October 9, 2008
By Stella Etemesi
Health Action International Africa – Kenya

Is the media contributing to building peace in Papua New Guinea (PNG)? This is the question Patrick Matbob, a lecturer at Divine Word University in PNG, discussed in an exploration on the topic during WACC Congress

PNG is an island country that is the most culturally diverse nation on earth. It is experiencing growing pains such as racial tensions, cultural diversity and poverty.

Media is limited. There are two main newspapers each circulating on average 26,000 papers a day, while the weekly papers circulate below 20,000 papers per week. The limited circulation has not stopped the press from being a powerful agent of social change. But speaking out has made journalists targets of violence by those who fear exposure of their wrongdoing by the media.

ldquo;Journalists have to be careful with how they practice journalism without creating confrontations or conflicts that could escalate into serious situations," said Matbob.

Even so, the media has shown it is prepared to take on an advocacy role to promote peace, resolve conflicts, expose corrupt activities and ensure justice is done. The media has also supported women in their fight for equal treatment in the male-dominated PNG society.

As a result, it is now not uncommon for the media to initiate campaigns to right what it has identified as a social ill. An outstanding example is the campaign conducted by the Post-Courier to rid the country of illegal guns and to prevent the arms buildup in the highlands. In this instance, the editor, Oseah Philemon, who had been held up twice at gunpoint, decided to do something more than report about it.

Philemon was instrumental in initiating an anti-gun campaign by forming a committee that travelled around the country collecting evidence from gun victims. He ensured that the campaign was widely covered by his newspaper and all the media in PNG. The campaign gained support to rid the country of illegal guns and culminated in a report being tabled in Parliament.

Matbob explained that media advocacy largely depends on the initiative of individual editors and managers. But some journalists have argued that it is not the role of the media to advocate issues to the extent of comprising objectivity.

In defence of media advocacy for social transformation Philemon, affirms media's responsibility to take action and not simply report from the sidelines.

World Association for Christian Communication