Pacific Islands Media Association

Last month Mr Pohiva said he was not happy with how the Tonga Broadcasting Commission operated and the services may be better carried out by a different provider.

The New Zealand based PIMA said the government needed to step back and take a hands-off approach to news media.

PIMA secretary Jason Brown said it is undemocratic to make vague claims of bias to justify extraordinary threats against news media that belong to the public, not government.

NRL education and wellbeing manager Nigel Vagana told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat the onus is on commentators and broadcast networks to educate themselves.

"It should be a given for any person that your name is said properly, whether you're in the NRL or not. It's a sign of respect," the former player said.