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By Monika Singh
The College of the South Pacific will host a serious Pacific Worldwide Media convention in July to deal with vital points within the regional information media sector within the aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic and digital disruption.
The convention, in Suva, Fiji, on July 4-6 is the primary of its variety within the area in twenty years.
With the theme “Navigating challenges and shaping futures in Pacific media analysis and follow”, the occasion seeks to answer some entrenched challenges within the small and micro information media methods of the Pacific.
![Associate Professor Shailendra Singh](https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Shailendra-Singh-500wide.png)
Organised in partnership with the Pacific Islands Information Affiliation (PINA) and the Asia-Pacific Media Community (APMN), the convention is a gathering of lecturers, media professionals, policymakers and civil society organisation representatives to interact in vital discussions on information media subjects.
Convention chair Affiliate Professor Shailendra Singh, head of the USP journalism programme, a few of these challenges are because of the small inhabitants base in lots of island international locations, restricted promoting income, and marginal earnings.
This makes it troublesome for media organisations to reinvest, or pay aggressive salaries to retain good workers.
Dr Singh mentioned their analysis indicated that the Pacific area had among the many highest charge of journalist attrition on the earth, with largely a younger, inexperienced and under-qualified journalist cohort within the forefront of reporting complicated points.
Media rights, free speech necessary
He mentioned that points referring to media rights and freedom of speech had been additionally nonetheless necessary within the area.
Large energy competitors between China and the USA taking part in out within the Pacific was one other complexity for the Pacific media sector to barter, added Dr Singh.
![PINA president Kora Nou](https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Kora-Nou-000wide.jpg)
PINA president and CEO of Papua New Guinea’s nationwide broadcaster NBC Kora Nou mentioned the convention was well timed as “we think about measures to enhance our media panorama post-covid”.
Nou mentioned it was necessary for journalism practitioners, leaders, academia, and key stakeholders to debate points that straight impacted on the media business within the Pacific.
“Not all Pacific Island international locations are the identical, nor do we’ve the identical challenges, however by networking and discussing shared challenges in our media business will assist deal with them meaningfully,” he mentioned.
Nou added that journalism faculties within the Pacific wanted extra consideration when it comes to public funding, new and improved curricula that had been according to technological advances.
He mentioned that analysis collaboration between journalism faculties and established newsrooms throughout the area ought to be inspired.
Higher studying amenities
In accordance with Nou, funding and technical help for journalism faculties like USP in Fiji, and Divine Phrase and UPNG in Papua New Guinea, would translate into higher studying amenities and instruments to organize scholar journalists for newsrooms within the Pacific.
![Dr Heather Devere](https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Heather-Devere-2-ResearchGate-500wide.png)
APMN chair Dr Heather Devere believes this can be a important time for journalism, and essential for lecturers and media professionals and practitioners to unite to deal with world and native points and the precise impacts on the Pacific area.
“Typically uncared for on the world stage, the Pacific is itself having to take care of quite a few conflicts the place journalists are usually not solely incidental casualties however are even being intentionally focused in vicious assaults,” she mentioned.
“Humanity, the atmosphere, our residing areas and different species are in imminent hazard.
“APMN helps the initiative offered by the College of the South Pacific for us all to unify, stand agency and uphold the values that characterise the most effective in our folks,” mentioned Dr Devere.
Important time for world journalism
In accordance with Asia Pacific Report editor and founding father of the Pacific Media Centre, Professor David Robie, this convention comes at a vital time for the long run and viability of journalism globally.
![Professor David Robie](https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/David-Robie-500wide.png)
Dr Robie mentioned it was a “super initiative” by USP’s College of Pacific Arts, Communication and Training to associate with the media business and to assist chart new pathways for journalism methodologies and media freedom within the face of rising geopolitical rivalries over Pacific politics and financial assets.
“We have to look at the function of reports media in Pacific democracies at the moment, the best way to report and analyse battle independently with out being sucked in by main energy agendas, and the best way to enhance our local weather disaster reportage, given that is now an pressing existential problem for Pacific international locations.
“In a way, the Pacific is a laboratory for the complete world, and journalism and media are on the local weather disaster frontline.”
Dr Robie, who was the recipient of the 2015 AMIC Asia Communication Award, highlighted that many human rights points had been at stake, reminiscent of the way forward for West Papua self-determination, that wanted media debate and analysis.
Organisers are calling for abstracts and convention papers, and panel proposals on the next subjects and associated themes within the Asia-Pacific:
- Media, Democracy, Human Rights and Governance:
- Media and Geopolitics
- Digital Disruption and Synthetic Intelligence (AI)
- Media Regulation and Ethics
- Media, Local weather Change and Environmental Journalism
- Indigenous and Vernacular Media
- Social Cohesion, Peacebuilding and Battle-Prevention
- Covid-19 Pandemic and Well being Reporting
- Media Entrepreneurship and Sustainability
Abstracts may be submitted to the convention chair, Dr Singh, by April 5, 2024 and panel and full paper submissions by Might 5 and July 4 respectively.
Monika Singh is editor-in-chief of Wansolwara, the web and print publication of the USP Journalism Programme. Republished in partnership with Wansolwara.
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