While digital journalism is already being used by news outlets in Fiji, other Pacific islands have yet to adopt new methods for broadcasting their stories.
Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation CEO, Johnson Honimae, said the region must adapt to the digital age while acknowledging the continued relevance of traditional media, especially radio.
“We need to build, upskill our staff, either in our newsroom or units that we set up to be able to handle all these other new platforms that we are now getting into. So capacity building is very important. That’s why, like for my case, I’ve brought in a journalist to attend this as well.”
Honimae said that it is crucial for leaders, including chief executive officers, to understand the processes involved in digital transformation.
Head of Benar News, Stefan Armbruster said telling the news on multimedia platform has already been embraced by younger journalists and now it’s time for the seniors to catch up.
“As we’ve seen at FBC and other Fijian media organisations, they’ve taken that on board really strongly and are putting the stories out there for audiences to be able to pick up where people aren’t listening to radio so much anymore. They’re not watching television anymore.”
Deborah Steele, News Director at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, points out that the universal availability of multimedia news on the web is a major advantage, ensuring inclusivity for all.
“Maintaining a multi-platform delivery is really important so that those people who only have access to radio can still get content, people who are in the groove with television content can still see that, but it’s possible to provide more entry points to news content that make sure that no one is left out.”
The workshops and conferences organised by Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union and Fijian Broadcasting Corporation will continue today.
