The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliates the Media Association blong Vanuatu (MAV), E Tū (New Zealand) and the Federation of Journalists, New Caledonia (FJC-NC) along with the Papua New Guinea Media Workers Association (PNGMWA), Fiji Media Association (FMA), and Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI), to announce the launch of a new media solidarity network for journalists and media workers in the Pacific. The Pacific Media Network (PMN) launched on Friday, October 27 at the IFJ’s inaugural Pacific regional meeting and workshop in Port Vila, Vanuatu, and included the launch of a new PMN Facebook page and the #ifjmediapac hashtag.   The IFJ and Media Association blong Vanuatu co-hosted the two-day IFJ Pacific Solidarity & Campaign Workshop: Strong Voices Together in Port Vila, bringing together 15 media leaders and activists from Vanuatu, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Fiji. Supported by UNESCO, the meeting was aimed at building and strengthening regional solidarity, campaigning and advocacy, particularly in digital campaigns. Key challenges for journalists across the Pacific identified at the meeting were:

• Sexual harassment and violence toward female journalists in the field and in the workplace;
• Journalist welfare issues such as entitlements, benefits, allowances, staffing and low wages;
• Political influence by management, owners and politicians;
• The need for strong RTI and Access to Information laws in the Pacific. Currently, both Solomon Islands and New Caledonia are yet to legislate any form of RTI legislation.
• Journalist protection and safety, specifically to ensure ensuring governments fulfil their obligations to protect journalists and media workers and to tackle the culture of threats, intimidation and attacks;
• The needs for further training and skills development to strengthen the capacity of journalists through professional development and media rights awareness building;
• Strengthening regional solidarity and building a collective voice for journalists in the region. 

The IFJ said: “This was the first IFJ activity which brought together journalists from across the Pacific. It was a great opportunity to create solidarity among our colleagues i and launch a network to share experiences, skills and campaigns. We hope that the IFJ Pacific Media Network will become a key vehicle for journalists to campaign and advocate on shared issues in the Pacific. The regional workshop was preceded by a two-day union leadership and management workshop with the MAV executive and local journalists. Both activities were co-funded by Union to Union and UNESCO IPDC. See photos from the activities here and here.   See the Pacific Media Network on Facebook here. 

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0946 

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 140 countries

Find the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific

Find the IFJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IFJAsiaPacific