SAMOAN JOURNALISTS TARGET INTEGRITY REPORTING TO BOOST INVESTIGATION SKILLS
Participants of the Corruption Awareness Training for Samoan Investigative Journalists, held this week in Apia
Photo: Supplied
This week, the Tanoa Hotel hosted a two-day workshop to increase the coverage of integrity and corruption concerns and strengthen the obligation of journalists to hold governments accountable.
The United Nations Regional Anti-Corruption Project (UN-PRAC), funded by the government of New Zealand, and carried out by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the Journalists Association of (Western) Samoa (JAWS), is a supporter of the Corruption Awareness Training for Samoan Investigative Journalists program.
According to Lagi Keresoma, president of JAWS, "Samoa's media organizations and journalists want more transparency and access to information so we can fully inform the public of activities at all levels of government, especially related to spending and revenue commitments."
"We welcome the support from UNDP to continue ongoing training for local media and student journalists, especially with a focus on strengthening investigative reporting and awareness of Samoa's engagement with international and regional anti-corruption good practices like the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the Teieniwa Vision, the Pacific region's anti-corruption roadmap."
As part of the training, the Acting Ombudsman, Faualo Pepe Seiuli, provided the media with a briefing on the Ombudsman's duties as an impartial officer of Parliament and the public recommendations made in the Ombudsman's reports submitted to Parliament.
"There are a wealth of good practice anti-corruption commitments for the media to be benchmarking their national governments on," said Taupa' Joseph Mulipola, Program Analyst, UNDP Samoa. "All 14 Pacific Island Countries, including Samoa, are now State Parties to the UNCAC and have endorsed the Teieniwa Vision as a regional anti-corruption framework.
"UNDP continues to work in collaboration with the Government of Samoa and other stakeholders, including the media, to implement long-lasting and successful anti-corruption measures."
The UNDP's support for media training builds on its work since 2016 with the government and other non-governmental actors, including the private sector, women and youth entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, and Members of Parliament, to strengthen integrity in accordance with the UNCAC, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, the Pacific Roadmap on Anti-Corruption, the Teieniwa Vision, and Pacific Unity Against Corruption.
The Pacific media play a critical role in defining priorities, highlighting gaps, and supporting evidence-based solutions. Combating corruption requires the dedication of the entire population. Sonja Stefanovska-Trajanoska, Regional Anti-Corruption Adviser, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, stated that local media can help ensure that UNCAC, the Sustainable Development Goals, and Teieniwa Vision pledges are on track for the benefit of Pacific individuals and societies generally.