Opposition hails US Embassy role in promoting press freedom

Deputy Opposition leader Timothy Masiu is happy with the United States Embassy for supporting the work of media in PNG.
“I take my hat off for the continuous efforts of our strong democratic partner – the United States for reminding us all that media freedom is one of the pillars of any democratic institution,” Masiu said.
“US Embassy’s screening of The Post at Paradise cinema in Port Moresby to guests and journalists this week shows how important the watchdog role the media plays in developing democracies.
“The Post is a movie about how the Washington Post which published the secret plans and mishaps of US government policy and military action in Vietnam during the Nixon years and the start of the famous Watergate scandal that brought down the Whitehouse”.
Masiu, a former journalist, called on the US and other international partners to find ways of nurturing a culture of investigative journalism in PNG and the Pacific.
“This is the right time for media in PNG and the Pacific to talk about how to handle news stories on corruption and I am pleased to hear that the Pacific Islands News Association conference in Tonga has recognised this issue, which has affected governance in PNG and the Pacific,” he said.
“I strongly support the media in the Pacific region for its daring approach to use the ability of mass media to uncover corrupt deeds and malpractices within bureaucracy and governing institutions that has evaded public scrutiny and transparency in PNG and the Pacific for two decades,”
The screening of The Post at Paradise cinema was part of the World Press Freedom Day on May 3.
US Ambassador Catherine Ebert-Gray said: “Both of our countries enjoy a free press, but sometimes this freedom is abridged, not by the government so much. But by journalist, editors and publishers, who censor themselves because they’re afraid of offending the people in power.”
Madang MP Bryan Kramer, who was invited to the event, said the media has significant power and influence and in their role was a watch dog against corruption and social, economic and political injustice.