“Our small newsrooms struggle to compete with global platforms that are reshaping the media landscape. We must not allow AI to weaken media freedom, independence, or diversity in our region.“
Governance
"We stand by our reporting and the questions it raises around whether Chinese-gifted buildings were built to code, which came from multiple sources."
"The Cook Islands is small, and when you sign deals with economic giants like China, you have to question the long-term consequences."
"The public deserves to know if there are any debt obligations, resource access clauses, or strategic commitments involved."
"There is a moral responsibility by each global leader to think from the global perspective instead of from their own national-interest perspective."
On Wednesday, the lower house of the Australian parliament voted to pass legislation to ban social media for children under 16 years, and the Senate passed the bill on Friday.
"The council sees this legal action as an assault on press freedom and an attempt to undermine the accountability that is vital to democracy."
From 1946–1958, the US military dropped an estimated 318 explosive devices into the Pacific. This destroyed the environment and caused countless health issues for pacific islanders.
"Stifling the media is never a good thing and trying to control them is even worse."
China intervened in the annual Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), insisting Pacific leaders remove any mention of Taiwan from their communique on the forum.