Palau’s media organizations still struggle to find ways to financially stable and although the Constitution guarantees media freedom, accessing information is still a challenge.
This is according to the The State of the Media: Pacific research study in Palau.
The regional research conducted by also Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu.
Researchers at the Stretton Institute, University of Adelaide, conducted this report. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s International Development unit (ABCID) oversaw the work. This research is part of the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) and funded by the Australian government.
The report also found that Palau media find the “scarcity” of journalists in the country challenging, along with low wages and limited training.
Palau media is also shifting to digitization with internet access in Palau much greater in the past years compared to other Pacific nations.
But, digitization also poses a problem coupled with declining advertising revenue for print newspapers.
“The problem… is that when everything went up high, the pressure…went up [as]government revenue went down, our biggest advertiser return. So we were really
in a bad shape,” one of the respondents from Palau stated in the report.
One respondent also said that the Palau media needs to adapt to the changing technology when more readers now rely on online contents.
Palauan media also started to rely on AI technology, mainly due to the lack of reporters.
“All but one respondent said they had used AI, for editing, writing headlines, transcribing, and for training on digital literacy skills. One respondent commented: “I’m not a good headline
writer so sometimes I use AI to give me a headline. I think over time, I will use it more and more. I think it’s inevitable, “the report stated.
With digitization, the flow of information to the mainstream media is also lacking. Respondents indicated that government leaders are often reluctant to share information with the media, choosing instead to issue press releases. They are also increasingly using social media to communicate directly, bypassing Palauan media.
The report also highlighted the creation of the Palau Media Council, which was formed in 2016 to promote more quality media coverage and freedom and to uphold professional journalism standards.
Through the body, journalists in Palau have received numerous trainings to upskill reporters, but the lack of staff also means that journalists must cover many topics. (Bernadette Carreon)