Former American Supreme Court judge and politician Hugo Black said, “The press was to serve the governed and not the governors.” Something we hope the Media and Communications sub-committee understands.

The sub-committee needs to rethink its strategy for media coverage at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. The current strategy and the restrictions placed on local and foreign media serve the governed.

There is control over media as the sub-committee hopes to control the flow of information during CHOGM. Their policies which they say are from the Commonwealth Blue Book are unheard of.

The restrictions raise serious concerns about the state aiming to control media. This is a dangerous move. Does this move show the government’s intention to control media in the future?

It looks like it is heading that way. Is it because there are criticisms and the country's independent media questions politicians and bureaucrats over accountability and transparency? Is it because the failures of certain projects and the waste of taxpayers’ money are put under the spotlight?

The media highlights both positive and negative elements of government and society. One of the reasons this is done is because these areas need improvements, new legislation and to uplift the nation. If there is good work, there is praise. The public needs to be informed.

The best functioning democracies are the ones where the public is informed to a level that they make the best decisions when it comes to picking leaders during elections.

Independent media, free of government influence, is vital to a well-functioning democracy. The media must be able to hold government officials accountable, raise controversial issues without fear of reprisal, and include a diversity of voices and opinions, not just those that politicians want covered.

Similarly, for CHOGM, you cannot feed us the information that the state media sees fit. This is what happens in countries where media is not free and the cost of freedom is often death or jail. Just ask our senior journalist friends from Fiji who endured the draconian media laws for almost 16 years, they will let you know what it feels like to be gagged and controlled.

Freedom of expression and freedom of the media are basic human rights. No nation can hope to develop democratically without the free expression, publication and distribution of ideas and opinions. Democratic societies can only function sustainably when people are well-informed, can access and share information freely and can debate ideas.

In international events, there are designated areas at all meeting venues for the media to be at. Places from where they can take pictures in a given window. Most press conferences during such international events happen at meeting venues after the meeting has ended. For example, when the Pacific Island Forum Leaders finish their meeting and sign off on their communique, they allow for questions and answers and most media are allowed in.

If you Google pictures from CHOGM 2022 in Rwanda, there are pictures taken by Reuters, Associated Press, BBC, AFP, Shutterstock, Getty and many other media companies. This shows that the sub-committee’s policy of no photographs from the Blue Book is rather suspicious.

56 countries are coming. Hypothetically, let’s say 20 media personnel per country. That means more than 1000 journalists and photographers. Even if it was half that number, how does the state media aim to cater for everyone?

And what about other state media? Will King Charles’ official media be subjected to the same restrictions as independent media? The sub-committee surely does not expect them to be subservient.

Let us hope the media content providers for CHOGM will have a website open to all where news, images and videos are uploaded immediately after an event. Let us hope they have servers big enough for the traffic they would endure and let us hope that the internet is reliable enough.

Media need to be allowed at venues of their choosing either at side events or the bigger meetings. The media know when they are not supposed to be recording and they know safety and security guidelines. Provide media zones at venues, have interview areas at venues, allow the media to interview who they wish to get better stories, and make guidelines, not restrictions.

The media wants successful coverage of the CHOGM just as the Media and Communications sub-committee. For that to happen, remove the restrictions, there is still time to work together and come up with a better way.

A way that does not impede media freedom.