandfightingglobalwarming’.Condemningtheexistenceof16,000
nuclear warheads, he says: ‘we are witnesses as nuclear nations modernize and
expand their arsenals…There canbeno rightof ‘unlimitedpossession’ (deBrum,
2015).DeBrumandNuclearZerodidnotsucceedinwinningeithertheNobelofthe
lawsuits,buttheywonaremarkableglobalmoralvictory(AFP,2016).
BetweenFebruary15-17,AsiaPacificReport comprehensivelycoveredthe ‘In
theEyeoftheStorm’climatechangeconferenceinWellington,particularlythrough
the work of a freelance journalist, Thomas Leaycraft, in collaboration with Scoop
Media(Leaycraft,2016).InApril,thePacificMediaCentredispatchedtwojournalists,
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TJAumuaandAmiDhabuwala, toFiji in themid-semesterbreak toworkwith the
University of the South Pacific’s Centre for the Environment and Sustainable
Development(PaCE-SD)toresearchandreportona‘BearingWitness’climatechange
assignment.Aspartofthisproject,theyvisitedavillage,Daku,intheRewaRiverdelta
and witnessed first-hand how the villagers have been empowered by adaptation
strategies(FijiReport-BearingWitness,2016).Theprojectcontinued inApril2017
withAsiaPacificReportdispatchingKendallHuttandJulieCleavertotheremoteViti
LevuislandvillageofTukuraki,whichisbeingrelocatedbythegovernmentafterbeing
destroyedsuccessivelybytwocyclonesandalandslide(Hutt&Cleaver,2017).
Case2:KilmanGovernmentvsVanuatuDailyPostonAirSafety
Meltek Sato Kilman, a francophone, was a compromise prime minister in
Vanuatu inearly2016,havingbeenelected in June2015barelyaweekafterbeing
sackedasforeignminister.FormerprimeministerVanua’akuPatiJoeNatumanwas
oustedinano-confidencevote,largelyblamedonCyclonePam,whichdevastatedthe
country inMarch, and thegovernment’s failure to responddecisively.The country
dependsheavilyonitstourismindustry,withatleast65percentofgrossdomestic
productearnedthroughthissector.LessthanayearafterCyclonePam,Vanuatuand
its troubled tourism industry faced a crisis over aviation safety. After theVanuatu
Daily Post reported a front page story on 27 January 2016 exposing a Port Vila
international airport safety issue, caretaker Prime Minister Kilman accused the
newspaperofbringinghis‘nameintodisrepute’,andof‘partisanbias’(CaretakerPM,
2016). Editorial director Dan McGarry rejected this attack and penned a fresh
editorial:
…[T]heaccusationthatwehavesomehowpoliticisedtheissueissimplyfalse.Theentirepieceisanargumentagainstpoliticisingthistopic.Yes,MrKilman’sgovernment ishardlytheonlyoneguiltyofplayingpolitical footballwiththelives ofour travellers.We agree on that point. The key point in the editorialwas:‘Threedifferentgovernments, threedifferentplans.That’snoway to runacountry.’(McGarry,2016)
RepublishingthiseditorialasanewsstoryincollaborationwithMcGarrymeant
thatthisitemwasthefirstonAsiaPacificReporttonudge2000views.Suchinterest
indicatedthatthisissuewasimportantfortheregionandwhileNewZealandmedia
onlyreportedAirNewZealandpullingout itsscheduled flights,AsiaPacificReport
Asia Pacific Report
133
providedbroader,morenuancedcoverageaboutthepoliticsandmediafreedomand
freedominformationbehindthesafetyissues.Tenwell-informedarticlesontheissue
over the next few weeks concluded with a report on May 8 declaring that the
BauerfieldAirporthadbeen‘rehabilitated’anda‘newtourismera’wasbeingushered
in (Vanuatu airport, 2016). The Asia Pacific Report coverage was thanks to
collaborationwiththeVanuatuDailyPostandcontributionsbycitizenjournalistsand
socialmediathroughVanuatuDailyDigest.
