Reactions to the Government announcement that it will start a TV channel and purchase pages in the Fiji Sun have, predictably, been blown out of proportion by journalists. They could, of course, be correct in seeing these ventures as 'sinister, 'a desperate act', and 'ruining this industry,' but it is just as likely that the Fiji Government wants to get its message across to the public, believing that, judging from the Fiji media's record, it is otherwise unlikely to be given a fair go.
Click here for the opinions of Australians Tim Pankhurst, Commonwealth Press Union's Media Freedom Committee, and deported Fiji Sun publisher Russell Hunter, RNZI interviewer Kerri Richie, and Government spokesman Neumi Leweni answering her questions.
The Government TV channel will be on air for seven hours a week. Fiji has one free-to-view channel, Sky Fiji's three channels, and Sky Pacific's umpteen channels. If viewers are bored or annoyed with what Pankhurst called 'government propaganda and material' they do have choices.
Government's up to 20 pages a week in the Fiji Sun is not a "takeover" as Hunter claims. They will be paid for, just like advertising and, as with the TV, readers have a choice. Fiji has three hard copy English language newspapers, and Fiji Live is available for those with computers.
Ritchie told Leweni "There's been criticism that by doing this, the Fijian interim government is using the media to push its own aims and objectives." Leweni said, "Well you tell me, you tell me.What other government doesn't? Australia has got Channel 7." Pankhurst had to agree: "all governments push their own viewpoint. Our Government does that with hordes of press secretaries and coms people, but at least here we have a free and rigorous media to balance that."
So what's wrong with a Government media presence? Australia does it, all governments do it, and it all may have been unnecessary had the media not been so anti-government in the first place. The media has rarely been a "rigorous" reporter of political events in Fiji; it has been key player. It has helped make Fiji the way it is now. And, arguably, the foreign media has been worse.
2 comments:
The media has never been a "rigorous" reporter of events in Fiji; it has been a key player. It has helped make Fiji the way it is now.That's a massively sweeping statement. Do you have any analysis to support your definitions of "never, "rigorous" and "Fiji the way it is now"?
Secnd, I'm pretty sure there are only 3 English newspapers: Times, Sun and Post?
Finally, aren't you becoming a little disingenuous in your definition of "the media" and "journalists"? Seems to me that it's the regional media doing the "blown out of proportion" job ... yet you've made no disambiguation for your tilt at what I assume is the Fiji media at the end of your post. Who are we talking about and who is to blame? And are they all equally to blame?
Also Kerry Ritchie works for the ABC not RNZI. The interview with Leweni was done by a RNZ National reporter.
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