PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT

Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

Newsline Samoa Newspaper

By Pio Sioa

APIA, Samoa (April 14, 2009) - All it took was a television news report that lasted seconds and the carefully nurtured image of Samoan utopia came crashing.

Television New Zealand News told the world that Samoa is a haven for the trade of illegal drugs and gun smuggling by violent gangs.

Television footage of balaclava men wielding axes and machetes depicted Samoans as no different from head chopping Islamic terrorists in the middle-east.

The scenes of men smoking dope freely reminded world viewers of crime-ridden ghettos in some of the violent cities in third world countries,

A Commissioner of Police branded a gun smuggler completes the projected image of a violent and lawless society, aided by corrupt law enforcement officials.

Such is the powerful influence of the media.

Thanks to the TVNZ News, the image of stability that has stood out as a beacon of hope in these troubled times in the South Pacific is either chopped up or shot down.

Who in their right mind would holiday with loved ones in a country where doped up masked men wield machetes and axes?

Where do you turn for personal safety and security if the Commissioner of Police himself is a gun smuggling criminal?

The traditional, iron clad authority of the village matai that is touted as the bedrock of stability is under serious questioning as well.

But how true is what the television report raised?

What is at first starting to emerge about the report is a disturbing picture of irresponsible and unprofessional journalism.

Illegal drugs are already in Samoa, that is no secret. Marijuana is common place – the court hears about it day in and day out.

Methamphetamine or ice has also reached the local masses. People are already serving jail sentences for them.

All of that are known facts.

The problem with the Barbara Dreaver report is how viewers were misled by her distorted perception of the situation in Samoa.

The damaging misconception is further compounded by allegations that the scary television scenes of masked men smoking marijuana and wielding knives and axes were deliberately staged.

The boys involved were paid to ‘dress up’ and to act like gangsters. If that is now acceptable ethics of journalism practiced by TVNZ is a worry.

Fiji’s Commodore Bainimarama is likely to agree. He kicked her out for producing ‘manufactured’ news to exaggerate a situation she knew would appeal to her home viewers.

Gun smuggling as she readily admitted is again no secret to anyone in the country. Unfortunately, what the Samoans know and are fully aware of differ so much from the kind of misconception created by the report.

Guns are a matter of show for many. To be known to own a semi-automatic rile or shotgun is cause to brag.

There are collectors or genuine gun lovers who enjoy them for sport or for hunting.

The problem is only a few selected guns are legally allowed - hence most are smuggled in and locked away from prying eyes at home.

What the report was trying to project was that the drug dealers were armed and the risks of gunfights between drug gangs, with innocent people caught in the crossfire are real.

Shootouts or gun fights are only popular in DVDs or television movies shown in Samoa. .Stones are still the preferred means of local homicide. Illegal drugs overdose is rare – except maybe one or two panadol cases now and then.

Concern about security is understandable if the Commissioner of Police is found to be a gun smuggler, but that is mainly to do with the loss of trust in the integrity of the law enforcement agency.

The Vaimoso village standoff is a perfect showcase of the traditional rule of the chiefs and orators still holding strong.

Instead of the village council torching the home of a village chief and his family for disrespecting the wishes of the chiefs leadership, they allowed the normal course of court justice to prevail.

The TVNZ news report sent shock waves everywhere non more so than in Samoa.

The country was at first rattled but with allegations starting to emerge that it was fabricated and blown out of proportion, the call is for TVNZ to apologise for the hatchet job on Samoa.

Given the flow of emotions, Barbara Dreaver will do well to steer clear of Samoa for now.

As the journalist assigned to the island states she could use the time away to educate and add depth to her understanding of the cultures of not just Samoa but all the other individual countries in the region.

TVNZ has done irreparable damage to Samoa’s image and a large part of that is due to the lack of proper appreciation of the Samoan culture and the nature of the people.

Dreaver’s unprofessional handling of the report has done more harm than good to the work of local journalists as well. Her biases was obvious because the report was tailored to appeal to the cultural sensibilities and sensitivities of her viewers in New Zealand.

The accusing finger of irresponsible journalism will again be pointed at the local journalists as the Government and the people scorn the integrity of the profession.

Vinaka TVNZ! Faafetai lava Ms. Dreaver.

You have done the local profession little favour.

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