REGION:
Journalism educator heads for Fiji

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REGION:
5 March 1998

JOURNALISM EDUCATOR HEADS FOR FIJI

PORT MORESBY: Journalism educator and author David Robie, who has coordinated the print and publishing programs of the University of Papua New Guinea for the past five years, is leaving for Fiji this month.

He has been appointed Senior Lecturer and Head of Journalism at the University of the South Pacific and will be coordinating an expanding regional program which is expected to include postgraduate studies.

Journalism at USP will also continue the pioneering Internet media work already begun at UPNG and will shortly launch a partnership with a Hongkong university in publishing a cybernet daily.

Fiji's Immigration Department informed USP on Tuesday it had approved the work permits for Robie and another New Zealander, Ingrid Leary, who has been recuited as television lecturer.

This ended weeks of controversy after the Suva-based Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) had been lobbying to have an Indo-Fijian radio journalist appointed.

In a letter to USP, Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Emitai Boladuadua said it was hoped that "suitable regional applicants" would be appointed after the three-year contracts of the New Zealanders expired.

Robie, 52, is the author of seven books and is currently working on another, and has embarked on a PhD research program on Pacific media.

Three years ago he launched the UPNG journalism training newspaper Uni Tavur as a professional tabloid, which won the Ossie Award for "best newspaper" in student journalism in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

He is also founding editor of Pacific Journalism Review, with the latest edition on the "Media and the mercenaries" being published next week.

He also leaves as a legacy for UPNG an Internet and desktop publishing newsroom and other facilities which were funded by K72,000 in external grants and donations to the Journalism program.

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