Mosese Raqio 
[Photo: FILE]
A regional partnership is set to boost anti-corruption journalism across the Blue Pacific through training, mentorship and investigative reporting grants for journalists and media organisations.
The initiative brings together the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
It aims to strengthen reporting on corruption, governance, and public accountability in the region.
PINA Board Member and Fiji Times Editor-in-Chief Fred Wesley said a free and independent media was vital for holding leaders to account and improving transparency.
He said the partnership would strengthen investigative work through the Pacific Anti-Corruption Journalists Network.
The program will provide training, mentorship, reporting grants, and access to regional and international forums. Wesley says it will also support coverage of governance, political financing, climate finance and corruption risks affecting Pacific communities.
UNODC Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Advisor Marie Pegie Cauchois states the media is a key partner in promoting integrity and good governance.
She said corruption reporting required specialist skills, technical expertise and reliable funding, which are often limited in Pacific newsrooms.
Cauchois said the partnership builds on years of cooperation between UNODC and PINA, including the launch of the Pacific Anti-Corruption Journalists Network in 2019.
