Competition for information

Papua New Guinea’s mainstream media has today taken on an undeclared competitor.
In an ideal scenario, the social media, via internet applications and the multitude of local blogs should necessarily complement the traditional media.
Where mainstream newspapers, radio and television are inhibited by situations such as geographical location or censorship and commercial considerations, the social media could and should be the available option.
However, in the absence of any legal control or monitoring of the use of social media, it is open to widespread abuse.
The weekend’s rumours of two confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus in Port Moresby is one of the many concerns.
Such rumours does nothing good but only create unnecessary panic in the society.
The media’s job in maintaining balance between truth and public perception and in ensuring always to remain just and objective is now being challenged with social media.
With the click of a button, thanks to social media, news about murder, rape, car theft and many more in the country are uploaded, even if it just rumours.
Some common questions being asked about the roles of these two strands of media include:
Is the social media venturing into a grey area where the mainstream media is expected to but is either failing or being restricted by the laws on libel and defamation?
Are the country’s newspapers, television and radio stations not doing enough for some of their readers who would rather educate themselves by using the freedom provided by the social media?
Someone has to take on the responsibility of telling the truth about public issues and controversies and that is the mainstream media’s role to extract truth from public officials or is it incumbent upon them to provide it?
Some social media users have obviously descended below levels of common decency and respect for their fellow citizens and others.
Such abuse needs to be monitored. Social media is vital source of information and education.
Keeping tabs on social media is necessary yet at the same time, we in the mainstream media might want to do some soul-searching at as well.
The public might want to ask whether to take social media seriously as a source of information and education.
Some say readers don’t seem to really care about what organisation they’re getting their news from, or what device format they’re reading on; what matters, really, is the news itself.
Elsewhere in the world, governments and NGOs (non government organisations) have successfully used social media to transmit vital knowledge for social and economic development.
Used correctly and with proper control mechanisms, it can result in positive development for the individual as well as the community at large.
Unfortunately, the social media in Papua New Guinea has been thriving on conspiracy theories and is being used by people to vent their hatred and malice towards others.
It is a positive development that the public has come to use of the social media which demonstrates that they are knowledgeable about issues of national importance and are technologically savvy.
We agree that every Papua New Guinean has the qualified right to broadcast or publish and to partake in a public assembly.
However, that comes with responsibilities as well which social media is lacking at the moment.