Update: 12.55pm THE Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) has agreed to advance media freedom in the region, and a mechanism has been put in place to address the issue with accuracy and in a timely manner.
A PINA board meeting in Suva also agreed to a number of other initiatives, one of which is a monthly update on media freedom, says Radio Australia.
PINA says it also recognises the existence of blog webistes and personal online websites as avenues for freedom of expression.
However, it does not recognise them as official, or reliable sources of information for use by journalists.