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t '. ilf tonimunIeaUoii .Now¬tIt¬W -West Communication Institute Honolulu, Hawaii SURVEY ON TRAINING FOR PACIFIC ISLAND NEWSPAPERMEN The South Pacific Editors Con- It was recognized that he must be a program was to produce a journalist able to what is inhis rice last year in Fiji agreed that able to demonstrate ability to perform identify happening it development of an efficient and certain skills and solve certain problems, own country, represent clearlyand to his and be '"1xinsjb1e press in the Pacific Islands but the skills and problems objectively people, particu- of traditional ends on solving theproblem of train- had to be identified. larly conscious and sensitivities. the relatively inexperienced On-the-job was favored as the best customary Pacific Island ralists who are producing the way of teaching the basic skills, but no The skills a journalist the was to perform were the con- a spilpers in the region. newspaper had staff or facilities to expected I he East-West Communication conduct training systematically. Short ventional skills but in addition he had to be able to do from titute affirmed its support of the courses in techniques would help everything sweeping alleviate this, but it was thought they the floors to writing editorials. itors' aspirations by inviting :) In McClefland, aNew Zealand jour- should go further, that the objective of (continued, p. and volunteer editor of the Tonga Onlele for two years, onasix-month PRESS CONFERENCE OF THE PACIFIC GETS GOING WHhip to develop a program and ''iii which could be used as basic Pacific press conferences using the entry into the Common Market on Pacific hug for inexperienced Island jour- Peacesat radio satellite system were con- Island trading. Participants included ists within their own environment. ducted during May and June. The first John Moses and Noel Harrison, Fiji; lit-fore beginning to plan a project, conference, originating from Honolulu, John Griffin, Robert McClelland and a ruiressary for him to draw on the was held May 15/16 with Dr. Thomas Jim Richstad, Hawaii; and four jour- i, opinions and observations ofthe H. Hamilton as the news source. nalism students in Wellington. Jack pie most concerned with journalism The second conference originated from Kelleher, editor of the Dominion, ruing in the Pacific Islands, the Island Wellington with M.A. Reidy, an expert served as organizer and moderator. rmen themselves and the corn- on Pacific as the news source. ;pap trading, Peacesat is administered through educators associated with ideation The press conference idea grew in the University of Hawaii, under the Pacific Islands. MeClelland prepared part out of the 1972 South Pacific Edi- direction of Dr. John Bystrom. The them to indicate a stionnaire for tors Conference in Suva and is designed system uses the NASA satellite ATS-1, sort of editors andtheir program to provide a professional news link among in stationary orbit over the Pacific. It them do a is needed to help both the islands. is for experimental educational use and e r oh. To stimulate thought j The fir St conference d e alt with carries a wide of different riind editors ofthe discussion range types tourism. Dr. Hamilton is the former of programming. houiference, a paper of their head of the Hawaii Visitors Bureau and LATE a on journalism training was NEWS BULLETIN: is chairman of the PEACESAT oem the conference records and currently governor's VICTIM OF BUDGET CUTS committee on tourism. cornrihutod with the questionnaire--I. The According to University of Hawaii in conference President report from which this article was Participants the Harlan Cleveland, the low- iiis available through the East- included L. G. Usher and Noel Harrison, cost satellite communication network "Communication Institute. Fiji; Leota Pita Alailima, We stern begun in Hawaii two years ago is "one station); of Early in March 1972, 58 Samoa (from Pa go Pa go the casualties of Hawaii's current -tionnaireS were mailed out and 22 Robert Stott and Ron Malcolm, New financial crisis." The .request for New a returned, most by early May. Zealand; Biga Lebasi, Papua $60, 000 from the State budget to sup- and Robert PEA he stated object of the exercise was Guinea; John Griffin port CESAT activities for another McClelland, Honolulu; and X. ering the questions: What is a Wyman year was denied, and the Honolulu termina Jim Richstad 'n w Island journalist expected to be Zachary, Micronesia. of the system faced an uncertain future. e at the endofatraining course ?What served as organizer and moderator. Other terminals in the system, however, held June 11 he be doing when he is demonstrating The second conference, have sufficient funding, and efforts were has reached the objective? 