The petition's preamble reads: "Information is power. Gagging, censorship and detention of the Fiji news media by the interim regime in Fiji robs all citizens of feedback surrounding debate on national futures; and leaves the leadership itself uninformed about how to best achieve its goals of ending racist laws and corruption." [my emphasis]
Petition: "We, undersigned, support free speech for a prosperous and free Fiji. We come from all walks of life and all regions of the world to call on Pacific leaders at all levels to stand up for the front-line role of news media when warning of threats to human rights, suggesting options, and negotiating outcomes with peoples of Fiji."
My own view is that this a well-worded, reasonable and fair petition that deserves support, whatever your political alignment. New initiatives from the Fiji Government and media are urgently needed for the reasons underlined above. My media poll on media censorship shows overwhelming reader support for ending censorship, but with about 25% of readers thinking there should be some restrictions. I presume the qualification "some" indicates concerns about media responsibility.
*PFF is an association of Pacific journalists. To read more about them, access their site and click on "about," "mission," "members." Non-jourrnalists are invited to participate.
1 comment:
Too right the qualification 'some' concerns media responsibility: more than 'some'. Have we not read today about the Murdoch newspaper empire allegedly paying in the UK for information to be supressed? Information it found inimical to its interests. Well, that has been going on in Fiji for years: the suppression of inconvenient truth. No investigative reporting; the encouragement at times of racist invective and the open support given to political parties which were non-inclusive and not issue-based. So how free was the Fiji media? For how long was this so called Pillar of Democracy, the Fourth Estate actually encouraging a full, free democratic experience for ALL CITIZENS OF FIJI?
Minding your own interests, paying slush fund monies to race-based, exclusive political parties is not playing the role of a 'pillar of democracy'. Not without full transparency and accountability, it is not. I would challenge and defy anyone who might attempt to say that it is. Who dares to "teach their grandmother to suck eggs"?
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