Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia is a journalist, the Samoan representative of
Radio Polynesia and reporter and correspondent for
Radio New Zealand International
RNZ Pacific or Radio New Zealand Pacific, sometimes abbreviated to RNZP, is a division of Radio New Zealand and the official international broadcasting station of New Zealand. It broadcasts a variety of news, current affairs and sports programm ...
.
He was a reporter for
Televise Samoa from 1993 to May 1995 and is also a former president of the
Journalists Association of (Western) Samoa (JAWS).
[UNESC]
Samoa's Leaders Receive World Press Freedom Day 2004 Awards
/ref>
World Press Freedom Day
At the World Press Freedom Day
The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day or just World Press Day, observed to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right ...
ceremonies at Hotel Kitano Tusitala, Autagavaia told of how in recent years, the major changes that had taken place in Samoa. He commented that in the Pacific Islands
Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...
, that Samoa’s news media is among the most free.Samoa Observer
The ''Samoa Observer'' is the largest newspaper group in Samoa published in both English and Samoan. The ''Samoa Observer'' is published Monday to Friday, the ''Weekend Observer'' on Saturdays and the ''Sunday Samoan'' on Sundays with all editi ...
editor-in-chief Savea Sano Malifa
Savea Sano Malifa '' OM'' (also known as Fata Sano Malifa) is a Samoan poet, journalist, newspaper editor, and publisher. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the ''Samoa Observer'', the main newspaper in Samoa. He is the author of the novel ' ...
in appeals to the government to remove restrictions, they urged Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi and Deputy Prime Minister Misa Telefoni
Misa Telefoni Retzlaff (born Hermann Theodor Retzlaff, 21 May 1952) is a Samoan author and retired politician who served as the deputy prime minister of Samoa and deputy leader of the Human Rights Protection Party from 2001 to 2011. A member of ...
to remove the Printing and Publishing Act
Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ea ...
, to try to force news media to reveal their sources of information and remove the criminal libel laws. Autagavaia described these as a relic of the past. He also urged them to encourage the TV and radio services that were government owned to be ''more accessible to all viewpoints''. He said NESCO.orgsenior state-run radio media shouldn't be frightened to put all viewpoints and news on air.
Banned from reporting
In 2007 Tipi Autagavaia and another reporter told by Maposua Rudolf Keil, the owner of Samoa Radio Polynesia to stop attending SDUP’s news conferences. This was to do with a news conference that raised allegations of corruption against the government. Station owner Maposua Keil also banned further coverage of corruption stories by the SDUP leader. Shocked by the decision Autagavaia said that he still had a job to do. Station owner Keil, aka Maposua Rudolf Keil said that instead the two reporters should praise the government for its good work.[Radio New Zealand Internationa]
Samoa radio owner bans journalists from attending SDUP media conference
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Autagavaia, Autagavaia Tipi
Samoan writers
Samoan journalists
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people