[pima.nius] Re: Fakalofa lahi atu

talofa,
With all due respect the Makoi boys were not assulted, well not my knowledge anyway. If the boys were going to charge anyone it would be the reporter.
In interviews with the local media, they stated that they were "bribed" into doing it and had no idea that they would be on the news.
Anyway heres an editorial written by Sano Malifa , Editor of Samoa Observer,
has some interesting points.

Tuesday, 24 March 2009 at 3:48:45 p.m., over there in New Zealand.
That is when Barbara Dreaver sends an email to her "mate" Ermehn Loto Sakaria of Pride Security. Dreaver's email says:  

"Hi mate
The agent is booking us to go this coming Monday morning (30th march) which gets us to Samoa on Sunday morning.
We are coming back Wednesday morning (Samoa time) arriving back in Auckland on Thursday around midday.
So we can either do the interview on Monday or Tuesday Samoan time. I need to know which as I will be setting something else up for the other free day so could you let me know ASAP. 
I have asked travel agent to make sure we can get our rental cars on Sunday so you can set things up on the Sunday afternoon if you like.  If we do iv and filming with the guys on Monday, that leaves you Tuesday free for example."

And so it emerges that there indeed was a plan. It also appears that Dreaver's "mate" is the organiser for the "guys" to get hooded up, have those machine guns oiled up, machetes sharpened, and be prepared to become famous.

He was to tell them they were going to be acting in a movie so they should give their best performance ever; which includes making the machetes look most deadly. Who knows? They may end up going all the way to Hollywood.
As for the script, that's Dreaver's job. She's good at it too. She writes:

"Below are the sorts of questions I want to ask.  There may be some they can't/don't want to answer.  That's sweet.  I would rather they just don't answer something than lie about.  We want to accurately represent them.  Also answers must not be memorized or written down otherwise it will come across as rehearsed and a bit odd. The questions are just to give an idea of what I want to ask – its all I can think of at this stage there may be more or less."

So there you are. Wonderfully methodical. This kid deserves a medal. Don't you think her use of the words "That's sweet" is fantastic?
Now put everything down and read Dreaver's questions:
 
- Tell me about the gang culture in Samoa – eg: how many, traditional, gang colours etc or more casual
- Is there any conflict/problems between Samoan gangs, or do they leave each other alone?
- Background of the guys in this gang – where from? Involved with gangs overseas? why in Samoa?
- NZ connections?
- Why have you guys got together in Samoa?
- Types of activities you guys deal with? Legit and otherwise
- Why do you bring in weapons?
- Is this a fairly new trend or have weapons been smuggled in for years?
- Where do they come from eg: gang connections in the US? (the answers does not have to be detailed if its going to compromise their position)
- How hard is it to bring weapons in?
- How many would you bring in every month?
- Types of weapons – demonstrate – how much are they sold for?
- Types of people who buy these guns and why?
- How many approx have you sold?  Since when?  Are sales increasing?
- Is there a market for smuggled guns in NZ?  Are any of your guns finding their way to NZ?
- Have the Samoan police put any pressure on you guys?  How corrupt is the police?
Cheer Barb.

But remember "guys"! Don't memorise those answers. They don't come through well if they were. Just answer the questions point black and brisk. Good teacher Barb. She sure knows a bit about trigger-jabbing questions.
But what are these "gang cultures" she's talking about. What if we tell her there is no such thing as a "gang culture" in Samoa. Who told her about these things anyway? Her "mate" Ermehn Loto Sakaria perhaps?

We admit there are drugs-and-guns-related problems here but then every country has them. Since Samoa is not isolated from the rest of the world, it is not quarantined from the ills caused by drugs and guns.
As for machetes, they are very useful, everyday tools. Every family has a number of them. They are used to fell trees, clear the bush for plantations, cut copra, gather firewood, build houses, prepare food.
Indeed the Samoan home is handicapped without machetes. They are everyone's best helper which is why you see them everywhere.  Sharpened to make them most effective, they are never intended to be used as weapons.

The idea then – as Dreaver's documentary seems to be trying to convey – that machetes are being used by Samoan gang members as weapons is preposterous. Nothing is furthest from the truth.
What her correspondence did not disclose is that she and her crew had come to Samoa with the explicit intention of shooting a video they would later sell. They did that around town.

Later when they wanted images of men brandishing machetes, they were taken to a home where young men were building a house. Asked to pose for the camera, the men obliged. Later when those images appeared on TV, the men were horrified. They later apologised publicly saying they had been tricked.
When you invent the uninventable then try and make it real you end up making a fool of yourself. Doesn't this say journalistic ethics and professionalism are lacking? And yet NZ TV ONE has retaliated saying they were sticking to their story?

