In an unexpected move, the Government announced media restrictions during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in October on Wednesday.

State media outlets will be the official broadcasters and photographers providing content to all press including overseas media.

The host broadcaster for CHOGM is the government TV9 channel, the national radio 2AP working alongside a New Zealand-based company called MMG Communications. 

In addition, the Press Secretariat and Savali newspaper will be the official photographers throughout the October meeting providing photos for all media including foreign press. 

This was confirmed by the co-chair for the CHOGM media sub-committee and the Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (M.C.I.T.), Lefaoalii Unutoa Auelua-Fonoti. 

In a press conference, Lefaoalii said the local and foreign media will be able to access links to photos and footage on the website but must go through the media helpdesk to request content.

She said there is a restriction for the media to access certain venues to protect the heads of government and safeguard information that cannot be released. 

In saying so, she explained there would be a media pool to which each journalist would be assigned and selected media pools would be allocated to cover certain events and have to share information they gather with other journalists who were not in the same pool. 

Lefaoalii stressed local and overseas media are treated the same and asked that they work together. 

Local veteran journalist, Galumalemana Tipi Autagavaia queried what happens if the journalist assigned to the event shared wrong information amongst the media. 

Lefaoalii replied the media can talk this over after they are allocated in media pools saying the information from the journalists would be just facts shared with their colleagues, not copy and paste their work. 

Galumalemana insisted this is not how the media operates and different media outlets will have different angles of how they want to deliver their news. 

Lefaoalii said the media has to follow what the government wants them to do and the arrangement was done in other conferences. 

Government Press Secretary Nanai Laveitiga Tuiletufuga intervened and stated the arrangement is not new for the media and he understands the competitive nature of the press to be exclusive. 

Nanai said although they can compete for exclusive stories it is their appeal to the media to work together with the government to promote Samoa. 

He added they cannot satisfy all the needs in various areas and everyone has other duties to accommodate thousands of delegates. 

The President of the Journalists Association of Samoa (JAWS), Lagi Keresoma noted her disappointment about the media arrangement.

A shuttle bus will be provided for the media to go from venue to venue and only official photographers and broadcasters will be allowed at the opening and closing ceremonies. 

The media was also told they were not allowed to take their own footage for their news items and would have to utilise the links provided by the official broadcasters. 

One of the concerns of the journalists is how swiftly the media content supplied by the government media will be made available for their use to meet their deadlines. 

The media centre will be at the Radio 2AP office, Mulinuu and accredited media can access the facility which will have workspace, editing booths and rooms for interviews and press conferences.  

So far, Lefaoalii said 22 local journalists have registered on the online portal for media accreditation.