MEDIA houses and journalists who abuse ‘freedom of the media’ in Papua New Guinea will be held to account as Government starts working at strengthening this area that has fallen in standards over the years especially with the advent of internet technology today, Prime Minister Hon. James Marape said.
Prime Minister Marape said today (12.12.22) the Government would do this while taking every care not to compromise the media’s right to the freedom of speech in consultation with the Media Council of PNG.
The Prime Minister said: “The Government will now work at holding the media accountable to the highest standard.
“In that work to hold media accountable, we will maintain at all cost, freedom of media to write truth.
“But once the media crosses to hearsay, fake news, lies and distortions then that organization as well as the individual or individuals who write these reports will be held to account for propagating lies and non-factual reports to the public.
“This is because we are nation of a thousand tribes. We are only one or two generations out from modern education and awareness about what is happening in our country and around the world, in the age of real-time information transmission. Through social media, most times as we have seen, false news has run ahead and caused violence, dissensions, tension and stress in our society.
“This cannot be allowed to continue and we need to put a stop to it.
“Freedom of speech is a qualified right – you have to exercise it with responsibility and due care of others based on truth and facts. Those who write must write actual, factual information so that our country is fed accurate messages and news.
“At the moment we see a lot of spin, especially from the two big print media companies, who have their own editorial interests. We saw last week when The National ran an editorial that was completely distorted and out of context from what the Hon. Julie Bishop said at the Sydney mining conference.
“We are a robust democracy that includes a free media. But those in the media must not abuse this freedom and take it to suit their own personal or hidden corporate agenda.
“Every holder of the pen and member of the media has responsibility to the truth. Reporting must be correct and factual; standard of journalism must be at the highest in our country.”
The Prime Minister said this work to strengthen the country’s media would not be done in isolation of the Media Council of PNG who would be consulted in the proposed reforms.
“The media, as part of our work to entrench our democracy and strengthen our key institutions, will be looked at and my government will consult the media council to ensure their views are heard. We will put to the council our proposed reform and amendments so we are all on the same page,” he said.
“I repeat, we will not compromise freedom of speech through the media. I am a staunch supporter of our Constitution but this is so we make our media more responsible and return standards of the media to what it once was.”