Case3:May-June2016:UniversityUnrestinPapuaNewGuinea
HistorywasapparentlyrepeatingitselfinPapuaNewGuineaduringJune2016.
Someinternationalnewsmedia—notlocal—notablyTheGuardianAustralia,reported
onJune8thatfourstudentshadbeenkilledwhenpoliceopenedfireonthematthe
UniversityofPapuaNewGuinea(Davidson,2016).Thisfollowedthedeathsofthree
studentsinsimilarcircumstancesin2001.However,the2016reporteddeathswere
incorrect(Figure4).Whilesome23people—fourcritically—werereportedwounded
byhospitalauthorities,theyallsurvived.Inthesixweeksleadinguptotheshootings,
thehashtag#UPNG4PNGbecamea‘hot’twitterthemeasthecountry’suniversities
mounted a series of peaceful protests and class boycotts seeking to force Prime
MinisterPeterO’Neilltostepdownfromofficeinthefaceofpersistentallegationsof
corruption.Thestudentscited‘multiplecriminalinvestigationsagainsthim,attempts
toshutdownthepoliceforce’scorruptionunit,andpoorfiscalmanagement’(Pryke,
2016b). This climaxedwhen PNG police opened fire on a peaceful demonstration
when they failed to arrest the Student Representative Council president Kenneth
Rapa,andlateratUnitechonJune25whenoff-campus‘marauders’killedastudent
withbushknives(Kama,L.,2016).Studentsatthecountry’suniversities,particularly
UPNG,were the latest in a ‘long list of those in the firing line for denouncing the
leadership of Papua New Guinea’s seemingly impregnable Prime Minister Peter
O’Neill’(Kama,B.,2016).ThestudentswantedO’Neilltoresignandalsoforthepolice
commissionernottosuppressinvestigationsintocorruptionallegationsimplicating
theprimeminister.ThestudentshadbeenonstrikesincetheendofApriluntilfinally
thefrustratedUPNGadministrationabandonedtheacademicyearanddisbandedthe
SRC,strippingitofitscampusauthority(Aupong,2016).
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Figure5:HelenDavidson’sarticleinTheGuardianwronglyheadlined‘PapuaNewGuinea:fourstudentsreporteddeadafterpoliceopenfireonmarch’,8June2016.Thiswaswidely
rehashedinothernewsmedia.(Source:TheGuardian,8June2016)
However, in spite of the students’ persistent campaign, includingmounting a
lawsuit against the UPNGmanagement, and their historical track record of being
politicaldissidents,therewaslittlechancethatO’Neillwouldstepdown.Inananalysis
of the struggle in the Lowy Institute’sThe Interpreter andCafé Pacific, Australian
NationalUniversitylegalstudiesdoctoralcandidateBalKamaassessedtheirstrength.
Henotedhowtheyhadbeena‘powerfultoolforpoliticalactivismonnationalissues’
since Independence in1975. In1991,studentshadbecomeembroiled ina ‘violent
protestagainst thegovernment for increasingMPs’salary.Sixyears later,students
teamedupwiththePNGDefenseForceto‘protestagainsttheSandlinemercenariesin
theBougainville crisis’.They demanded the resignation of then PrimeMinisterSir
JuliusChan,whowithdrewthemercenariesandresigned.In2001,studentsprotested
against theprivatizationof stateassetsanda landmobilizationprogramme (LMP)
administered by Sir Mekere Morauta’s government. While Mekere withdrew the
policies, which had been part of aWorld Bank structural adjustment programme
(SAP)(Kama,B.,2016),thesuccesscameataseverepoliticalcost.Securityforceswere
accusedofhavingshotdeadthreestudents.
