The Solomon Islands government has tightened its control over the country's national broadcaster. Opponents claim it is aimed squarely at news control and censorship.
The government said on Friday that the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, known as SIBC, would retain editorial control and that government officials would not censor or suppress the station.
Earlier last week, the government lashed out at the broadcaster, accusing it of "lack of ethics and professionalism" and saying it had a duty to "protect the public from lies and misinformation." . Propagated by SIBC.
In an interview with The Associated Press, SIBC Chief Executive Officer Johnson Honimae said he was proud of the station's award-winning journalism.
He said it was normal business for broadcasters and unlike some news outlets' reports, there was no government censorship to scrutinize stories before broadcasting.
The government's move came at a time of political turmoil in the Solomon Islands.
A riot broke out in the capital Honiara last November, followed by a vote of no confidence in his Prime Minister Sogavale in Manase in December, in which he survived. Then, in April, Sogavare signed a security pact with China that caused serious alarm in the Pacific and around the world.
SIBC reported on these developments and included the views of Sogavare's opponents.
This station, which began as the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Station, has been a fixture in the Solomon Islands for 70 years.
Employing about 50 people and operating under the slogan 'The Voice of the People', the station is the primary source of radio and television news for a nation of 700,000. Source, heard and seen from the capital to the smallest citizen. village.
In late June, the government delisted his SIBC as a state-owned company and moved to take more direct control, saying the station had failed to turn a profit.
Opposition leader Matthew Wale said on Wednesday that the delisting was a plan orchestrated by Sogavale as "a clear attempt to directly control and censor SIBC's news content."
"This hijacks established legal principles on defamation and freedom of speech, allowing the public to use his SIBC to freely express opinions and access information about government activities. It will take away things to do," Wale said.
Honimae told her AP that the station received an important call from Sogavare's office in recent months.
"They believe we are giving too much talk from the opposition and causing too much discord.
Honmae said the station and its staff have won several journalism awards this year from the Solomon Islands Media Association, including Newsroom of the Year and Journalist of the Year.
said the station would play the national anthem every morning when it began broadcasting at 6 a.m. and again when it ended at 11 p.m. and a great force for peace," Honmae said.
Honmae added that broadcasters need to "balance our story more" and leave no room for criticism.
He said his Sogavare, who is also the government's minister of broadcasting, said in parliament that the government would not tamper with the editorial independence of the broadcasters.
"There is no censorship at this time," Honmae said. "We are professional journalists."