Only the media can answer why they’re ranked 59 in World Press Freedom Index

By Staff Reporters/

Apia, SAMOA – 07 May 2026: The World Press Freedom Index 2026 released this month, ranked Samoa at 59 and Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt said only the media can “ask yourselves” and respond to the ranking.

At his weekly press conference after Cabinet yesterday, the Prime Minster was asked if the drop in the rating was to do with the Government banning the Samoa Observer newspaper affecting the rights of the media to do their job or the media not being responsible in upholding its own media ethics.

Laauli said he is not aware how the World Press Freedom Index compile the media freedom ranking but said the question put to him can only the answered by the media themselves.

“I believe that only you (media) can answer that question,” said Laauli.

Open door to Government events
“Have I closed the door to your questions and has there been a time when the Government enforced a ban over your rights as the media? Ask yourselves that?” he asked.

He then clarified that he banned only Samoa Observer from attending his press conferences and Government events because of their failure to adhere to media ethics.

“They continue to publish false information that mislead the people and recently they published that the Government had reimbursed my family that paid for my medical bills in New Zealand,” he said.

He questioned proof of the article. The Government issued a statement to correct the Samoa Observer article. While the correction was reported by other media outlets, the paper did not correct its article but rather had another story that the Prime Minister rejected the reimbursement.

I will stand by my decision against Samoa Observer
The Prime Minister banned the Samoa Observer from his press conferences and government events in November 2025 after a team from the paper tried to trespass his home after he had just arrived from 8 weeks absence for medical treatment in New Zealand.

While the PM was on medical leave, the paper ran a series of articles that upstaged his authority as PM having been sworn in the week before he was airlifted for medical treatment.

The articles ranged from questioning the chair he sat on during a meeting with NZ’ Foreign Minister, to an advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that he should not be meeting foreign dignitaries while on medical leave.

The paper then published an article that the CEOs of the Ministry of the Prime Minister who is also the Secretary to Cabinet, and the CEO of Foreign Affairs, met with the Acting Prime Minister about the advice that the PM was not in a position to meet foreign dignitaries while on medical leave.

The two CEOs wrote to the newspaper in a statement that refuted “the ghost” meeting ever occurred. The paper however neither published the refutation nor made a correction to its article.

The Prime Minister told the media yesterday, he was standing by his position against the newspaper “in order to protect the government and the country,” he stated.

“Ou te le tu’ulafoaia se nusipepa e sau aga’i i le Malo o Samoa ma tagata, ou te tu e puipui.”

He said the Government has issued many statements to correct the articles published by the paper “But they do not seem to care,” he stated.

He said freedom of expression has two sides, and the media should consider the impact and consequences of their articles on who they write about, then rely on media freedom to protect and justify their actions despite breaching their own media ethics.

He also referred to other reporters who used to come to his press conferences but now seem to be staying away for their own reasons. “It’s their choice,” the PM said.

Out of a total of 180 countries ranked by Reporters Without Borders in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Samoa is ranked 59 behind New Zealand (22), Fiji (24), Australia (33) and Tonga (51) and ahead of Japan (62), United States (64) and Papua New Guinea (64).

The preamble to the Samoa country profile said, “Despite the vitality of some of its media groups, this Pacific Island archipelago’s reputation as a regional model of press freedom has been undermined in recent years by pressure from governments confronted with political instability.”