A senior Papua New Guinean journalist has been reinstated after widespread protests against his suspension for the airing of a critical news report about the country’s government during the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation conference.

EMTV announced the reinstatement of its Lae bureau chief, Scott Waide, who was in charge of EMTV’s Apec coverage, on Monday afternoon. It said his suspension did not reflect EMTV’s views on press freedom but was due to “concerns about balanced reporting”.

Waide’s suspension came amid mounting hostility towards the government over its spending on Apec while much of the country suffered. It prompted widespread criticism from Pacific media groups, journalists and press organisations, which accused EMTV of acquiescing to the government.

Waide, who has been a journalist for 20 years, described the incident as “unsettling”.

“I guess there are people who need to be educated about the role of the media in Papua New Guinea,” he said.

EMTV is the country’s largest media organisation and is owned by state-owned Telikom PNG. In an earlier statement it confirmed Waide had been suspended on government orders.

It said the decision was “not favourable to EMTV” and went against its responsibilities to free and fair coverage. “However, we must remember that we are state-owned and that some sensitive reporting will be questioned, queried and even actioned upon.”

Waide had produced a Saturday news bulletin that included a New Zealand 1News report about the country’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, saying she would not ride in one of the controversially purchased Maseratis.

The report detailed the financial contributions of other countries – including New Zealand and Australia – to assist with the running of the summit, only for the government to buy 40 Maseratis and three Bentleys.

“The content of the story was already public knowledge but we wanted to present a perspective of how the overseas media was seeing Apec in Papua New Guinea,” Waide said.

He has previously reported on the current health crisis and nationwide medication shortage, and restrictions on media relating to Apec.

“It’s a critical time for Papua New Guinea with trade wars between China and the US and all the geopolitics happening in the Pacific, and PNG being the focus of a lot of that attention,” Waide said. “It’s a critical time and also an exciting time to be a journalist in Papua New Guinea.”



#EMTV anchor/ senior journalist, @MeribaTulo and other PNG journos barred by Chinese security from attending meeting between Xi Jinping & PIF leaders. Only Chinese media were allowed. Accreditation that took weeks to process is useless. #APEC2018 #PNG pic.twitter.com/H6Bl0E77Su — Scott Waide🌴🌴 (@Scott_Waide) November 16, 2018

Journalists and observers across the Pacific spoke in support of Waide, and changed their social media profile photos to a shot of the reporter.

PNG Govt behaving like Communist China in censoring the media — MARTYN NAMORONG (@MartynNamorong) November 25, 2018

The Media Council of PNG labelled his suspension a “step backward for democracy” and a “clear case of ignorance” from the board about the business of reporting the news.

It said the media’s responsibility was to the people, not government, regardless of whether the government owned any of a media company’s shareholding.

“The media must not bend to the whims of insecure politicians and spineless ‘yes men’ who flaunt their authority with impunity and against all moral and ethical judgment,” it said.

“We in the media are in the business of reporting the truth. Journalists should not be looking over their shoulders every time they work on a sensitive story, just because it may not paint the government of the day in a good light.”

It called for the immediate reinstatement of Waide to his position. “There is no evidence the journalist was engaged in anything other than legitimate news gathering,” said Monica Miller, the chair of regional media monitors the Pacific Freedom Forum.

Disturbed to hear about the suspension from the #PNG media outlet @EMTV of the fearless, principled journalist and filmmaker @Scott_Waide. The discomfort Scott creates amongst PNGs elites is what makes him such an important voice, NOT a reason to silence him. #ReinstateScott pic.twitter.com/djhLU5ZTtt — Victoria Stead (@tori_stead) November 25, 2018

Papua New Guinea’s government has been left trying to repair its reputation after Apec ended with the leaders failing to agree on a joint statement for the first time in the conference’s history.

It continues to be targeted for criticism over the purchase of the Maseratis and Bentleys, and the construction of large roads and other projects in the immediate vicinity of the conference while most of the country is often impassable.

For @withMEAA @TI_PNG @broadcasing @australian @SkyNewsAust @unionsaustralia #PNG's leading investigative journalist & a man of unquestionable ethics has been suspended by his organisation EMTV at the behest of the government, Your urgent support is requested pic.twitter.com/rVBuDKh7pP — Keith Jackson AM (@PNGAttitude) November 24, 2018

Wonder how many management will resign, faced with the knowledge that they can’t run an actual news organisation.



Scott is one of a few bright lights in PNG news reporting. He is everything a journalist should be—smart, intrepid, fearless.



I hope he’s not left to stand alone. https://t.co/eU19i96Htj — Dan McGarry (@dailypostdan) November 24, 2018

On Tuesday hundreds of police and security officers stormed the national parliament, smashing windows and cars, damaging entryways and allegedly assaulting parliamentary staff in protest against the apparent failure of government to pay their 17-day Apec allowances.

During the clashes two journalists for PNGFM were allegedly assaulted by officers, said the stations’s head of news, Genesis Ketan.

“Upon seeing the journalists, one officer called out: ‘They are reporters, what kind of story are they here for, beat them up,’” Ketan said.

Ketan said the female journalist had been “manhandled” by officers who attempted to rip her shirt, and the male journalist had been attacked by multiple officers before he was pulled to safety by another.

The commissioners of corrections and police had both been informed and had said the matter would be investigated, she said.

On Saturday 11 officers were arrested and charged by the policing the police taskforce for being in possession of items believed to have been stolen from parliament, including water bottles.

The police commissioner, Gari Baki, accused opposition politicians of being behind the unrest, citing “intelligence reports”. “Whilst they may not have initiated it, they are believed to have had a hand in fuelling the dissent which culminated with the destruction to the national parliament,” he said.

“This will also be investigated and appropriate actions will be taken on any outside involvement as well.”

Opposition MPs – who were in a meeting room at parliament at the time of the rampage – categorically denied the accusations.