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Papua New Guinea’s Communications Minister Timothy Mathew has expressed a willingness to accept criticism of the government’s proposed new media policy, now in its fifth draft, which aims to promote freedom of expression and support media development through training and capacity building.
At the Pacific International Media Conference in Fiji last week, Matthew acknowledged the criticism from organisations including Transparency International PNG and the PNG Media Council. “It’s good to accept criticism. It makes us strong and want to move forward. We hope this policy will be well accepted by the people,” he told RNZ Pacific.
Matthew stressed the need for media practitioners to understand their roles and responsibilities, and pointed out the concerns of media companies about untrained personnel. “If they are good enough and can write, we will send them to school and give them financial support,” he said.
He also noted that many MPs may not fully understand the role of the media, stressing the importance of protecting media freedom in Papua New Guinea. “It is an independent industry, an independent pillar,” Matthew said.
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