Pacific Media Centre (AUT)'s video: Australian police raids on media - a Pacific perspective PMC

AUCKLAND (Pacific Media Centre) – The police raids on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) headquarters and on the home of Sunday Telegraph journalist Annika Smethurst in early June have had a chilling effect on the media in the Pacific. The director of the Pacific Media Centre, Professor David Robie says Australia has in the past been regarded in the Pacific as a "paragon of media freedom" but this has been steadily declining. Pacific leaders are now wanting to "take the cue" and seeking to impose more controls on the media - "basically try and shut journalists up”. Kalafi Moala, former editor and owner of the independent Taimi 'o Tonga newspaper says: “It is within the nature of those who are in power that they want control, and media is the greatest threat to power if it is not held accountable.” Interviewees: Professor David Robie (PMC), Kalafi Moala (Tonga) Interviewer: Sri Krishnamurthi Videography: Blessen Tom Archival video: Daily Rant (6 June 2019) Edited and produced by Sri Krishnamurthi for Pacific Media Watch (CC) Pacific Media Centre, Auckland University of Technology, http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz (CC) Daily Rant Australia, published on 6 June 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teOJ6Vcuz0E