"Policy and Legislation: Media and Communication Legislation in Samoa includes the Broadcasting Act 2010, Film Control Amendment Act 2010, Newspapers and Printers Act 1992-1993, Telecommunication Act 2005, Telecommunication Amendment Act 2007, Telecommunication Amendment Act 2008 and the Samoa Broadcasting Corporation Act 2003. Section 13 of Samoa’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression, though there is no specific reference to freedom of the media. No freedom of information legislation in Samoa. The Broadcasting Act 2010 allowed for the establishment of a regulator within an Office of the Broadcasting Regulator. The Code of Ethics was developed by JAWS (Journalists Association of Western Samoa). The Telecommunication Act 2005 (with the 2007 and 2008 amendments) allowed for telecommunications regulatory responsibilities to be managed within the Office of the Broadcasting Regulator. Samoa has also developed policies in the area of ICTs and e-Government.
Media Systems: There are no specific associations for technicians and no support networks; JAWS is not viewed as a successful network for technicians. Telecommunications technicians access knowledge within their companies. The primary media outlet in a disaster is the government AM radio broadcaster, 2AP (within the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology). There is also a National Emergency Telecommunications Plan that involves landline and mobile providers (Digicel and BlueSky Samoa). The Disaster Monitoring Office uses media strategically in the lead up to drills and awareness days, and has published locally produced videos online relating to disaster preparedness and awareness.
Capacity Building: JAWS and PINA provide support to media professionals in SAMOA. PasiMA was also established with several representatives from Samoan media. Reliance on in-house training is not as easy for all local media outlets and the need to train junior staff is a drain on the time of senior staff. The Media and Journalism Department at the National University of Samoa (which merged with Samoa Polytechnic in 2006) offers a one-year certificate in journalism; an additional diploma year was added in response to industry dissatisfaction with the quality of graduates. The course curriculum is based on the Pacific Media Communication Facilities (PMCF) course design developed by PINA and is being implemented across the other TVETS in the Pacific (Fiji, PNG, Vanuatu and Tonga). A major challenge of the programs is that enrolling at the polytechnic is one of the only options for further education open to students who have not achieved high academic scores in the PSSV (Pacific Secondary School Certificate).
Content: Samoa has made progress in relation to climate change awareness, and concern among the government, the media and the general public is reported to be medium or high. Little access to workshops and training for media professionals is reported on NCDs or climate change. Training is welcome, particularly for assistance with interpreting scientific reports written in English. Barriers to media coverage of NCD-related issues are reported to include confused messages due to the fragmentation of the health sector; a lack of awareness of who is responsible for health communication; lack of targeting of messages; and conflicting messages. Youth have been important to disaster awareness activities; the school curriculum includes climate change and disaster management with resource kits available for teachers from early childhood level through to secondary school." (Summary of findings)