On Fri, Jun 5, 2009 at 1:33 PM, avaiki - jason brown <avaiki.nius@gmail.com> wrote:

. . .

 

talofa charlina,

 

ha ha! - you're quite right, we are setting a poor example, the debate is going around in circles, and has become overly heated and personal.

 

Thank you for taking the time to follow our comments, and, for contributing and telling us to pull our heads out of our behinds , )

 

I would encourage other reporters to join in the debate, you don't need an invitation to your own country. Char, interesting to note that everyone you've spoken to agrees it was staged. If that is the case being made, then what is being done to test it? Anything?

 

Charlina, I note you are careful to avoid personalising the story by referring to the reporter and also I applaud your professionalism and bravery coming on here to express an opinion. I take what you have to say seriously. Which is why I must ask these questions, questions that any reporter in Samoa should be asking.

 

Why were the 'Makoi boys' assaulted during their detention by police?

Was anyone arrested for their assault?

Were the boys arrested for anything?

Have they been charged with anything?

If not, were they illegally detained according to law?

What are the rights of detainees?

Were the Makoi boys assaulted after being released from detention?

Was there anyone arrested for their assault?

Did police make any investigation into their assault, either in detention or afterwards?

If not, why not?

What inconsistencies are there in the affidavits that came from there possibly illegal detention?

What attempts have been made to follow up with the Makoi Boys and ask them their version of events following the screening of the TVNZ story?

If they're not talking, what about neighbours, police and village sources?

Have Samoa media been fair and balanced in coverage of this issue?

Have Samoa media contacted the reporter?

Have Samoa media examined the substance of the story as well as its alleged flaws?

Why did JAWS say it would release a statement on this issue, but has not done so?

Why did the Pacific Freedom Forum say they would issue a statement on this issues, but has not done so?

If none of these questions have been raised, why not?

 

News media in Samoa have a well deserved reputation for fierce and sometimes ferocious coverage of the issues. Yet on this one, they seem to have been swept along with a well orchestrated spin campaign by the government of Samoa. What does this say about the ethical maturity of the industry?

 

This is a great, big, fat juicy story that reporters in Apia should be falling over themselves to get their teeth into. It's not happening - and why is it not happening? There are enough holes in official responses to this TVNZ for prisoners to drive a hijacked bus through, but those gaps are not being reported on, I fear.

 

Hell, just copy the questions and email them into the commissioner and others, see what they say. If you don't I will , )

 

kia toa,

 

jason

2009/6/6 Charlina Tone <charlinatone@gmail.com>

Talofa everyone,
I am Charlina a young  reporter with Newsline Newspaper in Samoa. Quite an example you are all setting here for us younger ones to follow as role models for young PI journos I must say you are not doing a very good job.
This has turned from a debate to a heated argument, that gets personal at times.
I have been following closely with interest and it is  just going around in circles.
I have seen the item and I agree that it should not be shown as a TVNZ promo (as its still with BSA). Every Samoan that I have spoken to that has seen it, agrees that it is staged.
Where in Samoa would you find people that walk around with machetes and tie their faces?
If you have lived in Samoa long enough you'd realize that the whole thing was staged and sensationalized.

Ma lou faaaloalo lava,
Charlina

On Fri, Jun 5, 2009 at 11:05 AM, avaiki - jason brown <avaiki.nius@gmail.com> wrote:

. . .

 

There IS an echo in here!

 

When I say sophist, the echo says sophist. When I say bullshit, the echo says bullshit. When I say spinning, the echo says spinning.

 

The echo effect is another good old public relations tactic to confuse people. Another way is to accuse people of what you yourself are doing. Oh, and when you run out of things to say, or the other person stops responding, you can confuse people more by going all the way back to the beginning and starting again.

 

See? Easy! Now you too can bullshit your way to the top, just like the government of Samoa and their ethically easy supporters who would rather die than admit they're wrong.

 

All sorts of fun. If I say "Peni has obviously run out of things to say and is making another clumsy attempt at confusing people by simply repeating what I write, and should probably shut up now" I wonder what the echo will say?

 

Is that your real name Peni? Peni? Peni?

 

. . .

