Tuvalu - Australian Broadcasting Corporation
PANTONE 639PANTONE 583C88 M40 Y30 K20PANTONE 411 70% TintC53 M44 Y100 K27TuvaluS tat e o f M e d i a &C o mm u n i c at i o nReport2013
Tuvalu Meteorology Service photo by David Arfon JonesThe study was undertaken by Jo Tacchi and Heather Horst atRMIT University, Australia; Evangelia Papoutsaki at UNITEC, NewZealand; and Verena Thomas and Joys Eggins at the Universityof Goroka, Papua New Guinea. The research data for this reportwere collected by a team of researchers who conducted bothdesk-based research and interviews in person, by telephoneand/or email while in Tuvalu and New Zealand. Researchersfor Tuvalu included Marion Muliaumaseali’i and Jessica NoskeTurner; Marion Muliaumaseali’i completed interviews in Tuvaluin October 2012. This report also benefits from verificationcompleted by the Panel of Expertise members.Any opinions represented in this report are those of the authorsand research participants and do not necessarily reflect the viewsof the Australian Government or the Australian BroadcastingCorporation.The findings are presented in three sections:1. Country Context2. State of Media and Communications Media and Communications Platforms Media and Communications Landscape3. Summary of Findings2013 State of Media & Communication Report - Tuvalu
ContentsTuvalu Country Context. 2Key InsightsCommunication Spaces. 2Unintended Consequences of Climate Change Action. 2Contracting Media Environment. 3State of Media & CommunicationsMedia & Communications Platforms. 3Television. 3Radio. 4Newspaper & Newsletters. 4Online & Mobile Media. 5Other Communication Platforms. 6Media & Communications Landscape. 6Policy & Legislation. 6Media Systems. 7PACMAS Strategic Activity: Technicians. 7PACMAS Strategic Activity: Emergency Broadcast System. 8Capacity Building. 8PACMAS Strategic Activity: Media Associations. 9PACMAS Strategic Activity: TVETS. 9Content. 9PACMAS Strategic Activity: Climate Change. 9PACMAS Strategic Activity: NCDs. 10Cross-Cutting Issues: Disability, Gender & Youth. 11Summary of Findings. 12Policy & Legislation. 12Media Systems. 12Capacity Building. 12Content. 122013 State of Media & Communication Report - Tuvalu1
Tuvalu Country ContextThe Polynesian nation of Tuvalu is made up of nine coral atoll islands. With a population of just under 10,000,Tuvalu is one of the smallest independent nations in the world. Tuvalu gained independence from Britain in 1976but remains a member of the Commonwealth. The strongest transnational ties are to New Zealand and Fiji, aswell as to Kiribati, one of its nearest neighbours, with many residents moving between the two. Tuvalu is perhapsbest known internationally as the ‘sinking nation’, or home to the world’s first climate change refugees, but issueslike these are not dominant in Tuvalu’s national identity. Tuvalu benefits financially from the sale of rights to thetop level internet domain‘.tv’. Other sources of income include the Tuvalu Trust Fund, fishing licenses, foreignaid, the sale of stamps by the Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau and remittances from Tuvaluans living in Australia andNew Zealand as well as from Tuvaluan seamen workers who contribute over 20 per cent to the national GDP(US 35.8 million in 2011)1.234Key InsightsTable m.1Basic Country DataRunway CultureA unique feature of Tuvalu’s communicativeecology is the role the airport runway plays inlocal socialising. Twice a week the runway onFunafuti island ensures the safe landing of visitorsand returning residents, but from 5pm every nightit is the social hub of the island. Rugby teams usethe 10 metre patch of grass that runs alongsidethe runway for training. Women sit in circlesdiscussing the day’s activities. The volleyball netendures a beating as church teams battle it outbefore the Saturday finals. Alongside the volleyballarea, girls play netball and going through theirdrills. The runway is the place to gain informationand stay up-to-date with community news.CapitalFunafutiPopulation29,847Gender ratioNot availableLiteracy Rates(15-24 year olds)399%Contested climate change narrativesTuvalu has become the ‘poster child’ of globalclimate change5. However, many authors havecritiqued the global