Women in Media Conference 2025

Top women journalists, media workers, civil society voices, and regional delegates will meet in Suva tomorrow for the inaugural Women in Media Conference 2025, to share their experiences and push for a more inclusive and supportive media industry in the Pacific.

The two-day event is being held at the Grand Pacific Hotel, bringing together voices from across the Pacific to discuss key issues under the theme “Resilience in a Rapidly Evolving Media Landscape.”

Co-founder of Women in Media and President of the Fijian Media Association, Rosi Doviverata says the conference reflects their mission to empower women in media — both nationally and regionally— by fostering collaboration, mentorship, and support across borders.

She says this will be an empowering session for all media personnel as they hear and learn from some of the most inspiring voices in the Pacific.

Broadcast Corporation of Niue (BCN) multimedia journalist, Esther Pavihi says she is looking forward to discussing the challenges faced by women in media with others from across the Pacific during the conference.

She says one of the key issues currently facing her country is a lack of people willing to work in the media industry.

Pavihi adds that, while in Fiji she has observed a larger number of women working in the industry compared to men — a reflection of the resilience of women who are not just telling stories, but living them.

She says it is also important that men's voices are heard, as the challenges will always exist and require action from both men and women to make the industry a better and more supportive place to work. General Secretary of Fijian Media Association, Stanley Simpson says the event provides a platform to unpack the challenges women face in the newsroom — challenges that are often overlooked.

He says he has seen women who were ahead of their time, who broke barriers, and who were on the front lines — highlighting women journalists who bore the brunt of crackdowns during coups in the country.

He adds there is often an assumption that women in the newsroom are the most powerful, but behind that are layers of vulnerability that are rarely acknowledged, and the conference is a safe space to bring those issues forward.

It is unacceptable that women journalists are increasingly targeted for doing their jobs—with attempts to silence them through intimidation, abuse and digital disinformation.

This has been highlighted by Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran while opening the inaugural two-day Women in Media Conference at the GPH this morning where the theme is "Resilience in a rapidly evolving media landscape".

Kiran says in a short time, WiM Fiji has launched impactful initiatives—from financial literacy and mental health support to climate advocacy and journalism mentorship.

She says their work is not just empowering women in media—it’s transforming the industry.

The Minister says despite this, even as women in media break new ground, they do so while navigating unique and serious risks where online harassment, cyberbullying and technology-facilitated gender-based violence are growing threats.

The Minister says this is why movements like WiM Fiji are not just valuable—they are vital and by fostering resilience, creating safe peer networks and providing advocacy in the digital realm, WiM Fiji is standing up against violence in all its form.

She also confirmed that the review of the Online Safety Act will begin at the end of the month and hopes submissions will be made to give it more power to deal with emerging challenges with cyberbullying.

Kiran further highlighted that in the evolving media landscape and era of social media, their hard work is often hijacked by keyboard warriors who just copy paste their work on their social media pages without acknowledging their sacrifices.

She hopes some of these challenges can be dissected at forums like this to see how women in media and their work can be better protected and acknowledged.

While highlighting that only 35 percent of women are represented on boards and 5 percent in parliament, Kiran says a large number of people in our population obviously do not see women as decision makers even though our women, our mothers not only shape our lives but make decisions on a daily basis, but unfortunately the perception is they can make decisions at home but not in business or politics.

She stresses that through the hard work, of women journalists, women are empowered not only to speak up, but to lead.

Gone are the days when women journalists were told to simply grow a thick skin because harassment is not part of the job description, and the shame and stigma surrounding harassment must stop.

International lawyer and arbitrator Ana Tuiketei made this statement at the inaugural Women in Media Conference in Suva, issuing a powerful call to action and urging media organisations and Pacific governments to address the ongoing challenges faced by women journalists in the region.

Tuiketei, the first Pacific Islander listed as counsel with the International Criminal Court and a Board Director for Save the Children Australia, is a vocal advocate for legal reform, youth empowerment, and gender equity.

She says women in media are powerful agents of change, giving a voice to the voiceless, however, for them to drive change, we must recognise the systemic issues they face.

Tuiketei highlighted two major global issues facing women in media: the gender pay gap and online and offline harassment.

She notes that according to the 2023 International Labour Organization Global Report, the global gender pay gap stands at 20%, implying that, at this rate, wage equality may not be achieved until 2086.

Tuiketei adds that, in media, women are often pushed into lower-paid roles – such as lifestyle or culture – while men dominate higher-paid fields, including politics and investigative reporting.

She emphasises that the International Federation of Journalists has called for clear policies that promote equal pay, pay transparency, and greater representation of women in leadership roles.

Tuiketei also reveals that harassment has become a safety issue, with one in four women journalists globally facing online violence, but in Fiji, that figure rises to two in three.