2009/6/6 Peni <peniamina89@gmail.com>

I think you try to bllsht us again. You the sophist here. You pick the
one who makes up stories and tries to tell everyone it is the truth.
Like Ono said the commissioner was judged by Samoans, he apologized
and was forgiven. But, there was no apology from that lady about what
she done. No apology from TVNZ. Now you defame the commissioner by
calling him "corrupt." How do you get away with such make-ups? You
should know that there were no death threats against that woman. She
made that one up to. to make the drama. Now you blame the govenment to
say they spin it but it was her that made the story in the first place
and you are the one spinning.

On Jun 4, 7:54 pm, avaiki - jason brown <avaiki.n...@gmail.com> wrote:
> . . .
>
> *interesting points olly, ono ivi and peni,*

> **
> I back what Olly has to say about TVNZ's Pacific correspondent. Between a
> reporter and a police commissioner, I'd pick the one who wasn't caught
> smuggling guns.
>
> Attempts by Peni and Ono Ivi to explain this away that it was only one or
> two guns, or that everyone has a gun for shooting pigs or bats, or that
> there are some cultural sensitivities involved are forgetting one simple
> fact: the police commissioner is sworn to uphold the law of the land and *he
> broke those laws*.
>
> Not *palagi *laws. Not *Western *laws. Laws of *Samoa*, agreed to by
> democratically elected representatives, all from Samoa? Or is Samoa like the
> US, where the law seems to be an optional extra? Or New Zealand for that
> matter?
>
> I agree that mainstream media treatment of island neighbours should be
> monitored, debated and, when appropriate, complained about. Ono Ivi says
> that "may" be the case but I'd like to go further and say that "will" always
> be the case.
>
> The price of freedom is eternal vigilence.
>
> But where will Peni and Ono Ivi draw the line? Obviously a corrupt
> commissioner, drugs, smuggled guns, death threats and "evil" headlines are
> not enough for them. What is? Will it take the death of a colleague to cause
> alarm?
>
> The funny thing is that previously the Samoa media and TVNZ have been close
> allies on wide ranging issues and all of a sudden this relationship has
> soured, in fact been conquered and divided for reasons unknown ... *umm* ...
>
> *oh, hang on ... i get it now! ... create an artificial controversy and
> watch the media fall apart under intense manipulation of ethical and
> cultural considerations ... very clever guys! wheels within wheels , )*
> **
> *manuia,*
> **
> *jas*
>
> . . .
>
> jason brown
> +64 21 024 84 560
>

> www.pacificfreedomforum.blogspot.comhttp://avaiki.nius.googlepages.comwww.jpkupdate.blogspot.com

>
> "According to Forrester Research, Enterprise 2.0, the corporate version of
> Web 2.0 will become a $4.6 billion industry by 2013."
>
> http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8555
>
> . . .
>

> 2009/6/3 Aaron Taouma <aaron.taou...@gmail.com>

>
>
>
> > Olly, Peni and others,
>
> > Yes, it is a continuing debate - how far does one take things when
> > exploring "the issues."
>
> > With ehtics there are other issues,
>
> > Are Pacific Islands ethics different to Palagi or Western ethics?
>
> > And, in presenting stories to a Western audience, how much gets lost in
> > translation or is transmuted into something else for the sake of
> > presentation?
>
> > Are journalists following the correct line of ethics when approaching
> > stories - especially stories dealing with Pacific issues?
>
> > Just think of so many of the presentations on Pacific issues in the past -
> > negative, assumptive, generalised, sensationalised, judgmental, or just
> > plain wrong.
>
> > There are many issues around this story and others.
>
> > It is something we may need to continually keep an eye on.
>
> > Don't forget other stories are being produced all the time and need to have
> > just as much scrutiny and debate as this one has generated.
>
> > A new website being launched by the Human Rights Commission and the Pacific
> > Cooperation Foundation may add to the debate.
>
> > The website link is:http://www.pacificmediaandhumanrights.com/
>
> > (though it is currently not online until July - but keep it in mind)
>
> > To this, I hope everyone on this forum and others continue to discuss

> > Pacific issues as they pertain to the media.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

--

Charlina Tone
Reporter
Newsline Newspaper,
Lalovaea, Apia
Samoa
P.O Box 2441
Mob:7251876
Ph: 24216/23623

--
Charlina Tone
Reporter
Newsline Newspaper,
Lalovaea, Apia
Samoa
P.O Box 2441
Mob:7251876
Ph: 24216/23623

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
- - - - - - - - -

comment here:
http://groups.google.com/group/pima-nius/topics?hl=en

send an email comment here:
pima-nius@googlegroups.com

unsubscribe:
pima-nius+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

more options
http://groups.google.com/group/pima-nius?hl=en?hl=en

- - - - - - - - -
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---