Vast majority of Solomon Islanders still lack access to media: BBC Media Action Research report

Coconut news or getting information by word of mouth is the most common method for information sharing in the country. A research report shared by BBC Media Action revealed that more than 80% Solomon Islanders get information by ‘word of mouth’. The ‘remixed’ information is said to make information more interesting and entertaining. A majority of the population lack access to information through formal media content. The Research collated by Dignity Pasifika, through phone interviews, focused group discussions and face-to-face interviews captured how Solomon Islands gather information and where they also get their information from. A majority of the users that access news through the different media platforms are interested in news and current affairs and sports stories. However a majority of the women consulted, feel they do not have information on issues and topics that matter the most to them. The research found that male uses media more than females, with people in Honiara consuming more media information than those in rural areas. Because of the lack of access to formal media content, Solomon Islanders often encounter misinformation within their communities. Some of the recommendations from the report includes:

Support to the media sector, explore community-based influencers and networks in more depth, use mobile phones with social and behaviour change communication initiatives, improve high-quality news and information via social media, understand and test media and communication content with audiences.

For our own gathering, we also find out from Malaita, how people there mostly in and around Auki access news and information and what issues and topics they are interested in.