The international lawyer cited reports from UNESCO and Deakin University in Australia, which show that abuse often comes through social media, especially Facebook - in many cases, it is expressed in local languages and slang, making it more difficult to monitor and moderate.

She reveals that according to the Fiji Bureau of Statistics, 99% of Fijians have internet access, and 98% own smartphones – meaning that online abuse affects both urban and rural communities alike.

Tuiketei says reporting on gender issues, politics and elections, human rights, and social policy are the top triggers for online harassment of women journalists.

She adds that the Online Safety Commission in Fiji has confirmed that most women who report abuse are primarily seeking the removal of harmful content, rather than pursuing legal action.

Tuiketei is urging employers, media outlets, and governments to treat online abuse as a workplace safety issue, provide support for digital, physical, and mental health, promote pay transparency and equal leadership opportunities, create gender-sensitive newsroom policies, and work with organisations like the Fiji Online Safety Commission.

She also supports UNESCO’s recommendation to appoint digital safety editors and create stronger, more inclusive reporting systems to protect all journalists.

The Women in Media Inaugural Conference is being held at the Grand Pacific Hotel and will conclude tomorrow.

A call to action has been made by Fiji’s Media Editors regarding online abuse and cyberbullying faced by women in media — whether they are journalists, personalities, or working in the other fields.

This comes due to the lack of effective enforcement under Fiji’s current Online Safety Act.

Speaking at the Women in Media Inaugural Conference, Communications Fiji Limited’s News Director, Vijay Narayan says the organisation has lodged some complaints to the Online Safety Commission concerning abuse faced by women at CFL, but there has been no update.

He says that even when the name of the abuser is provided, no action has been taken.

Narayan stresses that true organizational resilience starts at the top — with the board, and pointed towards good values that you never compromise, strong risk management systems and well-tested Human Resource policies.

He also urged stronger risk strategies to tackle technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and called for life skills sessions to help media workers cope with rising stressors, including drugs, mental health, and social pressure.

Fred Wesley, Editor-in-Chief of The Fiji Times says one of the key barriers is the failure to recognise and appreciate the contributions of women in journalism.

He says Human Resource policies often aren’t tailored for the realities women face — especially when it comes to parenting, maternity leave, and balancing family responsibilities with newsroom demands.

He adds there is a need to understand the moral, physical, mental, and psychological differences women face — and build policies around that.

Felix Chaudhary, Acting General Manager of News and Sports at the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation says real change starts at the top — and that if leadership supports women and fosters an open-door policy for reporting problems, that influence will extend throughout the entire newsroom.

Stanley Simpson, Director of MaiTV and General Secretary for the Fijian Media Association says 15 years ago there were no gender policies in place and very little support for women facing abuse or tough work conditions.

He says there were cases of domestic violence, and women came to work with physical injuries, and he had to take action himself — calling in husbands and reading them the law.

Simpson also says there was no legal support for journalists during politically difficult times, and women were especially vulnerable.

He has called for the introduction of a clear women’s policy for all media organisations.

The Women in Media Inaugural Conference is being held at the Grand Pacific Hotel and will conclude tomorrow.

The most promising media models today are fast, lean, and tech-savvy—but real success comes from remembering that people and their talent are still at the heart of it all.

This has been stressed by Communications Fiji Limited's Group Human Resources Manager Yvette Samson while speaking during the Women in Media Conference panel discussion on Business of Media at GPH.

When asked about what emerging business models are most promising for sustainable media operations, Samson says people are important.

She says if we are going to automate a certain process, what does that mean for the people who were working on the process before this automation.

Samson say two things should be considered in tandem - where we are moving into this space is to streamline our business, to make us lean, but at the same time, not losing sight of our values.

She says if your value is to deliver the best quality content and entertainment to your audience, then you are going to need real talent behind that—and that comes from your people.

Samson adds emerging business models are leaner, quick to market, quick to adapt, and high-tech and in the midst of all of that we should remember that we have to consider our people when we are moving to that change.

When questioned about navigating business transformations and what strategies have proven successful for women in leadership, Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation Commercial Manager Sussie Sewere Kilman says there was a lot of pushback from a lot of men, thinking they can do better, are more capable, or better suited for the job.

She says in the Melanesian culture, it's very uncomfortable for them to take instructions directly from a female so as a female, to overcome that, she was proving that she is capable and well suited for the job, not just as a team player, but a team leader.

Kilman says recently, she has been put in the succession plan along with two male senior managers and two female senior managers.

When questioned about financial resilience, MaiTV Manager Sales and Marketing Rosie Ruth says they are involved in sponsored programs and editorial content and every time something happens, they always see the sales side of things but on the editorial or news side, they cover whatever they choose—whatever reflects the truth.