narrative of Tuvaluans asthe first climate refugees, finding that locally,awareness about climate change is low, and thateconomic reasons and family reunion are the keymotivations for the high rates of migration, ratherthan fears of climate change6. Many Tuvaluansreject climate change due to their Christian beliefs(a notion shared with their i-Kiribati neighbours),which include a promise from God to Noah thatthe land would never be flooded again. However,some churches in Tuvalu are taking the lead onclimate change advocacy, with regular visits tothe outer islands to bring religious and scientificLanguageTuvaluan (official)English (official)Samoan, Kiribati(on the island of Nui)Urban pop (% pop)450.4%Geography26 sq km,over 9 islandsPopulation Demographics6Polynesian 96%Micronesian 4%1 UNICEF. 2006. Tuvalu: A Situation Analysis of Children, Women and Youth. Suva, Fiji: UNICEF Pacific Office, p. 6.2 The World Bank. 2013. Country Data Report: Tuvalu. http://data.worldbank.org/country/tuvalu, Accessed 19 April 2013.3 UNESCO. 2006. Millennium Development Report. valu%20MDG%202006.pdf, Accessed 19 April2013. Perrottet & Robie (2011) state the literacy rate is 93%.4 World Bank. 2013. Tuvalu: Urban Population. http://www.quandl.com/WORLDBANK-World-Bank/TUV SP URB TOTL IN ZS-Tuvalu-Urbanpopulation-of-total, Accessed 19 April 2013.5 Chambers, A. & Chambers, K.S., 2007. Five Takes on Climate and Cultural Change in Tuvalu. Contemporary Pacific, 19(1), pp.294–306.6 Farbotko, C. & Lazrus, H., 2011. The first climate refugees? Contesting global narratives of climate change in Tuvalu. Global Environmental Change,22(2), pp.382–390.; McNamara, K.E. & Gibson, C., 2009. “We do not want to leave our land”: Pacific ambassadors at the United Nations resistthe category of “climate refugees”. Geoforum, 40, pp.475–483; Shen, S. & Gemenne, F., 2011. Contrasted Views on Environmental Change andMigration: the Case of Tuvaluan Migration to New Zealand. International Migration, 49(S!), pp.e224–e242.; Paton, K. & Fairbairn-Dunlop, P., 2010.Listening to local voices: Tuvaluans respond to climate change. Local Environment, 15(7), pp.687–698.22013 State of Media & Communication Report - Tuvalu
Figure 1: Runway culture in Tuvalu. Photo by Marion Muliaumaseali’i, October 2012messages and by publishing sermons on the topic. Some people interviewed were fearful of the consequencesof climate change. In one instance, this has led to escalations of early warnings based on rumours. Climatechange in Tuvalu is, therefore, far from a straightforward issue, and ongoing dialogue between Western sciences,traditional knowledge and religious faith are contested in local communication spaces in complex ways.Gender & GovernanceThe traditional governance structure of Tuvalu, Falekaupule, was recognised in legislation in 19977. A recentstudy identifies a number of gender-based impediments to participation in decision-making through thesegovernance structures, as the traditional and patriarchal Falekaupule serves to exclude women and youth fromthese fora8. Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and communication for development (C4D) organisationshave come to serve as an outlet for women to express their views. The gendered dimensions of civic participation,particularly with respect to issues such as climate change9, may therefore have implications for outreach,awareness campaigns and other efforts.State of Media and CommunicationsMedia and Communications PlatformsThe Tuvalu Media Department (TMD), under the Office of the Prime Minister, is the only media outlet in Tuvalu.This department was corporatised for a short time and became the Tuvalu Media Corporation, but the situationwas reversed in 2008 as it was not viable as a commercial corporation.In 2011 the TMD received funding from Japan for a new building, although staff indicated in our interviews thattheir priority is new equipment. Japan also provided funding for the AM transmission to be fixed, which meansthat Tuvalu now has more reliable transmissions. Tuvalu Echoes, a local newspaper produced by the TMD, is nolonger in operation, making radio the main form of information DATA/PRIN/1997-008/FalekaupuleAct1997.pdf8 Paton, K. & Fairbairn-Dunlop, P., 2010. Listening to local voices: Tuvaluans respond to climate change. Local Environment, 15(7), pp.687–698.9 Paton and Fairbaine-Dunlop (2010) found that women are more likely than men to believe in climate change.2013 State of Media & Communication Report - Tuvalu3
