SUVA (PACNEWS)—A new report warns that government control is choking press freedom in Kiribati.
In March 2025, a report titled The State of the Media: Kiribati revealed growing concern over government interference in the country’s media landscape.
The report, led by ABC International Development (ABCID) under the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS), was informed by regional partners and based on data collected throughout 2024.
Media practitioners interviewed for the study cited ongoing regulation and oversight by authorities as key obstacles to independent reporting.
Respondents stated that government monitoring directly affects how stories are framed, particularly those involving state matters. According to the findings, daily news bulletins are sometimes reviewed by institutional bodies to ensure they align with official messaging.
Most respondents believed that journalism in Kiribati could be more balanced and in the public interest if media were granted greater freedom. They also reported blurred lines between the roles of government and the press, with the state often steering news dissemination based on its own priorities.
The study also raised alarms about the lack of legal guarantees for information access. Although a Freedom of Information Bill was drafted in 2020, no progress had been made by April 2024.
Kiribati is a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which obliges it to release public-interest information and support media access. However, media workers described the current process for obtaining official information as long and difficult.
CIVICUS Monitor has also raised similar concerns, stating:“There have been ongoing concerns about the use of laws, including government regulation and monitoring of the media, to restrict the right to freedom of expression.”….PACNEWS