• Commonwealth:
• News:
• News Archive Search:
• Training For Pacific Journalists Needed

Training For Pacific Journalists Needed

26 February 2004

The Hon Laisenia Qarase

Fiji Islands' Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase has called on the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) to provide greater assistance to journalists from the Pacific region.

Speaking at the CBA conference held in Nadi, Fiji, from 16 to 19 February 2004, Mr Qarase said there was a need to strengthen the skills of the media representatives in the Pacific and establish suitable training courses for recognised qualifications. He said his government was ready to help in whatever way it could.

"Training is a prime CBA objective. It is evident that the training presently available for regional broadcasters, including journalists, is inadequate," Mr Qarase said.

The Prime Minister painted a sombre picture of the profession in Fiji and stated, "There is no evidence here at home that the self-regulation practised in our media industry is working in the overall sense. Standards are not getting any better. Self-regulation has certainly not produced any integrated and organised scheme for establishing minimum standards and professional qualifications. We can no longer carry on like this."

Welcoming the CBA's decision to hold its meeting in Fiji, Mr Qarase said, "Although we are isolated in the vast expanse of our ocean, we are truly part of the international broadcasting community. The voice of the island can still make itself heard."

Turning to the theme of the conference, 'The Next Generation -- in management, programming and technology', Mr Qarase said, "Inevitably, and rightly, there is to be some concentration on technology which is revolutionising radio and television. Programme pictures and sound these days leap beyond their local audiences and flash around the globe ceaselessly through cyberspace. They are part of this epoch of miracle computing, the software explosion, the information avalanche, the multi-media juggernaut."

One of the outcomes of the CBA meeting was a set of Guidelines for Public Service Broadcasters and the co-operation over key performance indicators, to develop international benchmarking for broadcasters, spearheaded by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Some 270 participants from 105 organisations throughout the Commonwealth attended the meeting. The CBA carries out training and consultancies and administers a range of bursaries and fellowships for the management and development of broadcasting in its member countries.