Samoa’s Minister of Finance, Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioo, has called on journalists to uphold truth, ethics, and compassion in their reporting, saying the heart of a nation depends on integrity in storytelling.
Speaking at the opening of the new office of the Journalists Association of Samoa (JAWS) last week, Mulipola reminded media practitioners that journalism must be guided by ethics and humanity.
“O le upu ma le fa’amaoni e fausia ai le nu’u — words and truth build a nation,” she said. “And it is truth — held with integrity — that sustains it.”
She said every society is measured not just by its power, but by its principles.
“We are here today not just to open an office, but to reaffirm a standard — that good journalism is not defined by the number of readers, but by the weight of its integrity. Ethics is not the shadow of journalism; it is its spine. It is what gives this profession dignity — and what gives the public its trust.”
Mulipola described the media as both “a mirror and a protector,” saying journalists must tell stories that enlighten, not exploit.
“When we report on pain, we must do so with purpose. When we uncover harm, we must do so with humanity. A victim’s story is not a headline to exploit — it is a call to compassion.”
She warned against bending the truth for attention or shaping stories to stir rather than serve. “When facts are twisted to fit a narrative, trust is the first to break,” she said.
“Our people deserve reporting that enlightens, not entangles; that builds understanding, not confusion.”
Drawing from her time as Minister for Women, Community and Social Development, Mulipola said both leadership and journalism must be grounded in empathy.
“We must learn to see through the eyes of the heart. Because the heart brings clarity. It understands that the goal is not to condemn, but to correct; not to shame, but to shape; not to expose for attention, but to reveal for change.”
She also highlighted the responsibility that comes with digital media, noting that more than half of Samoa’s population are social media users, while many rural households still lack internet access.
“The stories shared online are often the ones that shape how the nation thinks, feels, and acts,” she said. “We do not report these truths to sensationalise — we report them to humanise.”
Mulipola cited troubling statistics — one in eight Samoan women facing intimate-partner violence in the past year and nine in ten children experiencing violent discipline — as reminders of the need for responsible reporting.
“Every woman and child deserves protection, not pity; visibility, not violation,” she said.
Calling for partnership between government and the media, she said: “Good media uplifts and enlightens. It questions with courage but reports with care. When government and media walk together in truth and respect, our people rise with us.”
Mulipola also urged journalists to remember the power of storytelling.
“Let our stories be sails, not swords. Let them catch the winds of wisdom, not cut through the hearts of the people. For when truth walks with grace, a nation finds its light again.”
She congratulated JAWS on its new home, saying it should serve as a “sanctuary of courage, conscience, and compassion.”
“Behind every story is a person, a family, a truth — and how we tell that story determines whether we build or break,” she said.
