The Solomon Islands’ government has prompted outrage by ordering the censorship of the national broadcaster, forbidding it from publishing material critical of the government, which is to vet all stories before broadcast.
The government on Monday said that Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp (SIBC), a public service broadcaster established in 1976 by an act of parliament, would be brought under government control.
The broadcaster, which puts out radio programs, TV bulletins and online news, is the only way to receive immediate news for people in many remote areas of the country, and plays a vital role in natural disaster management.
Staff at SIBC confirmed that as of Monday, all news and programs would be vetted by a government representative before broadcast.
The development has prompted outrage and raised grave concerns about freedom of the press.
“It’s very sad that media has been curtailed, this means we are moving away from democratic principles,” said Makira-Ulawa Province Premier Julian Maka, who formerly worked at SIBC for 21 years, including as programs manager and current affairs head.
“It is not healthy for the country, especially for people in the rural areas who need to have balanced views available to them,” Maka said.
“The censoring of the Solomon Islands’ national broadcaster is an assault on press freedom and an unacceptable development for journalists, the public, and the democratic political process,” the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said. “The IFJ calls for the immediate reinstatement of independent broadcasting arrangements in the Solomon Islands.”
The restrictions follow what Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has called biased reporting and news causing disunity.
Opposition leader Matthew Wale has requested a meeting with the executive of the Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI) to discuss the situation.
There have been growing concerns about press freedom in the Solomon Islands, particularly in the wake of the signing of the controversial security deal with China in May. Observers are concerned that Pacific leaders might emulate China’s approach to press freedom and transparency.
During the marathon tour of the Pacific conducted by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅), Pacific journalists were not permitted to ask him questions, and in some cases, reported being blocked from events, having Chinese officials block their camera shots, and having media accreditation revoked for no reason.
At Wang’s first stop in the Solomon Islands, MASI boycotted coverage of the visit, because many journalists were blocked from attending his news conference.
COVID-19 restrictions were cited as the reason.
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