Papers by the current and former coordinators of The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Journalism Programme are featured in the latest Sage Handbook of Intercultural Communication, covering critical issues in Pacific media.
USP Journalism coordinator, Associate Professor Shailendra Singh’s article, Sustaining Journalism in Uncertain Times in the Small and Micro Media Systems of the Pacific Islands, looks at the unique features of Pacific media and contributes to debates on the applicability of development journalism in the Pacific.
This genre is often aligned with the state’s agenda to foster national growth and stability, and is deemed less critical of government than the watchdog journalism approach.
Dr David Robie, the founding director of the Pacific Media Centre, focuses on How Intercultural Communication Influences Pacific Media Models. Dr Robie, the editor of Asia Pacific Report, was recently honoured with the New Zealand Order of Merit for his service to Pacific journalism.
In his article, Dr Robie argues for a greater appreciation of the complexities of media cultures in Pacific countries and proposes a more nuanced, reflexive approach to journalism in the Pacific region.
The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Communication published earlier this month offers a global, interdisciplinary, and contextual approach to understanding the complexities of intercultural communication in our diverse and interconnected world.
The book also features two other researchers and authors from the Asia-Pacific region who have provided diverse perspectives on the media in a new global book on intercultural communication.
They are University of Queensland academic Dr Mairead MacKinnon and University of Ottawa’s Dr Marie M’Balla-Ndi Oelgemoeller.
Featuring contributions from 56 leading and emerging scholars across multiple disciplines, including communication studies, psychology, applied linguistics, sociology, education, and business, the handbook covers research spanning geographical locations across Europe, Africa, Oceania, North America, South America, and the Asia Pacific.
One of the co-editors, University of Queensland’s Associate Professor Levi Obijiofor, says the book provides an overview of scholarship, outlining significant theories and research paradigms, and highlighting major debates and areas for further research in intercultural communication.
“Each chapter stands on its own and could be used as a teaching or research resource. Overall, the book fills a gap in the field by exploring new ideas, critical perspectives, and innovative methods,” he said.
Dr Singh says that in research terms the book is important for contributing to global understanding of the nature of Pacific media.
“The Pacific papers address a major gap in international scholarship on Pacific media. In terms of professional practice, the papers address structural problems in the regional media sector, thereby providing a clearer idea of long-term solutions, as opposed to ad hoc measures and knee-jerk reactions, such as harsher legislation.”
USP is recognised as the leading institution for research on Pacific media and journalism, contributing significantly to the understanding and development of media practices in the region.
Dr Robie, who pioneered new ways of examining Pacific media and intercultural inclusiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, said it is an important and comprehensive collection of essays and ought to be in every communication school library.
“Hopefully, this cross-cultural model would encourage more Pacific-based approaches in revisiting the role of the media to fit local contexts.”
Dr Singh, who is also a board member of the Pacific Journalism Review, has published research which includes the groundbreaking study entitled Prevalence and Impact of Sexual Harassment on Female Journalists: A Fiji Case Study, and News coverage of Fiji’s 2018 General Election Campaign: A content analysis of the National Print and Broadcast Media, both reports released in 2022.
He was the convenor of the Pacific International Media Conference in Suva from 4-6 July 2024, where wide-ranging issues in Pacific media were highlighted. The main ones being digital disruption and the COVID-19 pandemic, which have brought the industry to its knees.
