Investigative Journalism is a critical specialized skill in journalism, but the challenges within the media sector are deterring its practice, coupled with fears of prosecution.
This issue was discussed at the Pacific International Media Conference 2024 held this week.
ABC PACMAS International Team Leader Alexander Rheeny told Fiji One News that more media development is needed in the Pacific to ensure editorial independence, particularly through investment in Investigative Journalism.
“It’s an investment that media organizations have to make. When I was with Samoa Observer, they decided to invest in a position for an editor in investigative journalism because they saw the need. It’s the only way to practice the best journalism, especially when the public interest is at the heart of your news content,” Rheeny said.
USP Journalism Programme Coordinator Dr. Shailendra Singh highlighted that while investigative journalism holds leaders accountable, it is a skill lacking in the region.
“So, when people talk about the lack of investigative journalism in the Pacific region, they don’t understand the challenges the media sector is facing,” he said.
“Becoming an investigative journalist takes years of experience, training, and practice, which is something we are lacking in our media sector due to the high turnover of staff,” he added.
He cited the lack of support and the tendency for newsroom staff to leave for other public relations work as reasons for the difficulty in building newsroom capacity.
“Our economies are small, our media sectors are small, and media organizations are not able to pay their staff members enough to retain them,” Dr. Singh said.
“There’s a lot of competition within the media sector for journalists. As soon as they reach a certain level of training, they are poached by other organizations that want good PR communication,” he added.
Another factor discussed at the Pacific International Media Conference was the geopolitical influence on Pacific media.
“We have in the Solomon Islands a new establishment for investigative journalism, and we face a lot of challenges regarding quality over quantity. I’m happy that we now have this platform,” Georgina Kekea, President of the Solomon Islands Media Association, said.
The subject was emphasized following a panel discussion from Pacific Editors, highlighting the need for investigative journalism in the Pacific.