Pacific Media Centre wins grant for PMW freedom of expression project
The Pacific Media Watch freedom of expression monitoring project at AUT University has been awarded a $15,000 development grant to expand its regional database and journalism resource.
The PMW project was adopted by AUT’s Pacific Media Centre in 2007 and has been developed by Pacific Islands contributing editors based in the School of Communication Studies for the past three years.
Previously, the project had been steered by journalists in the region working as volunteers.
A grant has now been awarded by the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust to the PMC which will enable the project to expand its educational and research role for the region and to enhance the involvement of postgraduate student journalists.
“This is an important development for us and will enable the PMC to significantly improve the resources made available through the university’s PMW database and integrate it with other digital developments planned by the centre for later this year,” says PMC director Associate Professor David Robie.
Contributing editor of the project for the past 18 months has been Josephine Latu of Tonga. She followed Taberannang Korauaba of Kiribati who worked on the project in 2007.
Other AUT postgraduate student journalists have also contributed to the project.
Pacific Media Watch was originally established at the University of Technology, Sydney, in 1996.
* The PMW database is at: www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz.