. . .
WELCOME
hot pacific greetings!
These are public pages for Pacific Islands Journalism Online, an off-the-record media group aimed at creating industry unity.
From barely a dozen members in the first few days to more than 10 times that today, Pacific Islands Journalism Online is continuing to grow.
Nearly one whole year after being founded on 15th January 2008, PIJO enjoys a membership of some 167 journalists, editors, managers, academics, public sector colleagues and other leading observers.
PIJO was founded by Lisa Lahari-Williams, former communications officer at the Pacific Women's Bureau, hosted in the Noumea headquarters of the Secretariat for the Pacific Community.
She picked up enough web skills to feel confident about starting the group, a move welcomed by colleagues around the region.
Since that time, more than 5,000 messages have been exchanged on urgent and emerging issues notably the deportation and detaining of journalists by the military regime in Fiji.
Lahari-Williams and other PIJO members also set up PFF the Pacific Freedom Forum to speak out publicly about threats against press and media freedoms.
Apart from approved PFF statements, both PIJO and PFF are private, off-the-record groups.
After some initial debate, privacy options were used due to concerns about the safety of journalists who alert regional colleagues about freedom of speech issues in conflict areas like Fiji.
Important to note that this online forum focuses on "journalism" as a subect of the Pacific Islands, rather than being 'only' for 'journalists'.
Public comments are welcome here, as is registration at either PIJO and PFF.
manuia,
jason brown
contributing editor:
PIJO pacific islands journalism online
http://groups.google.com/group/pacificmedia (private)
www.pacificislandsjournalismonline.blogspot.com (public)
PFF pacific freedom forum
http://groups.google.com/group/mediafreedom (private)
www.pacificfreedomforum.org (public)
. . .
