Four alumni of The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Journalism programme, who are leading journalists in the Solomon Islands, won major honours at their national media awards ceremony last week, in what was considered a difficult year for the media in the country.
Chrisnrita Leong Aumanu, Elizabeth Osifelo, Eliza Kukutu and Frederick Kusu, who work for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Tavuli News and the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) respectively, were honoured at the Media Association of the Solomon Islands (MASI) awards 2024, held at the Heritage Park Hotel in Honiara.
Aumanu received the Television Journalist of the Year award, Osifelo took home the Broadcaster of the Year award, Kukutu was honored with the Radio Journalist of the Year award and Kusu was the recipient of the Online Journalist Award.
Both Aumanu and Osifelo were standout journalism students during their university days, earning accolades at the annual USP Journalism Student Awards, the longest running journalism awards in the region.
In an interview with Wansolwara Online, Aumanu said winning the Television Journalist of the Year award meant a lot to her, adding that she was no longer hiding her profession from her parents.
“I was very passionate about journalism and when I decided to enrol in the course I was late by two weeks for enrolment. I asked the head of the USP Journalism Programme, Dr Shailendra Singh, to let me join. At that time, he told me that I had to prove myself and with that in mind, I worked really hard,” she said.
“My parents did not know that I had changed my study programme at USP. They only found out when I won the Wansolwara (the USP Journalism student newspaper) best editor award and the story was published in the local newspaper back in the Solomon Islands.
“Being honoured with this award is special because the media situation here is very challenging and the collaboration and support from the ABC has been significant.”
Aumanu said the ABC had worked in collaboration with the local media to highlight the stories which would not have been otherwise possible to report.
At the 2015 USP Journalism Awards, Aumanu received the “Cover Story Encouragement Award”. She also won the “Best Wansolwara Editor” award in 2016.
Meanwhile, Osifelo plies her trade for Tavuli News in Honiara. She has covered the 2019 Samoa Pacific Games and last year’s Oceania Football Confederation Champions league and now she is set for another significant event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the past few years, Osifelo has been in the fight for providing equal opportunities for women in the sports media, which is mostly male oriented.
At the 2018 USP Journalism Awards Osifelo won the Tanoa Award for the most outstanding final year student.
Kukutu graduated from USP with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Politics in 2021. According to the Solomon Women Newspaper, shortly after graduation, she joined SIBC as a news reporter and quickly demonstrated her skills and commitment, eventually becoming the sub-editor.
Kusu had received the Wansolwara Most Promising First Year Student award in 2018 and the Best Radio Student award at the USP Journalism Awards in 2019. He is the news editor at SIBC.
The head of USP Journalism, Associate Professor Shailendra Singh, congratulated the winners. Dr Singh also praised MASI for hosting the awards, which he said was a key incentive and reward for journalists who performed their duties in the public interest.
Dr Singh said he was not surprised by their wins because they were top students at USP, with strong journalistic instincts and leadership capabilities.
He said it was really great to see that they were putting their USP journalistic skills to use in the Solomon Islands, where journalism was a challenging career due to a myriad of structural weaknesses, such as challenging working conditions and political pressure.
Dr Singh said Aumanu, Osifelo, Kukutu and Kusu were continuing a long trend of USP Journalism graduates doing well in their professions and winning awards for their work. The winners of the USP Journalism awards, which is the longest running journalism awards in the Pacific region, have gone on to hold leadership roles in the Pacific media sector.
An event of recognition
MASI Board member Eddie Osifelo said the MASI awards were becoming an important event in their annual calendar. He acknowledged the USP Journalism awards as one of the longest running journalism awards in the region, which was an inspiration.
“Some MASI members are USP graduates, so it’s possible that the idea to recognise journalists originated from initiatives carried out by USP,” he said.
He congratulated the winners and paid tribute to journalists who played an important role in 2023 and 2024 in covering two big events — the Pacific Games and the national elections respectively.
These events were described as moments of national importance that demanded exceptional dedication from journalists who worked tirelessly to keep the public informed and engaged.
Reflecting on the 2024 Joint Elections
Osifelo said journalists navigated logistical difficulties, traveling across high seas and remote communities to ensure that every voice was heard. Their efforts in educating and informing the public were pivotal, especially during long nights at counting stations where they awaited results and delivered timely updates.
“Our journalists not only faced the logistical challenges but also the complexities of working with disgruntled citizens, balancing their roles as both informers and educators. Their dedication and perseverance ensured transparency and maintained public trust during a critical period,” said Osifelo.
This year marks the second consecutive year MASI hosted the Media Excellence Awards to inspire and motivate media practitioners by honouring their hard work and dedication, encouraging continued excellence with pride and passion. This is part of MASI advocating for good journalism and professionalism in the Solomon Islands.
The judges for this year’s awards were Dipak Bhattarai, Rickson Jordan Bau, Mary-Louise O’Callaghan, Dorothy Wickham, and Andrew Lano, all of whom brought a wealth of experience and dedication to high quality journalism.
