Press freedom

Key points:

Key points:

• The Solomon Islands government is able to make board appointments directly, after removing national broadcaster as a state-owned enterprise
• Critics say the government is moving to control the public broadcaster's editorial policies 
• SIBC's chief executive and the Solomon Islands government deny censorship claims 

Concerns have been mounting over the fate of the independence of Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) since it became a fully government-funded entity. 

The allegations raise serious press freedom concerns and alarm about the ability of Pacific journalists to do their jobs, particularly as the relationship between the region and China becomes closer.

Wang is midway through a marathon trip visiting eight countries in 10 days. He has held bilateral meetings in Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa and Fiji to date, with trips to Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste to come.

Mr Manning made this remark as media professionals in PNG met yesterday to commemorate World Media Freedom Day with a breakfast at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby.

May 3 has been proclaimed by the United Nations as Media Freedom Day as a reminder to world governments and the people of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics and to remember journalists who lost their lives.

Media Freedom Day is a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitments to Press Freedom. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals and the community at large about issues of the freedom of the press and professional media ethics.

The breakfast was hosted by the CAD43 Ltd, made up of final year Communication Arts (Journalism) batch of 2003 of Divine Word University (DWU), with the theme, “Journalism under Surveillance”.