The inaugural MCPNG PNG Media Summit, organized by Women in Media (WiM PNG), will be held on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025, at the Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby.
This inaugural event will bring together media professionals, policy makers, and academics to address the most pressing issues in Papua New Guinea’s media landscape in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day 2025.
While the Global Theme for World Press Freedom Day this year is ‘Reporting in the Brave New world: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media’, this first PNG Media Summit will discuss Artificial Intelligence, and how to understand it in a media context, with a special focus on the role of women in media and the broader Pacific region’s journalism.
Media Council of PNG President, Neville Choi says the Council’s vision is for the PNG Media Summit to be a permanent feature on the Council’s annual calendar of events.
“The media has always been criticized for no longer operating to what many critics have referred to as a standard of media reporting from a different time of reporting, with journalists who had different tools at their disposal, and with audiences who had different ways of accessing the media. Yet no one explains what standard they are talking about.
“Having an annual gathering of media practitioners, partners and stakeholders is the way forward to have collective agreement on what the industry standard is, and how to not only maintain it, but develop it even further,” Mr. Choi says.
The summit’s high-profile keynote speaker is Mary-Louise O’Callaghan, an award-winning Australian journalist renowned for her in-depth coverage of Pacific affairs, and who, until most recently, was leading the Pacific operations of Internews. O’Callaghan will share her expertise on the challenges and opportunities in Pacific journalism, particularly regarding media development in PNG.
“This summit is a crucial platform for open dialogue, fostering collaboration and advancing ethical media practices,” says Belinda Kora, Lead for the Women In Media Core Team who are leading the organization of the summit.
“We are especially thrilled to welcome Mary-Louise O’Callaghan, whose work has significantly impacted regional journalism and media development.”
The summit will also feature Fred Wesley, Editor-in-Chief of The Fiji Times, who will discuss the state of press freedom in the Pacific and Patrick Matbob, a veteran Journalist now trainer from Divine Word University.
The event aims to foster a more vibrant media environment, support women in the industry, and address how AI impacts journalism in PNG. By convening media leaders, policymakers, and influencers, the summit seeks to ensure a future of ethical and inclusive journalism.
Ms. Kora also took the opportunity to thank sponsors from the corporate, private and development sector for supporting this inaugural event.