Pacific Media Watch
or
Pasifik Nius

SUVA: Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry yesterday accused The Fiji Times of embarking on a crusade to discredit the Fiji Islands government.

He said in Parliament it was frustrating that the government's good intentions were being questioned constantly.

"I refer in particular to the 'crusade' that had been mounted by The Fiji Times and to some extent [Fiji] TV One to discredit the government in this respect," he said.

Mr Chaudhry said last week a Fiji Times editorial criticised the government for failure to deliver its election promises and yet the day before, The Sunday Times published a front page article quoting him as saying that prices on food items would be reduced from this week.

"It makes one wonder whether these media experts read what's in their own papers," he said.

Citing another example, Mr Chaudhry described another Fiji Times editorial, also published last week as "extremely patronising and arrogant" when it pointed out that running a government was not the same as running a trade union and advised him to "get out if he could not stand the heat in the kitchen".

"Yet when government sent a response to this vicious editorial, The Fiji Times refused to run our response, despite repeated requests," he said.

"They call this media freedom. They can level baseless criticism at people, yet deny their victims a right of reply.

"The government is committed to freedom of expression and media freedom but that freedom carries with it certain responsibilities, the responsibility to report accurately and without bias or prejudice.

"Likewise, the right to a reply is an essential aspect of media freedom.

"In all fairness, the media cannot expect to receive privileges if it abuses its freedom.

"The nation has a right to accurate, balanced information," Mr Chaudhry said.

The newspaper yesterday rejected Mr Chaudhry's criticism of the paper and reporter Margaret Wise.

On Monday, the Ministry of Information issued an unsigned statement attacking a report by Wise outlining the Asian Development Bank's policies on loans.

The statement accused the paper and Wise of pursuing an anti-government campaign.

It said that the government had not applied to the ADB for a loan to give grants to resettled farmers.

Fiji Times editor-in-chief Russell Hunter said the statement was not published because it was "wildly inaccurate".

The statement said this was "the type of disinformation" the newspaper and Wise had been engaged in "recently on government activities".

In fact, the article explained that talks were in train on a range of issues but no formal request on funds for any project had been submitted by the government to the ADB.

Mr Hunter said that, for reasons best known to itself, the government was engaged in a campaign to vilify the newspaper and its reporter.

"Whoever wrote the statement couldn't even quote our report correctly. We did not say that the government had approached the ADB to fund its resettlement programme. In fact, we said no request for funds had been received.

"By attacking what was not said, the government displays its own unacceptable campaign of vilification against this newspaper and a dedicated reporter."

Mr Hunter said the government, by its own admission, had failed to check a solitary fact before rushing into print.

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