AUT - Pacific Media Watch Project
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Pacific Media Watch Project
A Pacific Journalism Review cover featured on Pacific Media Watch. © Malcolm Evans
Pacific Media Watch is an Asia-Pacific media digital repository gathered and published by staff and postgraduate students at AUT University’s Pacific Media Centre and contributing journalists. The monitoring and research project began at AUT in 2007.
Originally launched in Sydney in October 1996, Pacific Media Watch was the Pacific's first regional media website. It has links with the Journalism Programme at the University of the South Pacific, Journalism Studies at the University of PNG (UPNG) and the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ).
Independent and watchful, Pacific Media Watch was founded as an independent, non-profit non-government network by journalists Peter Cronau (left - then director of the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism, University of Technology, Sydney) and 
David Robie (right - based then in Port Moresby as coordinator of Journalism Studies at the University of Papua New Guinea).
After being initially established at the ACIJ, the archive was hosted by the Association of Progressive Communications (APC) in Sydney and the original website can be visited here.
Its genesis was the jailing of two Taimi ‘o Tonga journalists, Kalafi Moala (pictured) and Filokalafi ‘Akau'ola, and a ‘whistleblowing’ pro-democracy member of Parliament in Ton ga, ‘Akilisi Pohiva, for alleged contempt in September 1996.
They were later freed by the Supreme Court in Tonga which 
ruled their imprisonment was unconstitutional. PMW played an important role in the campaign to free the three men, including organising a petition of more than 100 media signatures from the region.
Late in 2007, masters student Taberannang Korauaba, of Kiribati (left), himself once a cause célèbre for media freedom organisations, joined the PMC to prepare PMW files for the new DSpace database. He is now publishing his own Auckland-based newspaper, Kiribati Independent.
Tongan journalist and AUT masters student Josephine Latu (right) joined the PMC as contributing editor of Pacific Media Watch in August 2008 and has covered several media events and is contributing many articles.
Current contributing editor Alex Perrottet is from Australia with a long interest and experience in the Pacific. He has a law degree and is completing both a masters degree and postgraduate diploma in communication studies and journalism at AUT.
The Pacific Media Watch project received a $15,000 grant from the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust in 2009/10 for its web-based development work.
Founding Objectives
Pacific Media Watch's objectives are to:
- Press for the urgent removal of barriers to press freedom and freedom of expression.
- Protect and support journalists unjustly jailed, assaulted or harassed while performing their professional duty.
- Encourage debate on media ethics, and press for improved professional standards.
- Monitor regional media ownership and other issues affecting freedom of information.
- Provide a digital information database.
- Support the overwhelming desire of Pacific peoples for a free and independent media.
Quick links
- Pacific Press Freedom 2011: A status report
- Pacific Development and Communication Trust grant 2010-11
- Phase 3/Web 2: PMW media freedom database (2010 onwards)
- Phase 2: DSpace PMW media freedom database (2007-2010)
- Phase 1: Original PMW media freedom database (1996-2007)
Contact
Professor David Robie – Manager Pacific Media Watch project
Alex Perrottet – Contributing editor PMW project
Pacific Media Centre
D-63 School of Communication Studies
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
AUT University
Private Bag 92006
Auckland 1142
New Zealand
WG1028
Level 10,
WG Precinct,
Gate 4,
Governor Fitzroy Place
Email: pmediawa@aut.ac.nz
Website: www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz
Fax: (649) 921 9987