Samoa close to setting up media watchdog

SAMOA– The executive committee of the Journalists Association of Samoa,known by the acronym JAWS, has started the process of establishing a media council to receive and investigate complaints from the public about local news media coverage.

After its first meeting this week, the executive has decided to call for expressions of interest from media personnel and members of the public who wish to be members of the Media Council. The call for expressions of interest is to ensure transparency and accountability in the process of selecting council members.

There had been suggestions to appoint an interim media council due to the latest events surrounding the front page news treatment of the death of fa’afafine Jeanine Tuivaiki by the daily Samoa Observer newspaper.

But the JAWS executive says the process that it is now following requires the endorsement of the Media Council Act of 2015 and while it understands the immediate need to establish such a council, following the correct process is essential to ensure transparency and accountability.

JAWS president, Apulu Lance Polu, says this is not an easy task due to the administration work involved in the establishment of the Media Council, including costs, but a decision will be made as soon as possible once the expressions of interest are received.

The Media Council is an initiative of JAWS as a self-regulatory mechanism that also ensures media ethics and standards are observed.

The initiative received funding from the Thompson Foundation in Wales with a study and resulting report s the basis of consultations in Samoa that led to the Media Council Bill that was passed by parliament last year.

The initiative had also been endorsed and pushed for by the government following many concerns raised at the level of journalism and reporting by some media outlets in the past.

The Media Council will be appointed by the executive committee of JAWS and is to be chaired by a lawyer who has at least five years experience as a lawyer or as a judge and has no direct interest in the association.

Other members of the council will include five media representatives and five community representatives.

- Matangi Tonga/PNC