Vanuatu: Government backlash on reporting violates respect for independent journalism

Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat launched a public rebuke on March 25 criticising the work of the media team behind an investigative report that questioned public building standards in the island nation. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on the government to respect local and international media independence and remind it of the media's right and duty to report on stories in the public interest.

Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat is interviewed by a local journalist in Port Vila as part of an ABC documentary released on March 20. Credit: ABC

The Prime Minister's statementwas issued following the publication of a storytitled 'From paradise to peril' on March 21, which was compiled by a team of local journalists and media workers and published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The story looked into the devastating impacts of the earthquake that struck Vanuatu on December 17, 2024, and caused significant damage to both new and existing infrastructure and resulted in the deaths of 14 people.

In particular focus in the ABC-funded investigation was the structural integrity and building practices of new public buildings that suffered significant damage during the earthquake, with quoted sources questioning if the construction of some buildings may have bypassed Vanuatu's building code. This included the new presidential palace complex built and donated by the Chinese government in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila estimated to have cost AUD 31 million (approx. USD 19.55 million),

Republished in the Vanuatu Daily Post, the Prime Minister's statement specifically targeted the ABC, asserting the story constituted foreign interference and accusing it of bias. It concluded by saying: "The last thing we want to see is foreign media coming in and questioning our intelligence, or sovereign decisions."

Published to highlight key aspects of a feature documentaryon the ABC's weekly program 'The Pacific', both the story and documentary were developed and filmed by Vanuatu nationals. As well as locals and certified engineers interviewed for the story, the documentary also included excerpts of an interviewwith Napat on Port Vila's recovery plan, also published in full by the ABC.

The IFJ is informed that since the statement, some members of the team working on the story have been the target of online attacks, including hacking attempts on personal social media accounts.

The IFJ reminded that just because a government is uncomfortable with a report does not mean it equates to journalistic bias. Any attempts to control or stifle the media narrative in the island nation could easily be interpreted as an act of censorship and a warning to others working in the media to not report on so-called sensitive issues in the eyes of the government, it added.

The IFJ is represented in Vanuatu by its affiliate Media Association blong Vanuatu (MAV), which works to support the rights and work of journalists and media workers and defend the role of media as a key pillar of democracy.

The IFJ said:"Prime Minister Napat and the government of Vanuatu must respect the right of journalists, from both local and international media, to report on matters in the public interest. In a small country like Vanuatu, the IFJ reminds that such public attacks endanger journalists who are just doing their jobs and undermine the media's function as a watchdog on democracy."