Free press vital, says NZ academic

Auckland University of Technology School of Communication Studies and Director of Pacific Media Centre, Professor David Robie (centre) with Pacific Cooperation Foundation media interns during the AUT tour last week. Picture: Pacific Cooperation Foundation/Supplied

By SALOTE QALUBAU in New Zealand

In order for democracy to thrive and function efficiently, a free press is paramount in terms of check and balance.

This was stressed by Auckland University of Technology (AUT) School of Communication Studies lecturer and Director of the Pacific Media Centre, Professor David Robie while hosting Pacific Cooperation Foundation (PCF) media interns during a tour of the AUT Media Centre last week.

The PCF media internship programme this year includes four journalism students from The University of the South Pacific in Fiji and National University of Samoa.

Professor Robie said the media needed to be supportive of all points of view rather than just supporting whoever was in power.

“There is a western tendency to be hypercritical and so there needs to be more appreciation that journalism has to also be about building a country, building an institute and building confidence in institutions,” he said.

“I’d love to have an exchange between USP and AUT, it would be really good if we could get that established because we have exchanges with other universities globally and it’s not widely known that there’s an opportunity to go to Fiji.”

Professor Robie highlighted that the media internship provided a platform for journalism students to gain first-hand experience and urged journalism students to grasp similar learning opportunities.

“Try and get every opportunity you can to travel around the region for any internships or opportunities to cover events, grab it because you gain more experience around the region,” he said.

National University of Samoa second-year journalism student, Yumi Taalave, said her lecturer encouraged her to apply for the internship.

“My lecturer kept encouraging us to apply for the internship because it would be a good opportunity to learn more about journalism. I didn’t have anything to do that day and filled out the application then received an email the next day about the interview for the programme,” she said.

“I thought that it was late, because they gave out the applications a week before I submitted mine so I was not expecting to get the internship but I was excited knowing that I’ll be able to get the chance to learn overseas from media experts in New Zealand.”

She hopes to implement lessons learned during the internship back home in Samoa.

“I am hoping to know more about journalism. I’d like to learn new things and I believe  being here for this internship will help me graduate with more than classroom knowledge of journalism.”

READ More – Former PCF media intern welcomes Pacific exchange newbies

* Salote Qalubau is a final-year journalism student at The University of the South Pacific. She is also part of the PCF media internship programme in New Zealand from June 24-July 9.