I he spent five years as the sole journalist on the remote Pacific island of Yap. During that time they harassed me, spat on me, threatened to kill me, and warned me that they were following me. The tires on my car were cut late one night.
There was also pressure at the political level. The heads of the traditional Pilung Council (COP) asked the state legislature to expel me from the country for being a “persona non grata” claiming that my journalism “may be detrimental to the state environment and / or state security.”
During a public hearing of the Yap state legislature in September 2021, 14 minutes of the 28-minute meeting were devoted to complaining about an article of mine that reported on the initially unsuccessful attempt by the legislature to impeach the governor. Then a politician posted about me on his Facebook page, under which a member of the public posted a comment saying that I should be killed.
American Bill Jaynes, editor of the Kaselehlie Press in Pohnpei, one of Yap’s sister states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), has also received death threats over the years.
“In the 15 or so years that I have been at this desk, I have received several death threats,” he said. “Early in my tenure, an angry individual recorded a request for me to perform an act of physical impossibility on the hood of my car, which was later rusted for posterity. Most of that was in the first few days before I was trusted to see things from an FSM rather than a foreigner’s point of view and to handle things objectively rather than sensationally. “
Press freedom is included in both the WSF and the Yap State Constitution, but as Leilani Reklai, editor and publisher of the Island Times Newspaper in Palau and president of the Palau Media Council, says, “Press freedom in the constitution is pretty on paper, but it’s not always a reality. “
These incidents are shocking, but sadly they are not isolated. Journalists in the Pacific face incarceration, loss of employment and banishment from their homes.
“While there may be no killings, murders, gagging, torture, and ‘disappearances’ of journalists in Pacific island states, threats, censorship, and a climate of self-censorship are common,” David Robie, founding editor of Pacific Journalism Review , wrote in a 2019 article.
A Fijian journalist, who asked to remain anonymous, said that after asking a politician questions during a public forum, the politician replied that he knew where the reporter lived. The next day, the reporter’s car was broken into. Shortly after, the reporter was told that if he did not stop being critical, they would fire him from his job “and instead he could go shopping” and evicted him from his home. The reporter believes that all of these incidents stemmed from the questions he asked the politician.
“In a week my life completely changed,” he said. “I don’t see a future for myself or for any other journalist who is curious and questioning pursuing a career in journalism in Fiji.”
According to Reporters Without Borders’ 2021 World Press Freedom Index, Fiji is ranked 55 out of 179.
The index highlights the “draconian” Media Industry Development Decree, introduced in 2010 and signed into law in 2018. “Those who violate the loosely worded provisions of this law face up to two years in prison. Sedition laws, with penalties of up to seven years in prison, are also used to foster a climate of fear and self-censorship, ”Reporters Without Borders said.
In 2018, EMTV suspended senior journalist Scott Waide from Papua New Guinea after airing his report criticizing the government for buying 40 luxury Maseratis and three Bentleys to attract attendees during the APEC conference.
Reinstated after a public and media outcry, Waide stated during an interview on ABC’s Pacific Beat: “Increasingly, not only EMTV, but almost every other media organization in Papua New Guinea has been interfered with by their boards of directors or politicians, or by various other players in society. They are doing it with impunity. It is a very dangerous trend for democracy ”.
Daniel Bastard, Reporters Without Borders director for Asia and the Pacific, said the situation is complicated by how small and connected many Pacific nations are.
“The fact is that political leaders are also economic bosses, so there is a nexus. It is symptomatic of the small journalistic communities in the Pacific Islands that need to deal with the political community to access information. They have to be careful when they criticize knowing that the government can cut advertising, publicity, etc. There is still a strong level of intimidation. “
While there are particular dangers local journalists face, foreign reporters living in the Pacific are also not safe.
Canadian Dan McGarry, former media editor of the Vanuatu Daily Post and a resident of the island nation for nearly 20 years, was denied a work permit renewal in 2019. The reason given was that his job should be handled by a citizen. local. But McGarry said he believes he was politically motivated because of his reports of “Chinese influence” in the small nation. He was then denied re-entry to Vanuatu after ironically attending a forum on press freedom in Brisbane.
Regional and international news organizations came to his defense and the court granted McGarry reentry, but the newspaper’s appeal to renew his work permit is ongoing.
I have written on some sensitive and difficult subjects and I like to think of myself as quite brave. In 2018 I wrote about illegal fishing by Chinese commercial fishing boats around the outer island of Fedrai. This coverage resulted in the expulsion of the fishing vessel and important political consequences.
I have written about issues in the customs and immigration processes at FSM, which were potentially endangering tourism in Yap, which is so important to the livelihood of so many people, and also about a proposed huge and controversial complex that would have seen thousands and thousands of tourists. Chinese tourists flew to that small island on charter flights.
These stories matter, and just because some Pacific nations are small and remote doesn’t mean they don’t need or deserve the scrutiny of a free press.
But ultimately, the threats to my safety were too much to handle. I spent too much time looking over my shoulder, living behind closed doors and never going out alone after dark. In mid-2021, I moved to Guam for more peace of mind, where I continue to write about this largely invisible, but crucial part of the world.
www.theguardian.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism