FIJI: Audio - New Bill Threatens Media Freedom

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NEW BILL THREATENS MEDIA FREEDOM
http://www.abc.net.au/ra/pacbeat/stories/m622859.asx

RA interviewer/presenter: James Panichi

Speakers: Tony Yianni, Fiji Times publisher; David Robie, senior lecturer in journalism, Auckland University of Technology; Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, secretary, Fiji's National Council of Women.

(RA's Pacific Beat/Pacific Media Watch transcript): In Fiji, media operators and social activists say they're now hopeful the government will withdraw proposed legislation which, they believe, is designed to curtail media freedom in the country. Last month, Fiji's Information Minister Simione Kaitani announced he was considering a bill which, if implemented, would allow the government to appoint the chairman of the independent Fiji Media Council. That prompted a strong reaction from Fiji newspaper publishers and human rights activists, who have been campaigning fiercely for the legislation to be scrapped. And the debate has again raised questions about the quality of journalism in the country.

PANICHI: Even the supporters of Fiji's three daily newspapers admit the quality of writing in the country isn't always up to scratch. Some stories rely heavily on unnamed sources or unconfirmed rumours, facts aren't always checked and grammar can be overlooked.

For example, on any given day the surname of Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry can be spelt in three different ways, often by the same media outlet.

Successive governments have expressed concern over media standards, and in 1996 authorities even went as far as to ask a British aid organisation, the Thomson Foundation, to prepare a report on possible media reform.

Yet the controversial media bill, first drafted seven years ago, has sparked fears the government cares more about media control than media standards.

Tony Yianni is the publisher of the Suva-based Fiji Times, the paper which has led the charge against the bill.

YIANNI: "Well, the problem is, the draft legislation was written in 1996 really, in an era where we didn't have an effective media council: we didn't have public members; we had a complaints mechanism which is still the same today, but we didn't have a code of conduct.

"The Thomson report basically said [that] if we get our act in order, things will be okay.

"We believe that media freedom is enshrined in the constitution and there are enough laws to control certain aspects of the media, that we have to follow.

"Hopefully, the bill will stop. We don't want it back on the shelf again, because it has been brought out about five times now."

PANICHI: One of the problems for newspapers is the high turnover of staff, with many young journalists opting to leave what remains a relatively badly paid job after only a few years.

What's more, while media operators are now placing greater importance on in-house education, 47 percent of Fiji reporters have no formal training or qualifications in journalism.

However, media educators in the region say the bill does little to address the issue of reporting standards.

David Robie is senior lecturer in journalism at Auckland University of Technology, and is a former coordinator of journalism courses at the University of the South Pacific's Suva campus.

ROBIE: "The government has been rather misguided over the legislation, but it has also been quite misguided in terms of what it says about training.

"There has been a lot of hypocrisy over the years, where successive governments in Fiji have said 'oh yes, you know, we need better trained journalists, a lot more needs to be put into raising standards' and so on.

"But certainly in my experience in five years there, there was very little coming from the government to encourage that in some kind of substantive way."

PANICHI: And while Mr Kaitani is refusing to comment on the bill's future, there has been some indication that the information minister's department may be ready to examine a compromise.

One deal, put forward by the Fiji Times, would see the government awarded a seat on the independent Media Council, if it abandons demands to appoint the chair.

That would also have the effect of recognising the role of the existing Media Council, which has the backing of the industry, while keeping the government at arm's length from the council's complaints mechanism.

Yet that outcome may still not satisfy the government that the Council is facing up to concerns over media standards and social responsibilities.

Sharon Bhagwan Rolls is secretary of Fiji's National Council of Women, a group which has been campaigning for the bill to be scrapped.

BHAGWAN ROLLS: "We're not saying that the Media Council itself is a perfectly functioning organisation [...] because we do think that we need more community representation there.

"But if it's an issue of training - training doesn't have to be legislated. Issues of content and programming standards can still be negotiated through the Media Council in its current form.

"You can train people, young journalists, to cover issues, but at the same time you're talking about the media policies of the organisations also.

"So, they're talking about training, they are talking about content issues, but this is not really the best way to handle it. And certainly not by legislation are you going to come up with a better media product."

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