She says for financial resilience, they focus on diversifying income through a combination of commercial development and public interest funding.

She says they also invest in local content and in training multi-skilled teams.

Ruth says they also maintain transparent and unbiased guidelines for sponsored editorial and news content.

The conference continues today.

Media houses must invest in building the capacity of all their staff regardless of gender to handle sensitive stories with care, empathy, and responsibility, while also recognising a broader mission that intersects with capitalism.

Principal Strategic Lead for Women and Girls at the South Pacific Community, Mereseini Rakuita highlighted this during the Women in Media Conference.

She says reporting must be grounded in a do-no-harm approach.

Rakuita emphasised that every woman and child in the Pacific has suffered violence at the hands of someone who has misused power and she warned that we must be intentional in addressing this harm, rather than perpetuating it intentionally or otherwise.

Rakuita adds that our culture and faith are woven deeply into our identities.

She adds that these can be powerful pillars for positive change, however, it is also important to recognise when societal leaders use these values as a shield to justify harmful behaviour.

Savings and life insurance are not part of the culture of many people and women must adopt the savings culture so that there’s financial awareness with the families.

This has been stressed by the Business Relationship Manager of BSP Life, Adi Salote Nalukuya while speaking during the Women in Media Conference speed panel discussion on Managing Your Finances at Grand Pacific Hotel.

Nalukuya says women tend to prioritise the needs of others rather than themselves and it is important that they manage the funds by creating a budget for the family.

When asked what financial empowerment looks like, especially for women in media, she says we need to have a growth mindset, because that's the only way we will be able to thrive and leave a legacy behind.

She further says that less than 20 percent of people have life insurance but most of them do have bank accounts which shows that people are not investing for their future.

Meanwhile, the Manager Financial Inclusion of ANZ, Elenoa Buliruarua says one of the important factors is just setting aside some money for your own financial plan.

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Buliruarua says everyone must have their own budget because without a budget people won't be able to do anything.

She says budget allows people to understand and know how much they earn, how and where they spend the money and how much can be saved.

The Manager Financial Inclusion says that everyone has to know their needs in order to understand how they will spend the money and for what purpose.

Buliruarua adds that the families should have emergency funds where people are putting aside about 10 to 15 percent of their income which will be very helpful.

The repeal of the Media Industry Development Act was not the end—it was the beginning of a longer journey to build a media environment that is not just free by law, but fearless in practice.

This has been highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Communications Manoa Kamikamica while closing the inaugural Women in Media Conference at GPH this evening.

Kamikamica says we must have serious conversations on hate speech, coordinated disinformation, and the deliberate exploitation of free speech.

He says the line between debate and danger is growing thinner and as a government, they are committed to striking a balance between protecting freedom while also protecting people.

He says as they explore an alternative framework, the responsibility of media professionals is to ensure self-discipline, peer review, and adherence to the highest standards of journalism.

Kamikamica stresses the Government’s position is to create an environment where these values can thrive—not impose them.

The Deputy Prime Minister says the future of media will not only be shaped by policy, technology, or platforms—it will be shaped by people who insist that truth still matters, that facts still exist, and that ethics still count.

He says as the Minister for Communications, he is deeply concerned with how digital tools can be misused in the weaponisation of free speech.

Kamikamica says our democracy depends on a media that can distinguish signal from noise, truth from falsehood, dissent from misinformation and that burden—unfair as it may feel—often falls on journalists.

He says the media world is still largely built by men, for men and yet, time and again, it is the women who rise above.

He says they do so while facing online abuse, threats, and constant demands to be resilient in the face of targeted harassment and with far fewer opportunities for leadership, even as they carry more of the moral weight but still, they tell the stories that matter.

The Deputy Prime Minister stresses that no journalist should have to choose between telling the truth and staying safe, no woman in the media should have to accept abuse as part of her job and no newsroom should be considered excellent if it does not reflect the diversity of the communities it serves.

He says Fiji is finalising the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the Telecommunications Act and Online Safety Act are under review to better tackle cyberbullying and harmful content.

Kamikamica says the government has signed the Second Protocol to the Budapest Convention and once ratified, it will streamline law enforcement’s access to electronic evidence from overseas providers.

He adds a new National Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy is also in progress to safeguard Fijians’ personal information.

Meanwhile, Fijian Media Association General Secretary Stanley Simpson says the media will be fair and balanced as much as they can.

While thanking Kamikamica for believing in the principles, he says that's the main thing they ask of our leaders.

He says it's refreshing for leaders to understand the role of the media, and how at times, the relationship may be rocky but it's important that they continue to engage and keep moving forward.