Great journos pass on

By MARTIN LIRI
THE media fraternity in PNG is mourning the passing of two of its leading media personalities in the month of December, 2016.
Susuve Laumaea, 60, from Uritai village in Gulf passed away on the Dec 20, 2016 at his Port Moresby residence at Hohola after losing a battle with illness.
Oseah Philemon, from Labu in Morobe also lost his life on Dec 24, also succumbing to illness in Port Moresby.
Susuve’s brother Peter Laumaea said the family was in the process of finalising his funeral arrangements in close consultation with the Office of the Prime Minister.
He is survived by eight children – two sons, six daughters and eight grandchildren.
A renowned journalist, Susuve was, at the time of his passing, engaged with the Prime Minister’s Media Unit.
Prior to that, the respected political columnist worked with leading media organisations including Post Courier in a career that spanned over three decades.
His vast experience in the media industry has seen him work as a press officer in various organisations in both the private and government sectors.
His prolific writing skills enabled him to become a respected speech writer with certain prominent political leaders using his extensive experience over the years because he understood what the little people wanted to hear or read and how effectively the message needed to be presented.
It is a great loss to the media industry as one of the pioneers in the journalism profession closes a chapter of his illustrious career.
He is fondly called, Sus or SL, by the survivors from an era when journalists used typewriters each day or dictated stories over the phones. Very unlike these modern days of touchscreens and mobile phones that allow reporters to file their stories from the bush even.
“I can remember those days when we were trying to sleep and Sus was busy on his typewriter because he was writing another story or trying to complete an article,” recalls Peter.
But journalists like Sus and his many colleagues of that era gave that special touch to a story, taking meticulous care to tell it the way they saw it – describing the events with carefully chosen words and well-structured sentences and at times in simplified versions so that the readers or the audience saw what they saw. The hard-hitting commentaries provided another perspective to an issue. Many times these articles had public figures or organisations scampering into “damage control” to try to salvage whatever was left of their image.
In the days before modern technology, the mainstream media – newspapers, radios and television and other publications were the main source of news.
People like Sus were seasoned journalists in the true sense of the word, who had quality written all over them because they came through the ranks from well-structured programmes where one had to earn their “bylines (where a reporter’s name runs with his/her story)”.
Some of the print reporters from this era who immediately come to mind include Frank Senge Kolma, Sinclaire Solomon, Pama Anio, John Apami, Biga Lebasi, Neville Togareva, Wally Hiambohn, Jonathan Tannos, Numa Alu, Peter Sea, Patrick Levo, Alfred Kaniniba, Barney Orere, Sam Vulum, Daniel Korimbao, Eric Kone, Abby Yadi, Dominic Sengi, Malum Nalu, Peter Niesi and Ruth Waram.
Photographers completed the news team as men like Ekar Keapu, John Pangkatana, Harry Kombega and the late Auri Eva and William Williando, were also multi-skilled darkroom experts who processed their own pictures unlike today when digital cameras mean reporters can also take publishable pictures. It was common practice back then for budding journalists to have their stories thrown back at them to re-write if they didn’t meet the standards of the editor. A good editor, or the cruel one if you looked at it the other way, would squash badly-written copy right in front of you or throw it in the waste basket. Not very comfortable experience when newsrooms are big open rooms and the embarrassing episode is unfolding right before the entire editorial staff.
It was like a “cut-throat job” and one had to be very good or just plain tough to survive in the industry because the sub editors – expatriates and nationals – made no secret about what they thought about our writing skills through some well-chosen epithets.
It was tough and many a young reporter was reduced to tears.
You either love them or loathe them; they helped shape who we are today. The newsrooms of those days were not without white-haired or bald-headed editors, I mean old bald headed, not young and bald. Some of them looked physically sick and resembled scarecrows but had brains that defied their physical appearance.
They were very particular and every single story would go through stringent checks and re-checks. Mistakes called for tough disciplinary action from management, even to the extreme of instant dismissal.
Sus, when he moved onto the subs desk was not as cruel but more caring. He opted for taking a young reporter under his wings and “teaching them the tricks of the trade” with mentoring skills that left the young man or woman very appreciative. After all, they were learning from an old warhorse that had seen tougher times. Many newsrooms in PNG do not have that group of veterans – or “that line of defence” as they were sometimes referred to. They are missing a quality-control mechanism that adds value to their production.
Sus and many others like him loved the news profession and remained there until they retired. News organisations, of the past would re-structure salary structures just to keep these veteran reporters when attractive offers came from outside.
Sadly in PNG nowadays, the seasoned newsroom brigade is non-existent so young reporters miss out on the great practical training that we were privileged with. In fact, the turnover of journalists leaving the newsrooms for “greener pastures” is quite high but that is another story.
But, we have had the privilege of either working with or knowing journalists, photographers and broadcasterswho were also personal friends like the late Susuve Laumaea and Oseah Philemon (OP) and others who have also passed on like Jack Metta, Asora Paul, OriMaeoka, Peter Kili, Justin Kili, Yehiura Hriehwazi, Mark Sapias, Tom Alau, Auri Eva, William Williando and Joe Ivaharia.
May they all rest in peace.