The Journalist Association of Samoa (JAWS) is yet to make a statement regarding Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt’s decision to ban the Samoa Observer, but raised concerns over the weekend about the government’s attempts at censorship during press conferences.

JAWS president Lagi Keresoma wrote to media practitioners on Saturday about the censorship attempts that the government hopes to formulate in a guide.

“A lot of us, if not most, are frustrated at how some of the government press conferences are conducted. We complain that they are controlled or limited to one question sometimes. Recently, JAWS Executive was invited by the Ministry of Prime Ministry and Cabinet, where we met with the Press Secretariat team and two ACEOs to discuss a proposed guide to how the Prime Minister/Ministers' press conferences are conducted in a proper manner,” Keresome wrote.

“They said their piece, we said ours, but nothing concrete yet. The Executive agreed for the MPMC team to draft a guide, and in the meantime, as part of our role in supporting transparent and effective communication, the Executive is reaching out to all members of the media to share their insights and thoughts. We wish to highlight key challenges in covering the press conference and to offer recommendations that will help ensure professionalism, accuracy, and respect in reporting.

“We encourage your active participation and welcome further feedback to refine these challenges and recommendations. The sooner we put together our side, the sooner we can submit to be part of the proposed guide.”

JAWS has yet to issue a statement about the assault on Samoa Observer journalists that happened outside the Prime Minister’s residence on Saturday.