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Facebook has temporarily blocked posts from the independent Solomon Islands news agency In-Depth Solomons after it mistakenly flagged its content as spam. The platform has hidden more than 80 posts, including stories and photos, and also banned the sharing of links to the agency’s website, indepthsolomons.com.sb, citing a violation of community standards.
The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), of which In-Depth Solomons is a member, said critics of the independent media may have coordinated a campaign to silence the outlet. “We firmly believe that we were targeted because we were doing journalism in the Solomon Islands,” said editor Ofani Eremae.
Inside the Solomon Islands has been criticized by government supporters and Chinese allies, especially after it worked with OCCRP to uncover the unexplained wealth of former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. OCCRP also revealed that a major Solomon Islands newspaper had received funding from the Chinese Embassy for positive reporting.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, said further investigation was needed. Despite the challenges, Erema stressed the importance of independent journalism and said: “We believe that people or organizations that do not want to see independent reporting in this country may be behind this.”
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