AAP to close Papua New Guinea bureau
Newswire service Australian Associated Press has confirmed it will close its bureau in Papua New Guinea after 60 years.
Editor-in-chief of AAP Tony Gilies told Mumbrella in a statement: “I want to advise of our decision to close AAP’s bureau in Papua New Guinea.
“The decision was difficult but necessary. We’ve been there since the 1950s,” he said.
AAP said that the current PNG correspondent Eoin Blackwell is returning to a position on their national reporting desk in Sydney.
The decision comes at a time when Australia’s relationship with PNG is once again in the headlines with the country recently agreeing to take asylum seekers.
“PNG coverage will continue through a network of freelance reporters and photographers, while AAP staff will be on standby to enter Papua New Guinea as news developments warrant,” said Gillies.
“The newswire’s national desk will monitor the news out the region daily and has scheduled regular trips to the country for news stories and features that are not time-critical.”
Nic Christensen