ThePNGConstitutionprovidesfortherighttoprotest,toholdpublicassembly,
andforfreedomofexpression.However,thesearequalifiedrights,meaningtheycan
berestrictedifitappearsthataprotestwouldcausedisharmonyandinstability.The
lawsweretightenedupafterthebloodyoutcomeinthe2001protestagainstMekere’s
Asia Pacific Report
135
governmentwhen two youngUni Tavur student journalists gave testimony to the
Commission of Inquiry (Wakus, 2001). The 2016 protestswere essentiallywithin
universitycampusesbecauseoftherestrictionsandtheassociatedrisksintakingto
thestreets.IntheabsenceofreportingofthestudentsversusO’Neilldevelopmentsby
New Zealand media (apart from Radio New Zealand Pacific), Asia Pacific Report
extensivelycoveredtheunrestincollaborationwithdigitalmedia,suchasLoopPNG
andPNGToday,andcitizenjournalists,includingonesenioracademicstaffmemberat
UPNGwhosupplieduswithregularqualityimages(Images:Studentsaccused,2016).
Case4:June2016:SamoaObserverFront-pageSuicideControversy
InSamoanlanguage, thewordfa’afafine includestheprefix ‘Fa’a’,meaning ‘in
themannerof’,andfafinemeaning‘woman’(Milner,1966,p.52).This‘thirdgender’
iswell-acceptedinSamoancultureandtheyaretraditionallytrainedfromayoungage
todo‘women’sdailywork’inanAiga(Samoanfamilygroup)(Danielssonetal.,1978).
On19 June2016, theSundaySamoan editionof theSamoanObserver reported the
death of a young Samoan transgender woman in Apia on the front page. The
newspapershowedafull-lengthimageof20-year-oldJeanineTuivaiki’slifelessbody
hangingfromtheraftersinacentralApiachurchhall.Intheaccompanyingnewsstory,
thenewspapermisgenderedthetragicyoungwoman.Mountingpublicangeroverthe
newspaper’spublishingactionspreadtoNewZealandwithaprominenttrans-rights
campaigner, Phylesha Brown-Acton, condemning the coverage “I am absolutely
disgusted by the Samoa Observer and their front page photo of a young fa’afafine
woman,’ she said, describing the reporting as ‘completely inappropriate and
disrespectful”(Gato’aiteleSaveaSanoMalifa,2016).
Whereistherespectforthisyoungpersonandherfamily?Theuseofsuchanimagetosellnewspapersisthelowestformofsalestacticsandtheeditorandthereportershouldbeheldaccountableforsuchdegradingjournalism.(Ibid.)
TheSamoaObserver followedupwithan initial frontpageapologyonJuly20
headed‘Andifyou’reoffendedbyitstill,weapologise’thatcriticsregardedasself-
justification,andthispromptedfurtherwidespreadcriticismonsocialmedia.Finally,
editor-in-chiefGotoa’iteleSaveaSanoMalifawroteapersonalapology—hehadnot
beeninvolvedintheeditorialdecisiontopublishthefrontpageimageandstory—to
SamoaObserverreaderspublishedintheJuly21edition.‘Thetruthisthatlastweek,
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136
wemadeasadmistakewhenwepublishedastoryonthelateJeanineTuivaiki,onthe
frontpageoftheSundaySamoan.Wenowacceptthattherehasbeenaninexcusable
lapseofjudgmentonourpart,andforthatwearesincerelyregretful(SamoaObserver,
2016).
However, this sincere apology, along with Savea also pointing out that the
newspaperhadbeenastrongsupporteroftherightsofthefa’afafineovermanyyears,
did not stem the deluge of hostile letters and social media attacks. This situation
promptedKalafiMoala,chiefexecutiveoftheTaimi‘oTongagroupanddeputychair
of thePasifikaMediaAssociation(PasiMA), topenhisownpersonalmessage inan
attempttobringsomeperspectivebackintothedebate:‘Abrotherhasmadeaterrible
mistake.Hehas,however,takenresponsibilityforitandhasapologised.Thoseofus
whoareoffendedneed tooffer forgiveness in the spiritofPacific compassion, and
moveon.’
