Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)

(PINA/IFEX) – An injunction issued by the Samoa Supreme Court prevented distribution of the 16 February 1999 edition of the daily newspaper “Samoa Observer”. The injunction was sought by the Samoan Government-owned Polynesian Airlines and related to a leaked list of advances and allowances to senior airline staff the “Samoa Observer” was publishing in this […]

(PINA/IFEX) – On 11 February 1999, the Fiji Islands Media Council criticised the Fiji Islands government’s decision to become the major shareholder in the “Daily Post”, one of the country’s two daily newspapers. The council comprises representatives of all of Fiji’s main news organisations, plus an equal number of public members, who are leading citizens […]

(PINA/IFEX) – On 10 February 1999, the Fiji Islands government went ahead with a controversial move to become the biggest shareholder in one of the country’s two daily newspapers, according to media reports. The “Daily Post” of 11 February 1999 (local date), in a report headlined “Govt buys Post shares”, quoted Fiji Islands Finance Minister […]

(PINA/IFEX) – Plans by the Fiji Islands government to buy the biggest percentage of shares in one of the country’s two independent daily newspapers have caused anger. The move comes three months before the first general elections under a new constitution replacing one imposed after two military coups in 1987. These coups were led by […]

(PINA/IFEX) – The provincial assembly caucus on the main island of Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal, is trying to stop reporting of statements about growing ethnic tension on the island. It asked the national government minister responsible for the media to ban further statements on the unrest, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation reported on 2 February 1999. The […]

(PINA/IFEX) – Papua New Guinea’s main news organisations say the closure of the University of Papua New Guinea’s twenty three-year-old journalism programme attacks media freedom. The president of the Media Council of Papua New Guinea, Luke Sela, issued a statement on 26 January 1999 expressing alarm at the university council’s decision to drop the journalism […]

(PINA/IFEX) – The award-winning Samoan editor-publisher Savea Sano Malifa says if the Samoan government wants to win media awards, it should free the media it controls. It should open them to others of different political affiliations, Malifa says in a report carried by the Pacific Islands news agency “Pacnews” on 25 January 1999. **Updates IFEX […]

(PINA/IFEX) – “Sex On the Beach”, a song by the Dutch-American group T-Spoon, is now off the air in the Fiji Islands. Radio station FM96 had continued to play the song despite pressure from the Fiji Islands Government’s Assistant Minister for Information and criticism from some religious and community leaders. But it confirmed on 16 […]