Civic space in Samoa is rated as ‘open’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. However, there have been concerns about criminal defamation charges brought against critics, intimidation of the media and challenges for journalists in accessing state information.
Expression
Restrictions on the media at upcoming Commonwealth meeting
There has been criticism by journalists of the media guidelines for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in October 2024.
According to Global Voices, during a briefing on 11th September 2024 about the preparations for CHOGM, the government announced that two state-owned outlets - Radio 2AP and the TV9 Channel - and a New Zealand-based company MMG Communications have exclusive rights to cover the event. Additionally, the Press Secretariat and Savali newspaper will serve as the sole official photographers for the October meeting.
Local journalists who attended the briefing were alarmed to hear of the stringent media rules. The guidelines, endorsed by Cabinet, prevent photographers and videographers taking pictures, put restrictions on journalists covering side events unless accredited to a specific pool, and stop reporters from approaching delegates for interviews, Samoan media reported.
In response to these restrictions, the Samoa Observer in an editorial,said: “The government’s attempt to control the media for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is a slap across the face of press freedom, democracy and freedom of speech. It is a farce and an attempt by a dysfunctional government unit to gag local and overseas media.”
The Samoa Observer said the restrictions were incongruous with international practices and set a dangerous precedent for future events. It called on the prime minister ‘’to intervene as quickly as possible before this situation escalates into an international incident.”
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Journalists Association of Western Samoa (JAWS), urged the Samoan government to allow for an open and transparent reporting environment and support local and independent media through the meeting.
JAWS IFJ Gender Council representative Lagipoiva Cherrelle Jackson said: “The dismissive attitude shown toward Samoan media during their press conference and the committee's restrictive measures on media coverage are deeply troubling. Such actions inhibit the Samoan media’s ability to provide comprehensive and unbiased coverage of this significant public event.”
The Commonwealth is composed of 56 member countries, the majority of which were previously colonised under the British empire. Held every two years, CHOGM will be hosted by Samoa in October 2024, which marks the first time that a small Pacific Island state will be in charge of the meeting.
The CIVICUS Monitor has documented concerns related to press freedom in Samoa in recent years. In 2021, the Office of the Attorney General of Samoa threatened the Samoa Observer with a legal investigation into its reporting of perceived conflict of interests within the government.
In 2023, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology summoned Samoa Observer journalist Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi to his office in connection with a story she was investigating on a seized shipping vessel. He demanded she reveal her sources. When Sanerivi refused, the minister threatened the journalist with detention.