Australian police raids on media - a Pacific perspective (PMC)

AUCKLAND (Pacific Media Centre) - The police raids on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) headquarters and on the home of Sunday Telegraph journalist Annika Smethurst in early June have had a chilling effect on the media in the Pacific.
The director of the Pacific Media Centre, Professor David Robie says Australia has in the past been regarded in the Pacific as a "paragon of media freedom" but this has been steadily declining.
Pacific leaders are now wanting to "take the cue" and seeking to impose more controls on the media - "basically try and shut journalists up”.
Kalafi Moala, former editor and owner of the independent Taimi 'o Tonga newspaper says: “It is within the nature of those who are in power that they want control, and media is the greatest threat to power if it is not held accountable.”
Interviewees: Professor David Robie (PMC), Kalafi Moala (Tonga)
Interviewer: Sri Krishnamurthi
Videography: Blessen Tom
Archival video: Daily Rant (6 June 2019)
Edited and produced by Sri Krishnamurthi for Pacific Media Watch
(CC) Pacific Media Centre, Auckland University of Technology, www.pmc.aut.ac.nz
(CC) Daily Rant Australia, published on 6 June 2019, • Government Raids ABC: ...