JAWS returns to PINA after nine-year absence
Samoa journalists’ association says it is ready to participate, contribute and listen as it rejoins the regional media body.
Monday 28 September 2026 | 11:00
Journalists Association of Samoa president Lagi Keresoma (second from right) with other journalists at the PINA media dinner on Nawi Island, Savusavu on September 25, 2026.
Photo: Talei Roko
The Journalists Association of Samoa (JAWS) has returned to the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), while rejecting claims that the regional media body was removed or “kicked out” of Samoa.
JAWS president Lagi Keresoma said the association’s return to the PINA round-table during the Pacific Media Summit in Savusavu marked a renewed commitment to regional cooperation and professional journalism.
Ms Keresoma reiterated comments made in a JAWS presentation earlier last week that PINA had been “removed and kicked out” of Samoa, saying the history of the organisation needed to be clarified.
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“PINA was established and is registered in Samoa,” Ms Keresoma said.
She said PINA conferences were initially held annually, with Fiji hosting the second meeting, after which leaders established the association’s offices in Fiji.
“They were never kicked out,” she said.
Ms Keresoma said Samoa later hosted PINA in 2003, when JAWS attempted to have the organisation’s headquarters returned to Samoa but did not receive sufficient support from member countries.
JAWS eventually withdrew from PINA in 2015, with Ms Keresoma saying the decision was based on concerns raised by its leaders at the time about transparency and accountability.
She said JAWS subsequently worked with other Pacific media organisations before changes within the regional media landscape led to its return to PINA.
Ms Keresoma said PINA remained an important regional institution, providing a platform for Pacific media organisations to share experiences, address common challenges and discuss the future of journalism.
“Our return is not only to speak about our own experiences, but to listen to the experiences of our Pacific neighbours,” she said.
“Our region must have the capacity to tell its own stories, explain its own circumstances and preserve its own history,” she said.
She said JAWS had returned with a renewed sense of responsibility and was ready to participate, contribute and listen.
Ms Keresoma also expressed hope that Samoa could eventually host the PINA family again.
She thanked PACMAS for its financial support, which she said had helped make JAWS’ return to PINA possible.
