Polye: Media must step up

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Monday November 4th, 2013

 By MALUM NALU

Treasurer Don Polye says there is an urgent need for hard-hitting investigative journalism in Papua New Guinea to probe into issues affecting the country.

He said there was a need for media companies to pour in more resources so that journalists could be more investigative in their work.

Polye, who is World Bank and International Monetary Fund chairman, passed this message to reporters on Friday when speaking about the 2014 budget and the state of the economy.

“I really am very concerned with the kind of journalism that you portray,” he said. 

“I’d like all of you to step up.

“Honestly speaking, you have to meet international standards of reporting.

“You’re doing less investigative journalism in PNG.

“When you talk about investigative journalism, it needs a lot of research.

“When you talk to me I might be lying, so go and ask another leader and if you don’t think that is correct, go and ask someone else.

“Don’t say ‘he was not available for comment’.

“The other thing I see is that your organisations don’t have the logistics, that’s why you struggle.

“I see that too.

“I think it’s a chronic problem in PNG.

“But I’d like to say that journalism in PNG has got to step up on its professional performance.”