Pacific Media Watch
or Pasifik Nius

SUVA (PMW): One of two daily newspapers in the Fiji Islands, the Daily Post, has published an editorial condemning an attack in Parliament by an opposition member.

On 27 August 1999, Opposition MP Konisi Yabaki alleged that the Fiji Labour Party-led coalition government of Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry had given a directive to the Daily Post to report positively about it.

Yabaki also questioned whether articles were "censored" by the government.

On the same day, the Daily Post, in which the government has a controlling 44 per cent shareholding, published a 12-page liftout advertising supplement entitled "People's Coalition Government: 100 Days in Office". This followed an earlier government directive for state advertising to be placed in the Daily Post.

On August 28, Daily Post editor Jale Moala published an editorial headlined "No, you are wrong, Yabaki" defending his newspaper's independence.

"The freedom of the press is guaranteed by the Constitution. The Daily Post, like any other independent, responsible and private newspaper, abhors censorship," the editorial said.

"However, we are sensitive to issues that are sensitive to the people of this country. Because of this we are careful when we report on issues like culture, religion and race.

The editorial also rejected a claim by Yabaki that "editorials in the Daily Post are communicated from the Prime Minister's Office".

"That is not true. The year's most famous attack on the government came from this newspaper when we commented on the attack on the media by the Assistant Minister for Information, Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi," the editorial said.

This was referring to a Daily Post editorial on June 23 headlined "Rubbish", which said: "There is only one way to describe the attack on the media by Assistant Minister for Information Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi: Rubbish. It is really not worth any other comment."

The rest of the editorial space was left blank.

The August 28 editorial cited good points about the newspaper - including having its coverage of the general election in May rated best by the University of the South Pacific journalism school; its business coverage attracting "wide readership"; and its Internet edition, www.fijilive.com, attracting "thousands of readers every day worldwide".

"The Daily Post may not be the best and fairest in the eyes of Konisi Yabaki," added the editorial. "That is his biased view of a newspaper that is courageous and innovative. From our point of view, we are doing all right."

Media analysts say that while both newspapers are independent, the Daily Post appears more sympathetic to government reforms favouring public services and the poorer sectors of the community, and the Fiji Times is sharply critical of the government's reverses of market economy rationalisation policies and is sympathetic to business interests.

A third daily newspaper, the Fiji Sun, is expected to make its debut next week. It is said by industry sources to have its editorial policy heavily influenced by its major owners, grocery and commercial interests C J Patel and Co Ltd, Vinod Patel and Co Ltd, and Fijian Holdings Ltd.

+++niuswire

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