The Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) has issued a blunt call for stronger protections for press freedom as part of its World Press Freedom Day 2026 statement, warning that legal pressures, misinformation and weakened finances are increasingly threatening independent media across the region.
PINA president Kalafi Moala said a free and independent media is essential to “peace, development and accountability,” and stressed that truth cannot be sustained without journalists operating free from fear or undue influence. “Let me be clear—there can be no lasting peace without truth. And there can be no truth without a free and independent media,” he said in the statement released for World Press Freedom Day.
Moala said the region faces both “warning signs and encouraging progress.” He singled out Samoa as an example where ongoing legal pressures and court challenges leave even longstanding media institutions vulnerable. By contrast, he pointed to improving engagement between government and media bodies in Papua New Guinea as an example of constructive dialogue that can reduce confrontation and build partnerships.
In Fiji, Moala acknowledged recent movement toward a more open media environment but urged continued vigilance to ensure reforms are sustained and that journalists can operate without intimidation. He warned that press freedom cannot be taken for granted and that gains can be fragile if legal frameworks and practices are not continually protected and reinforced.
Beyond legal constraints, Moala raised the growing peril of misinformation and disinformation spreading on digital platforms. He said the impact is particularly acute in small island states where false narratives can quickly erode public trust, fuel division and threaten social cohesion. He also drew attention to a parallel economic threat: the financial sustainability of media organisations. “Without sustainable, independent media, press freedom itself is at risk,” he said, warning that shrinking revenue and weakened institutions can leave societies less informed and less able to hold power to account.
PINA used the World Press Freedom Day platform to urge Pacific governments to move from rhetoric to action. The association is calling for concrete measures including reforming restrictive laws, ensuring the safety of journalists, supporting media sustainability and maintaining open channels of engagement between governments and news organisations. Moala also appealed directly to journalists, underscoring the need for high ethical standards: “Credibility is our greatest asset. Without it, we weaken the very freedoms we seek to defend.”
The statement frames press freedom as a safeguard for democratic participation rather than a threat to governments, and closes with Moala’s stark message linking truth to regional security: “A peaceful Pacific cannot be built on silence. It must be built on truth. And truth depends on a free and fearless media.” The PINA declaration adds to a wider regional conversation about media independence as Pacific states balance security, development and the rapidly shifting information environment.