FIJI: Bale blasts media 'doom' over draft bill

* Pacific Media Watch Online - check the website for archive and links:
http://www.pmw.c2o.org

* Post a comment on PMWs' Right of Reply:
http://www.TheGuestBook.com/egbook/257949.gbook

BALE BLASTS MEDIA 'DOOM' OVER DRAFT BILL

By Shailendra Singh

SUVA (USPJ/Pacific Media Watch): Fiji's Attorney General, Qoriniasi Bale, says that the controversial media bill will be passed into law contrary to earlier reports that it may be shelved.

In an interview in the Fiji Sun yesterday, Bale came out firing against the local media, accusing it of working against the Government by "playing along" with the prophets of doom in spreading negative news about Fiji.

Contrary to earlier reports and speculation that the bill may be shelved in the face of a fierce media campaign and widespread public discontent, Bale said that Government would enact the legislation.

He accused the media of "collectively" launching a broadside against Government, following the introduction of the draft bill.

"Signals from the Government are that it proposes to enact the legislation to allow, not the Government, but the laws of this nation, to prevent the media from printing not what is true, correct and fair but from printing what is incorrect, false and unfair."

Bale said the tendency of some media outlets to compete for breaking news at the expense of accurate reporting had made the task of governing the country harder. He said Government had been unnecessarily preoccupied dealing with this problem.

Bale, the Minister for Justice, is one of the strongest supporters of the Media Council of Fiji Bill in Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's cabinet.

The proposed bill which seeks to "regulate the content or conduct" of the media is being fiercely opposed by the media, which has rejected the bill outright, saying there should be no Government presence on the existing independent media council.

The proposed bill gives the Information Minister powers to appoint the chairman and other members equal to that of the media representatives on the council.

In yesterday's The Fiji Times letters column, a prominent Fiji personality, Dr Mary Schramm attacked the bill as an "astonishingly inept and opaque document".

She said the membership balance and the clause giving the council the powers to regulate media conduct and content could, collectively, lead to the manipulation by governments of the human right to the freedom of expression.

Dr Schramm also called on the existing Media Council to be more transparent and proactive in publishing breaches of the media code of ethics and in the area of education.

+++niuswire

PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH ONLINE http://www.pmw.c2o.org

PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is an independent, non-profit, non-government organisation comprising journalists, lawyers, editors and other media workers, dedicated to examining issues of ethics, accountability, censorship, media freedom and media ownership in the Pacific region. Launched in October 1996, it has links with the Journalism Program at the University of the South Pacific, Bushfire Media based in Sydney, Journalism Studies at the University of PNG (UPNG), the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ), Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, and Community Communications Online (c2o).

(c)1996-2003 Copyright - All rights reserved.

Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit educational service. Copyright remains the property of the original producers as indicated. Recipients should seek permission from the copyright owner for any publishing. Copyright owners not wishing their materials to be posted by PMW please contact us. The views expressed in material listed by PMW are not necessarily the views of PMW or its members.

Recipients should rely on their own inquiries before making decisions based on material listed in PMW. Please copy appeals to PMW and acknowledge source.

For further information, inquiries about joining the Pacific Media Watch

listserve, articles for publication, and giving feedback contact Pacific

Media Watch at: E-mail: delaro@clear.net.nz pcronau@hotmail.com Fax: (+679) 30 5779 or (+612) 9660 1804 Mail: PO Box 9, Annandale, NSW 2038, Australia or, PO Box 78028, Auckland 1002, New Zealand. New website: www.pmw.c2o.org

© Scoop Media