The media in PNG including traditional and new media has come under the spotlight with the government now putting in place a committee that will look into its conduct through an inquiry.
The objective of the inquiry is to improve the standard of journalism and media industry practices in PNG.
The government is taking this action following the rise in misinformation, disinformation and misreporting.
The inquiry will look into the impact of such news on the society, the state, politics, governance and economics and the role of state agencies to regulate contents that are being transmitted through the different media channels including social media.
Traditional media includes newspapers (print), radio and television and new media is all digital channels including social media and the Internet.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Communications Marsh Narewec, in a media statement said they will look into the ethics of journalism and the governance frameworks of the media industries to ensure conformity and compliance in line with industry and global best practices including policy and legislation in supporting the media industries.
With an objective to improve the standards of journalism and media industry in the country, the committee in added that this is to restore ethics in the industry as well as to highlight negative impacts of misinformation, disinformation and misreporting.
The committee will not only work with the media industry but also with the Media Council of Papua New Guinea, Department of Information, Communication and Technology and the Papua New Guinea Censorship Board to highlight the importance of regulating the media industries in line with industry best practices.
The Parliamentary Committee on Communications has been set up under Section 17 of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1994, which gives powers to the committee to inquire into the performance of the media industries and stakeholders.