Café Pacific - David Robie | Media freedom and transparency

Fiji floods disaster - message from Rotary

2012-01-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

FIJI needs all the support it can get after the devastating floods that have hit the western parts of the main island of Viti Levu. The country declared a state of emergency today as the death toll rose to six. Here is a message from Alan Eyes, Rotary's district governor 2011-12 (and incidentally brother-in-law of Café Pacific's publisher) about the flooding. The pictures in the Nadi area are

Online campaign stops US anti-piracy censorship in its tracks - for now

2012-01-21T22:16:00.000-08:00

SO Reuters reports that US lawmakers stopped anti-piracy legislation in its tracks this week, "delivering a stunning win for internet companies that staged an unprecedented online protest". Previously the fast-moving bills had appeared on target to become a draconian new curb on freedom of expression and information on the internet. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he would postpone a

Oscar Temaru: A New Year message for survival of a free Pacific press

2011-12-29T17:27:00.000-08:00

The struggle for justice for Tahiti journalist Jean-Pascal Couraud - "JPK".LATELY Café Pacific has devoted a lot of attention to the media blackout on the genocide and corporate resources rape of West Papua. This struggle has been on the margins of media consciousness in the region. This open letter by Jason Brown to Tahitian Territorial President Oscar Temaru spotlights an equally marginalised

Correcting the West Papuan media blackout

2011-12-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

CURIOUS how much of our media privileges the elite sources, yet attempts to marginalise independent media groups that are providing critical news and analysis on the stories left out of the mainstream news agenda. Take West Papua, for example. While the world’s media grasped the “people’s freedom" digital media with enthusiasm during the Arab Spring in the Middle East, other groups comprising

RSF's 10 most dangerous media places - West Papua sidelined

2011-12-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

IT'S OFFICIAL. Well, at least that is the implication of the new "10 most dangerous places for media" list published by Reporters Sans Frontieres - the Pacific is actually one of the safest places in the world for journalists. Yet many donors seem to think that a relatively safe region is more deserving for media freedom support than others in the real global hot seat. Even West Papua, which is

Press freedom - as seen by Double Standards

2011-12-13T00:58:00.000-08:00

THIS WEEK Double Standards was hoping to talk about awards for the best journalism of the past year - and it turned out to be the team's strangest interview so far.As the European economic catastrophe continues, austerity in Greece seems to have turned the clock back thousands of years.Also the president of the UK's Foreign Press Association tells us about his institution's award and much

NZ media 'blind spot' over West Papuan repression

2011-12-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

Papuan demonstrators erupt in a short-lived celebration as they raise the banned Morning Star flag on a bamboo pole in Timika in Indonesian-ruled Papua province. Indonesian police and troops opened fire to break up the protest. Photo: Tjahjono Eranius / PhotoblogFrom Pacific Media Watch: 7761A media academic specialising in Asia-Pacific affairs condemned New Zealand news coverage on West Papua

East Timor’s Santa Cruz massacre - reflections 20 years on

2011-11-12T19:01:00.000-08:00

An American social justice and development campaigner who has devoted much of his life to the East Timorese cause and lives in the independent nation, reflects on the struggles since the Santa Cruz massacre in Dili on 12 November 1991. Photo:La’o HamutukBy Charles Scheiner in DiliTONIGHT, I’m honored to be with so many young Timorese people who believe in justice and independence. Twenty years

Papuan church no longer a safe haven

2011-11-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

The Church has traditionally been seen as a non-partisan player in Papuan politics. In this statement, Father Neles Tebay tells of his fear that the Church is no longer respected as a safe haven for all Papuan citizens. Indonesian military and police shot directly at participants of the third Papuan People’s Congress as they tried to escape from a church property on the afternoon of 19 October

Kiwi media crusade against Les Bleus

2011-10-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

AFTER the All Blacks’ achievement of finally winning the World Rugby Cup against a French revolution 8-7 last weekend after 24 years of self-absorbed angst, a sour mood has overtaken the post-final wave of euphoria. And the New Zealand media is deservedly taking the flak for it – especially the New Zealand Herald. In the eyes of many French rugby scribes, the Herald and other media have been

Rugby World Cup: France denied by a fate that once defied New Zealand

2011-10-26T02:48:00.000-07:00

Self-taught videographer Jared Brandon says he is "blown away" by the success of his video on the World Cup final - the agony and the ecstasy as NZ defeats France 8-7.Decisions went against France, the better side, in the final – just as they did for the All Blacks in 2007By Paul Rees on The Guardian's SportBlogDIMITRI YACHVILI summed up 45 days of Rugby World Cup 2011 when asked a few hours

Fighting over the corpse of Gaddafi like vultures

2011-10-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

AFTER NATO – The death of Muammar Gaddafi as a wounded prisoner of war. Disturbing images on Al Jazeera. A war crime?HOW THE WEST WON LIBYA By Pepe Escobar They are fighting over the carcass as vultures. The French Ministry of Defense said they got him with a Rafale fighter jet firing over his convoy. The Pentagon said they got him with a Predator firing a Hellfire missile. After a wounded

Can Les Bleus break the Eden Park rugby hoodoo?

2011-10-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

Dimitri Yachvili leads a victory parade after defeating England 19-12 in the quarterfinals.STOP PRESS:All Black aristocrats survive French revolutionFrance lose Rugby World Cup final 8-7 but gain respect of the worldThierry Dusautoir leads one of the greatest losing performances in defeat to NZEnfants de la Patrie stand tall against the HakaGreat honour goes to France, but the right team has

Brutal crackdown against pro-independence West Papua congress

2011-10-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

Indonesian military preparing for the crackdown against participants at the Third Papuan People’s Congress. Photo: West Papua Media FOUR KILLINGS at the Freeport McMoRan copper mine strike last week, protests by journalists after one was beaten up and this week’s opening fire by Indonesian forces at the Third Papuan People's Congress have put the spotlight on media freedom and freedom of

Indonesians shoot Papuan strikers – new Pacific media freedom report targets oppressors

2011-10-12T00:23:00.000-07:00