Outrage as Solomon Islands government orders vetting of stories on national broadcaster

Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare accused the national broadcaster of biased reporting that prompted disunity. Photograph: Lice Movono/The Guardian

The Solomon Islands’ government has prompted outrage by ordering the censorship of the national broadcaster, forbidding it from publishing material critical of the government, which will vet all stories before broadcast.

On Monday the government announced that the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC), a public service broadcaster established in 1976 by an act of parliament, would be brought under government control.