Fair, balanced, accurate news

By JESHER TILTO
SENIOR media representatives told the Parliamentary Committee on Communications inquiry on the media industry that there were processes to ensure the dissemination of fair, balanced and accurate information for public consumption.
Editor-in-chief of The National Christine Pakakota explained the paper’s newsroom processes and practices.
She said stories published each day were vetted by senior editorial staff members went through checks and balances following the newspaper’s house-style.
“A collective decision is made to allow stories to run,” she said.
“We have a vetting process in place to identify misinformation and disinformation.”
The newspaper’s editorial director Frank Senge Kolma said the newsroom was an important system dedicated to the dissemination of fair, accurate and balanced news for public consumption.
“We do our business in the best way that we can for our country,” he said. “Sometimes we make mistakes but the whole system of the newsroom is dedicated to ensuring that we bring to the people fair, accurate and balanced news.”
The PNG Media Council and the Post Courier also presented their perspectives of the media industry to the committee.
Council president Neville Choi said the country’s media industry was responsible and accountable to the people.
“The media is not in the business of making anyone look good,” he said.
“The responsibility of the media has never changed and our responsibility is to the people of PNG.”
Committee chairman Marsh Narawec suggested the establishment of a journalists’ association to look after their welfare.
Today’s session will be attended by other representatives of the media industry, independent journalists and reporters, social media influencers and the public.
The committee will also visit the University of PNG’s School of Journalism this afternoon, concluding the three-day inquiry.