MoalaalsonotedhehadknownSaveaforalmost30years,anddescribedhimas
oneofthemostprofessionalandenduring journalists in thePacific.Saveahadalso
beensuccessfulinbuildinganewsorganisation,andadailypublicationthathad‘made
allofusPacificpeopleproud’.SamoaObserveralsohasacodeofethics,andSaveais
regardedasa‘passionateadvocate’forstrongnewsmediaethics.Moalaadded:
Reaction to the Sunday Samoan report has been largely fair, and reasonable.Mediaisoftentheharshestcriticofitself,butcriticismisusuallyleftwithaclose-endedcondemnationwithoutanysolutions.(KalafiMoala,2016)
AsiaPacificReporthadnosolutionseither,butratherthan joiningthe ‘blame
game’thatmanymediaindulgedin,stirringevengreateroffence,thisnewswebsite
anditssisterproject,PacificMediaWatch,attemptedtotreattheeditorialmistakeas
alearningexperienceandtoembedconstructivevideoresourcesandlinksavailable
toPacific journalists (Figure6).Pasifikamedia canplayakey role in leading ‘safe
messaging’ about reporting suicide to Pacific communities. In partnership with
PasifikamediainFebruary(LeVa,2016),launchedthe‘Pasifikamediaguidelinesfor
reportingsuicideinNewZealand’,awhiteboardvideoprovidinganoverviewofthe
guidelines.TheguidelinecanbedownloadedfromLeVa’swebsite(www.leva.co.nz).
Pasifika journalist Sandra Kailahi and twenty-three Pasifika media organisations
contributedtoco-developingtheguidelines.
Asia Pacific Report
137
Figure6:LeVa’sPasifikamediaguidelines‘whiteboard’videoembeddedinAsiaPacificReport’sarticlesrelatedtotheSamoaObservertransgendersuicidecontroversy,June
2016.(Source:AsiaPacificReport,June2016)
Conclusion
Fewgenuinelyindependentnewspapers,especiallyprogressiveones,existinin
NewZealand.Forjournalismeducators,thismakesitdifficultforcoursefacilitatorsto
pointtosuccessfulalternativepublishingmodelsinanAntipodeancontext.However,
after the initial success of Pacific Scoop over six years, Asia Pacific Report has
outstrippeditspredecessorinbothaudiencereach,contentandqualityinjustovera
year.AnalystandcommentatorKeithJacksonwroteonhisauthoritativePNGAttitude
websitethatAsiaPacificReportwasmakingacontributiontotheregionatatimewhen
keystrategicissuesatstake.TheseincludedgreatpowerrivalrybetweenChinaand
theUnitedStates,climatechange,mineralsandagriculture,humandevelopmentand
a stable South Pacific areawhose componentnations could collaborate, share and
prosper.
Consideredagainstsuchabackdrop,andtheoverallfailureofnewsmediatopaymuch attention to this area, Asia Pacific Report offers an invaluable andindependentsourceofnewsandinformation…AndAsiaPacificReportpractiseswhatitpreaches.(Jackson,2017)
David Robie
138
Many issues that impact on Polynesia often have parallels in Melanesia and
SoutheastAsia.AsiaPacificReporthasbeenabletoembrace,advocate,andreporton
theentireregion,wherevertheneedforreportageandaradicalperspectivearises.
SignificantrelationshipshavebeenestablishedbetweenthePacificMediaCentreand
newmediaoutletsinSoutheastAsia.AsManningargues, ‘Animpressivenumberof
students have benefited from international internships in this sector. Asia Pacific
ReportreflectsthisinitsdigitalDNA’(Manning,2016).
However, how truly sustainable is this independentmodel? A campus-based
publicationofthisnotonlythrives,butdepends,onitspoolofcreative,dedicatedand
talentedstudents.Intermsofactualfunding,acurrentpostgraduatestudentorrecent
graduate,preferablywithanAsia-Pacificheritage,isemployedasacontributingeditor
forbetweentenandtwentyhoursaweek.Fundingforthisroleissharedbetweenthe
universityandexternal grants; this issupplementedwith royalties fromdatabases
andsaleofresearchbooksandpublicationsproducedbytheCentre.Itwouldbean
idealprojectforasponsorshipfromafoundation.
