Focus on access to info

THE Government is developing a law to enable the public, including journalists, to have free access to confidential information.
Speaking at the University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby yesterday, Minister for Information, Communications Technology Timothy Masiu said: “We are developing a legislative over the access of information that will obligate organisations to make information available for public consumption.”
Masiu said this would enable the media to access closed information where institutions weren’t able to provide.
“Our government supports freedom of information to citizens and where we expect to find almost all public organisations having public relations officers who are able to provide information,” he said.
In commemoration of the Media Freedom Day at the UPNG forum square, the ICT minister also encouraged journalism students to take journalism seriously.
“Journalism can be frightening, but it is a profession you are signing up for,” he said.
Masiu told the students that reporting must undertake strict guidelines in the media code of ethics from various news agencies and organisations while observing the laws of libel and defamation.
He said this would permit them to gather more information for public consumption.
The minister also paid tribute to journalists worldwide who had passed on while on active duty.
Media Freedom Day was celebrated by the UPNG journalism students with visiting media club students from the Jubilee Catholic Secondary School and the media fraternity.