Samoa: Minister Pressures Reporter Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi to Reveal Sources – CFWIJ Demands State Official Stops Harassing Press
Location: Samoa, Apia
Date: May 5, 2023
Samoa government minister uses familial ties with police to pressure Samoa Observer reporter Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi to reveal her sources. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the Minister’s attempt to use his position and connections to coerce a journalist and calls on police to investigate the officer involved.
On May 5, journalist Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi was summoned to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology office regarding a story she was investigating on a seized shipping vessel. Sanerivi was kept at the Minister’s office for two hours.
Unhappy with the Samoa Observer’s coverage of him, Minister Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo called the paper’s journalist “arrogant” and demanded she reveal her sources.
When Sanerivi refused, the Minister threatened the journalist with detention. He then called his cousin, a police officer, to further pressure the journalist to name her sources. The same police officer later called the Samoa Observer warning Sanerivi not to publish anything related to the seized vessel and the Minister’s alleged involvement.
During the call the officer, who identified herself as a relative of the Minister, told the reporter that a complaint had been filed against her.
The Deputy Police Commissioner told the Samoa Observer she was unaware of any official complaint lodged with police relating to the journalist. “Families shouldn't be calling people or be involved because it's a conflict of interest,” she said.
The Journalist Association For Samoa (JAWS) denounced the Minister’s “unprofessional” behavior and commended Sanerivi for refusing to abandon her journalistic ethics despite being pressured by an official.
“The extreme action he took in threatening the journalist, belittling the newspaper she represents, and pressuring her to name her source of information is beyond belief”
"The extreme action he took in threatening the journalist, belittling the newspaper she represents, and pressuring her to name her source of information is beyond belief,” stated the local journalist association.
The Samoa Observer is an independent daily newspaper admired by editors throughout the Pacific Islands for its journalistic standards and its continuous fight for press freedom.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is alarmed by the repeated attempts to pressure Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi to reveal her sources.
As the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, which involves regulating and licensing media, his behavior towards the journalist and the Samoa Observer is of grave concern.
The Minister’s use of his family ties with a police officer to coerce a journalist to abandon her journalistic ethics is a blatant abuse of power. As a public official he is subject to scrutiny by the press and regardless of how the Minister feels about the journalist’s reporting, it is utterly unacceptable to insist that she reveal her sources.
We condemn the Minister’s attempts to intimidate Sanerivi and call on Samoan police to immediately identify and discipline the police officer involved in pressuring the journalist.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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