UnlikemostmediainNewZealandthathavealimitedinternationalfocus,Asia
PacificReportactuallyfocusesonmediacoverageandanalysisofthisregionwithan
impactfactorwithinNewZealand.Theriskfactorisalsomuchgreater,asaddressed
by Joel Simonwhile discussing the problemof ‘democratators’ and the ‘illusion of
democracy’intheintroductiontothisarticle.TheAUTAsiaPacificJournalismStudies
postgraduatepaperistheonlyinternationalstudiescourseofitskindinNewZealand.
InspiteoftheformerNational-ledgovernment’spolicytoinvestinSoutheastAsian
politicalorsocialcapitalaswellasbusiness(hence fundingbeingprovidedfor the
establishmentofaNZInstituteofPacificResearch inearly2016andaproposal to
establishacomparableSoutheastAsianStudiescentreofexcellencein2017),thereis
littleinterestinmainstreamNewZealandmedia.TheAsiaNewZealandFoundation
hasestablishedanAsianMediaCentretoprovideresourcesforNewZealandmedia
andAUTUniversityhasbecometheonlytertiaryinstitutiontoestablishanIndonesia
Centre,whichhasfosteredtheintroductionofBahasaIndonesialanguagecoursesand
is encouraging bettermedia coverage. The public broadcaster Radio New Zealand
Pacificprovidesexcellentcoverageofthemicro-statesoftheregion,butAsiaisnot
actuallypartofitsbrief.DevelopingneighbourTimor-Leste,whichhasstrongtieswith
thePacificaswellaswithAsia,isalsonotpartofRNZPacific’scoveragezone.
Asia Pacific Report
139
TheAsiaPacificReportinitiativeseesitselfasstrategicallypositioningitselfasa
primary provider of content—both text andmultimedia for the region, especially
wherehumanrightsandpeace journalismareconcerned. Indonesiahas frequently
figured among the top five audiences on Asia Pacific Report (usually behind New
Zealand,Australia,PapuaNewGuineaandtheUnitedStates),especiallyat timesof
strongWest Papuan coverage. At other times, Fiji, Papua New Guinea or Vanuatu
might rank in the top five. In onemonth (May 1916, at the height of the student
protestsagainstPrimeMinisterO’Neill),PapuaNewGuineawastop.
TheventureisuniqueintheNewZealandmediascapeandovertimeitshould
contributetoraisingissuesofsocialjusticeandprovidingabroader,moreprogressive
media education in the context of Pacific coups, civil war, climate change,
development,humanrightsandneo-colonialism.Itisanonprofitmodelthatcanbe
replicatedelsewhere.Increasingly,intheTrumperaof‘waronmedia’itisvitaltohave
publicationbrandsthatcanbetrusted.Universitymediaschoolshaveacrucialroleto
playinthis.
Acknowledgements
Theauthorhasinitiatedanddevelopedindependentstudent-drivenprogressive
pressandonlineAsia-PacificprojectsinAustralia,Fiji,NewZealandandPapuaNew
Guineaformorethantwodecades.Hewouldliketoacknowledgecolleaguesinvolved
inthevariousprojects,includingSelwynManningofEveningReport.nz,DrShailendra
Singh of the University of the South Pacific, and Dr Philip Cass, of Auckland, New
Zealand.Inaddition,hewouldliketothankcontributingpostgraduatestudentsonthe
Pacific Media Watch independent news project over the past decade, which has
includedIndonesiaandthePhilippines:TaberannangKorauaba,JosephineLatu,Alex
Perrottet,DanielDrageset,AnnaMajavu,AlistarKata,TJAumuaandKendallHutt.
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