Attack on journalists unacceptable

THE recent news of two journalists being attacked by supporters of a former MP is uncalled for and utterly unacceptable.The female reporter from The National and a male reporter from Post Courier on Thursday were harassed and intimidated by supporters of a former MP after covering the former MP’s alleged abduction case at the Waigani Court, in Port Moresby. It was reported that the journalists were harassed and threatened because the supporters did not want the former MP’s case being published. The journalists were only doing their jobs and being a journalist in PNG, we know that we have always been doing our job without such dilemmas. But to experience this, especially to a female journalist, this is unacceptable! Freedom of expression is the cornerstone of any democratic society. In Papua New Guinea, journalists have shown their grit and professionalism to play their role in nation building. They have contributed to make democratic institutions stronger and strengthened public engagement. Their critical scrutiny of politics, the economy, environment, and society bring light to issues affecting all Papua New Guineans. So, attacks of media freedom should not be taken lightly, for the rights of journalists and the rights of citizens are linked. As former prime minister and Ialibu-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill said when commenting on the issue in the The National newspaper: “The assault on a female journalist of The National on Thursday is an attack on Papua New Guinea’s democracy.” By now Papua New Guineans, let alone supporters should know that journalists do more than keeping the country informed. They allow citizens to have their voices heard in the chambers of power and allow citizens to monitor and moderate the sources of power that shape our lives. And that’s the power media play in democracy. We can never say we are a democratic country, when we attack or threaten the very people working day and night to uphold a sound democracy. James D. Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, describes the importance of the journalist’s work as: “What differentiates poor people from rich people, is lack of voice. The inability to be represented. The inability to convey to the people in authority what it is they think. The inability to have a searchlight put on the conditions of inequality. A free press is absolutely vital to that objective. Freedom of the press is not a luxury. It is not an extra. It is absolutely at the core of unbiassed development.”Moreover, the Government has a duty to safeguard the constitutional right to information and freedom of expression and that means acting against those who try to intimidate journalists to silence them. Attacks on journalists are not only awful for the individual reporter, but an assault on our democracy.The female journalist said in The National that: I was traumatised by what happened. I felt violated because the supporters invaded my private space and assaulted me in close range. Being a female, she was scared, alone and didn’t know what could happen to her. But we commend her for her courage, and we will not allow vicious attacks to deter us from reporting fairly and accurately on news and trust that the police will fully investigate the case.