Fiji has officially put forward a bid to host the 2026 Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) Media Summit, proposing Savusavu as the location for the event. This announcement coincides with the ongoing 7th PINA Media Summit in Alofi, Niue, where more than 70 media professionals from seven countries are gathered.
The decision regarding the host country for the 2026 summit is anticipated later this week. The current summit, which commenced today, has already featured four pre-summit workshops focusing on significant topics such as bolstering national media associations, public finance management reporting, and addressing emerging climate and environmental issues in the Pacific region.
One highlight of this year’s pre-summit activities is the “Women in Media” workshop, organized by femLINKpacific and supported by The Asia Foundation, aimed at promoting gender balance in media leadership roles. This session has attracted over 15 participants from various organizations across the Pacific and Australia.
The upcoming main summit will center around the theme “Navigating Media Resilience: Press Freedoms, AI, and Geopolitical Interests,” with discussions designed to tackle how Pacific media can respond to technological advancements and external influences. Stanley Simpson, general secretary of the Fijian Media Association, underscored the importance of PINA in shaping regional media and upholding journalistic principles in the face of these challenges.
Throughout the week, attendees will delve into the role of artificial intelligence in journalism and the necessity of protecting press freedoms. The summit is set to conclude with the release of the “State of the Pacific Media Report,” which will be followed by the PINA Annual General Meeting.