Pacific women turning community concerns into evidence for better, stronger accountability

Pacific women are being trained to turn concerns about public services into evidence that can help journalists investigate and hold institutions to account.

The initiative, led by Women in Media (WiM) Fiji and the Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS), brought grassroots women leaders, journalists and male allies together in Savusavu for the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) Media Summit.

Participants are being trained to use the Kacivaka Diagnostic Framework to identify gaps in public sector transparency, data and community engagement.

The information is intended to give journalists stronger evidence to follow up issues raised by communities.

FCOSS Executive Director Vani Catanasiga says communities have a right to examine how public services are delivered.

“Citizens are the primary target group for civil service delivery. Citizens often forget, or sometimes are indirectly told, that they are the least qualified to audit how effective civil service is... The right to information is not only a media industry concern; it is a Fijian community concern.”

Fiji Council of Social Services Executive Director Vani Catanasiga speaks during the accountability training in Savusavu, which is helping communities use data to assess public service delivery. Photo/Pacific Blue Line

Rosi Tamani Doviverata, Fijian Media Association president and WiM Fiji co-founder, says the aim is to change the way communities approach journalists.

“They are able to come to us, not just to raise complaints, but to bring evidence and data to run strong stories that bring about change.”

The grassroots initiative comes as the main PINA summit examines the wider pressures facing Pacific journalism. These include media freedom, misinformation, technology, sustainability and public access to information.

Fijian Media Association president and Women in Media Fiji co-founder Rosi Tamani-Doviverata during the Savusavu sessions focused on strengthening links between communities, data and journalism. Photo/Fijian Media Association

Fiji Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica told delegates the media should be seen not only as part of democracy but also as an industry that needs investment to survive.

“When we talk about the media, we shouldn’t talk about it just as a democratic institution; we must also talk about it as an industry.”

Kamikamica says newsrooms need resources to employ journalists and invest in technology. He warned that those could not afford journalists will produce less journalism or may not survive.

For the women involved in the Savusavu training, strengthening journalism also means strengthening the voices and evidence coming from communities.

Mereani Rokotuibau, Executive Director of Balance of Power, says women need greater confidence to challenge systems while avoiding the idea that speaking up is simply about creating conflict.

Watch highlights of day two of the PINA Media Summit at the Wasawasa Conference Centre, Savusavu.

“Women need to build the confidence to challenge the status quo respectfully and move away from the perception that women challenge authority simply to create conflict.”

The programme is also testing a new approach to male allyship with 12 male media professionals and leaders committing to a 90-day action plan.

Rokotuibau says men need to support women without taking over their voices.

“Male journalism allyship is not about men speaking on behalf of women... We need men who are willing to listen, men who are willing to grow the muscle to question the systems and status quo that advantage some and exclude others - men willing to stand alongside women, not in front of them and not instead of them.”

The PINA summit ends on Friday.

Photo/Fijian Media Asssociation