12/13, concerned the impact of Britain's ongoing to fund the Honolulu terminal. .,v "_ 41 . NOTE on Training (from 1) EDITOR'S Survey p. Eight out of 19 respondents indicated Faalogo Pito Faalogo of the Samoa they currently had persons on their staff Times said than once a reporter 01' his who could attend a course. could write a story t h at ref icc t e d Reaction was generally favorable unfavorably on a friend or relative, he This is the first Pacific Islands to a suggestion of having a small group had reached the goal. It was also impor- (i,,mrnanication Newsletter in almost of tutors about the Pacific con- tant that a did not write a moving and it has been a reporter story year, very busy, ducting courses. Those not in favor merely because a friend w o ul d be exciting year for communication in doubted that theidea would work mentioned. He also expected no di s - the islands. The articles in the fol- because of cost. guised opinion in a reporter who had lowing pages attest to both the growth A scheme attained the of that avoided sending cnd of the and communi- objective training. vitality press trainees to a strange environment was Most respondents to a question about cation in the Pacific. strongly and it was also the contentof atraining program believed supported, pointed out that this would enable tutors I would like to thank all of those basic instruction in newsgathering ala] to adapt their instructions tot he who sent in materials in response to newswriting should be the main elements. spe- cific circumstances my request several months ago. Many Taken together, the questionnaires sug- existing of the items, unfortunately, were the gested that the item of third importance in a country. ictirn of the delay in getting out the was instructionin journalistic ethics and Robert Buker of Guam said since newsletter and had to be dropped be- responsibility. Editing, specialwriting Guam was becoming very Americanized cause they were getting out-of-date. and layout followed, in that order. and journalists on the island received home of the material included in this It was noteworthy that several re- their training from American-taught newsletter may be a bit old or out-of- spondents would put more emphasis, personnel, he doubted if the travelling date, too, and where that happens, we at least in the early stages of a training tutor idea would work there. re sorry and promise to do better. program, on ethics and responsibility The qualifications needed in a person he newsletter should be more frequent than on any other single topic. to train Pacific Island journalistswere 12 ml regular from here on, perhaps In another question, subjects defined as abroad practical experience quarterly. were listed and respondentswere asked in newspapers, particularly in the to indicate whether or notthese should Islands, a sincere desire to help The newsletter editor greatly be included in a program. Only inter- Islanders become competent journalists, J];r¬'('i ateS receiving publications viewing received unanimous approval. ability to impart skills, a knowledge Pacific and finds useful tout the many Other highly favored subjects were of the economic and political conditions them. The Marianas tins in Variety, newsman's English (or French) and in the Islands and patience and humor is sent and or example, regularly, instruction in how to train local to cope with the cultural idiosyncrasies. taken from it. tn items have been village correspondents. Several respondents commentedthat is another iii,' AM! Newsletter Based on 19 questionnaires, opinion one of the tutors should be an indigenous - luthie source. was about two-to-one in favor of i n Islander, even if compara- eluding typing but shorthand tively inexperienced. Comments and articles or items found few supporters. While lengthy university journalism tutu readers are always welcome, To the question on what a Pacific courses are alien to many in the Pacific a form is provided at the end of Island journalist should be taught about because of the emphasis on on-the-job tie newsletter for material for the legal restraints, nearly all agreed he study, 17 out of 20 respondents were in mat newsletter. Please take a few should be taught the law of his own land favor of a university-based course of a mutes and send items in on staff as it affected his reporting, particularly year or two as continuing education for new equipment ingits, policies, in relation to libel, defamation and con- those who had attended a short aiges, and so forth. Interest in tempt. In court reporting and accidents, basic course. h matters is high. he should be taught not to comment or The last of the 34 questions asked editors in And one final note on this. pass judgment. about their objectives pub- Jim of Tahiti an h Me Clelland completed his fellow- Boyack thought lishing a newspaper. The high-sounding Island should not be taught but sincere motive of the tip with the Communication Institute journalist serving people 1 tIm end of June, then headed for a very much about legal restraints.

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