Tuvalu island inhabitants rely on a satellite dish for communication and internet access. Irregular internetconnections through the government’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) service hamper theability of news staff to source regional and international news stories. Several research participants reported thatthe internet can be down for days, even weeks at a time.TelevisionThere is currently no local television service in Tuvalu, but the TMD is keen to seek funding to begin operationsin this area. There is access to cable television via satellite run by SKY Pacific. Subscribers access Sky PacificTV through the local Sky Pacific distributor, the Tuvalu Telecommunication Corporation, however, SKY Pacificrecently decided to move the satellite closer to the Solomon Islands and Nauru. Unless a larger satellite isprovided (which could potentially increase costs from AUD 400 to AUD 2,000 per year, according to a recentreport10), the signal to Tuvalu will become too weak for subscribers to pick up.Table m.2Media and Communication Platforms: TelevisionPlatformOrganisationTelevisionNo local television service, butsatellite televisionOwnership/FundingLanguage/ContentSKY News PacificEnglishreceives Radio New Zealand International ReportsSectorCommercialRadioThe TMD operates Tuvalu Radio, the only radio station in Tuvalu, and broadcasts from the main island of Funafuti.Radio Tuvalu has three broadcast periods throughout the day (morning, noon and evening) for two to threehours each (except in the case of disaster warnings). Broadcast periods are limited to these hours due to the highelectricity costs of AM transmission. Government departments and other groups can access radio time slots inthe morning for a fee (cost not stated). When Radio Tuvalu is off air, programming from the British BroadcastingCorporation (BBC) is transmitted. Japanese funding in 2011 enabled the construction of a new FM broadcaststudio. The installation of upgraded transmission equipment allows Radio Tuvalu to be heard across each ofTuvalu’s nine islands11.Table m.3Media and Communication Platforms: RadioPlatformOrganisationRadioRadio TuvaluOwnership/FundingLanguage/ContentTuvalu Media Department,government-owned and fundedMusic (Pacific and Western), NGO and governmentcontent. English and TuvaluanSectorGovernmentNewspaper/ NewsletterThe only newspaper in Tuvalu, Tuvalu Echoes, recently ceased publication due to the high cost of printing andink. The TMD did not report any plans to revive this publication.Online and Mobile MediaUse of online platforms is constrained by unreliable internet connections. Younger staff are said to be interestedin social media and engage in social networking in their personal lives but so far, the TMD has not started usingthese platforms as part of its core work. Use of social networking is also impeded by the fact that Facebook isblocked in the government’s network due to concerns that the site may impact on productivity.Since the closure of Tuvalu Echoes, the TMD has started an unofficial digital newsletter, which is, essentially, areproduction of radio news and content. This newsletter is emailed to national and international groups includingthe Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), PacNews, as well as Tuvaluans living abroad.10 Drageset, Daniel. 2013. TUVALU: SKY Pacific satellite move may end prime television broadcasts. Pacific Media Centre. Wednesday, April 17, 2013.Item: 8260. ion-broadcasts-826011 Endou, Shuuichi (30 December 2011). "New AM Radio Station in Funafuti". Tuvalu-News.TV.42013 State of Media & Communication Report - Tuvalu
