Ambassador highlights role of media

National

United States Ambassador Catherine Ebert-Gray has highlighted the important role journalists and the media play in society.
The ambassador, who is also responsible for the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, spoke about the crucial role of journalists and the media when addressing communication arts (journalism) students at Divine Word University in Madang last Friday.
She acknowledged the “impressive” work that graduate journalists from DWU were showcasing at the workplace.
“They come out of this school compact,” Ebert-Gray said.
“They come out of this school keeping on their feet and they come out of this school knowing the importance of the role they play.”
She stressed the importance of the functions of media to ensure accountability, provide factual/honest and balanced approach in reporting.
Ebert-Gray met with students from communication arts programme, and equal playing field (EPF), a student social group that advocates gender equality on campus. The students were encouraged to be “mindful of the constructive role of the media in publishing criticisms”.
Gina Zheng, co-founder of equal playing field’s tertiary programme, Equal Playing Field for Universities and a fourth-year Australian exchange student enrolled in PNG studies, informed the ambassador and her entourage about what  students were currently doing on campus.
Zheng said the programme was focused on empowering and upskilling students through peer-to-peer sessions led by her and fourth-year communication arts student Joshua Kiruhia to generate discussion on gender equality and support students to run on-campus initiatives that aim to shift behaviors and attitudes to ending gender-based violence.