The fight for press freedom has long been symbolised by the Samoa Observer, an independent daily founded in 1978, that has resisted threats, harassment and the torching of its headquarters, and thus enjoys a reputation admired by editors throughout the Pacific. The other main newspaper is Savali, a state-owned, bilingual (Samoan/English) weekly, that focuses on providing positive coverage of the government’s activities. The main TV channel, TV1, is the product of the privatisation of the state-owned Samoa Broadcasting Corporation. The Talamua group operates SamoaFM and other media outlets, while the national radio station 2AP calls itself “the Voice of the Nation.” A new independent online magazine, The New Atoll, was launched in 2024. 

Although Samoa is a parliamentary democracy with free elections, the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) was in power for nearly four decades, a period in which legal pressure and the adoption of restrictive legislative measures repeatedly undermined press freedom. Since 2021 and the end of the HRPP’s leadership, successive governments have intensified pressure on journalists and increased restrictions on media professionals’ access to political events, often refusing to make state information public. The Samoa Observer, the country’s only independent daily newspaper, has been particularly exposed to recurrent criticism from officials and severe limitations on access to government events.

Local organisations, notably the Journalists Association of (Western) Samoa (JAWS), are calling for the repeal of Section 117A of the Defamation Act, which provides prison sentences and heavy fines for defamation and raises concerns over the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation — abusive lawsuits known as SLAPPs — to target journalists. In 2013, the authorities decriminalised defamation, raising genuine hopes for press freedom that were soon dashed in December 2017, when parliament restored the law under pressure from then-Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, who could use it to attack journalists who dared to criticise members of his government. News professionals are not guaranteed access to public information, and the government’s refusal to share data with journalists and be subject to their scrutiny was highlighted during two health crises: a serious measles outbreak in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. 

The economic environment for the media in Samoa is fragile and strained: despite the presence of established outlets such as the Samoa Observer, falling advertising revenues, a challenging digital transition and a lack of institutional support limit the financial viability of media organisations. The precarious state of the media has had significant repercussions on editorial independence, the capacity to produce quality journalism and media diversity across the archipelago.

Samoan society is 98% Christian. Both Protestant and Catholic churches have a strong presence in the media, which has increased substantially since 2017, when Christianity was named the state religion in the constitution’s preamble. Subjects such as gender violence, gay rights and abortion are excluded from public debate. The FAST party’s rise to power in 2021 has confirmed these taboos.

The Journalists Association of (Western) Samoa (JAWS) is Samoa’s leading champion of press freedom. In 2020, then-Prime Minister Tuila’epa threatened to ban Facebook in response to journalism content he did not like. He then personally sued a blogger for defamation. In early 2025, journalists and their families were the target of online death threats, prompting the Samoan Alliance of Media Practitioners for Development (SAMPOD) to condemn the harassment as “attacks on the fourth estate and democracy.”