Table m.4Media and Communication Platforms: Online and Mobile MediaPlatformOrganisationEmail/internetUnofficial digital nitiative of staff at the TuvaluMedia DepartmentReproduction of radio contentGovernmentOther Communication PlatformsThe airport runway on Funafuti island is the key social space in Funafuti, used for sports and leisure and forcommunity contact each night from 5pm.Table m.5Media and Communication Platforms: Other Communication ntSectorPublic spaces (runway)AirportNATuvaluanCommunityMedia and Communications LandscapeThis section of the report focuses on Tuvalu’s media and communication sector across four key areas: policy andlegislation, media systems, capacity building and content. It provides an overview of the state of media across thefour areas and aligns them with Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS), program components, as definedby the six PACMAS strategic areas: Technicians, Pacific Emergency Broadcast Systems, Technical and VocationalEducation and Training (TVETs), Media Associations, Climate Change and Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs).Media Systems includes a focus on Technicians and Pacific Emergency Broadcast Systems (PEBS); CapacityBuilding includes TVETS and Media Associations; and Content looks at Climate Change and NCDs. It provides anoverview of media and communication across these areas and aligns them with PACMAS program components.Policy and LegislationRelevant media and communication legislation in Tuvalu includes the Tuvalu Media Corporation Act 1999, theTelevision License Regulation Act 2005, and the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation Act 1993. Although theTuvalu Media Corporation Act supported the Tuvalu Media Corporation, in 2000 this body was de-corporatisedand reintegrated into the ministry in 2008. There is no newspaper licensing system. The Television LicenseRegulation of 2005 allows for allocation of commercial, non-commercial and temporary licenses.The Constitution protects freedom of expression subject to other laws relating to defense, public safety, publicorder, public morality, public health, reputations, rights and freedoms of others, privacy, independence of thejudiciary and so on. Freedom of the Tuvalu Media Corporation is specifically included in the Media CorporationAct 1999, but since de-corporatisation, the TMD, in practice, is not free from the government. No cases of directcensorship or threats against media professionals have been reported in recent years, however, the Public OrderAct was used in 2011 to ban political meetings of more than 10 people, which attracted criticism from the PacificFreedom Forum12. There is no independent media council, and no locally developed code of ethics being usedby media outlets.Telecommunication services are governed under the Telecommunication Ordinance of 1979 and theTelecommunications Corporations Act 1993. The government’s Tuvalu Telecommunication Corporation has amonopoly on the provision of telecommunications services. Although there has been some outsourcing ofmobile services, reports suggest that more liberalisation and reforms are required13.12 “the government said that rumours of threats to burn down lawmakers’ residences had made the ban necessary. The emergency order wasrevoked after four weeks, with the provision that public meetings could be held only with permission from the police commissioner”, 012/tuvalu, accessed June 2013; Perrottet, A. & Robie, D., 2011. Pacific Media Freedom 2011 : A statusreport. Pacific Journalism Review, 17(2), pp.148–18613 Pacific Island Forum Secretariat. 2010. Final report for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat: Review of Pacific Regional Digital Strategy; Part A:Technological Capacity hments/documents/Review%20of%20Digital%20Strategy PartA.pdfAccessed April 20132013 State of Media & Communication Report - Tuvalu5
Media SystemsMedia systems take into consideration technical skills, support and infrastructure. It also explores emergencybroadcast systems and experience from past disasters and crises in Tuvalu.PACMAS Strategic Activity: TechniciansJapan re
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4 Industry Attitudes towards Multicultural Broadcasting 43 4.1 What is Multicultural Broadcasting? 43 4.2 Multicultural Broadcasting Now 51 4.3 The Issue of Programme Genre 61 4.4 Multiculturalism:Guidelines and Policies 68 4.5 Employment and Multiculturalism 74 4.6 The Future of Multicultural Broadcasting: Industry Views 86
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