22/04/2018

Tokelau's First Newspaper Aims Keep Islanders Informed About Climate Change

ABC News - Bindi Bryce


The newspaper will also publish articles on council decisions and village matters. (Photo: Taupulega of Nukunonu) (ABC News)

 Key points
  • Tokelau consists of three small atolls, and is a dependent territory of New Zealand
  • It has a population of around 1,500 people
  • The newspaper hopes to keep people informed about climate change
Chiefs and local leaders from the tiny Pacific territory of Tokelau are heralding the launch of the island nation's first ever local newspaper that claims to meet international standards.
The Te Uluga Talafau monthly newspaper would provide up-to-date information on council decisions, village matters, as well as inspirational stories from Tokelauans living overseas. Tokelau lies just north of Samoa in the Pacific ocean and is a dependent territory of New Zealand.
Its small population of around 1,500 people is spread across three coral atolls with a combined land area of
only 10 square kilometres.
Press freedom in the Pacific
A call is issued for Pacific Island journalists to defend themselves against an onslaught on press freedom, but some politicians say the media is not always truthful.
The newspaper's editor, Joe Tuia, said publication was created due to concerns that Tokelauans did not understand the decisions being made by chiefs and local authorities.
"The question coming from the Taupulega was how can we communicate issues, the cost of climate change and other stuff, so that the people in the village are informed about it," he said.
Traditionally leaders would go back to their villages to tell community members face-to-face what decisions had been made, but Mr Tuia said times had changed.
"Ten-to-15 years ago that process slowly started to deteriorate because people don't have the time to do that," he said.
The newspaper aims to inform Tokelauans about climate change. (Te Mana: Litia Maiava )
Considering Tokelau's limited resources, it's no surprise that getting the newspaper up and running took some time.
"At the moment we have the editor who is the main person for our newspaper, with the help of everyone else around," said the newspaper's general manager, Asi Halaleva-Pasilio, adding that they were still training a team of journalists.

Unique challenges for tiny island journalists
Thousands of the tiny nation's people live overseas, mostly in Australia and New Zealand, and Ms Halaleva-Pasilio encouraged them to also buy the Te Uluga Talafau newspaper.
Tokelau's largest atoll, Nukunonu, is home to fewer than 700 people. (Wikimedia Commons)
She said the newspaper's first edition had a feature on an accomplished Tokelauan army officer from Townsville.
"We have those small stories that may inspire our children, and show our people that there is light at the end of the tunnel," Ms Halaleva-Pasilio said.
Journalism in a small Pacific community like Tokelau — where everyone knows everyone — poses unique challenges.
Reporters have been known to self-censor their work for fear of causing tension or insulting the community.
Produced at the headquarters of the Taupulega of Nukunou, the newspaper would also struggle to be entirely independent, as the governing council will be heavily involved in crafting each edition.
But Mr Tuia was hopeful that as the newspaper develops, local journalists will find their own voice and that hard-hitting articles would follow.
"On our atoll Nukunonu, there's less than about 700 people, so everyone knows everyone … But we are slowly starting to develop that as well, but I don't think it's going to be a problem," Mr Tuia said.
The Te Uluga Talafau will be published monthly. (Supplied: Taupulega of Nukunonu)

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