This is an excerpt:
Media council berates ban
Sunday, July 08, 2007
THE Fiji Media Council is disturbed that former Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Limited chief executive Francis Herman had been stopped from leaving the country.
Council chairman Daryl Tarte said Mr Herman was a senior member of the media and his treatment was quite disturbing.
"I think the media council is very disturbed that a senior member of the media was treated this way," he said.
Mr Herman was stopped from leaving Fiji for a media conference in Australia last Wednesday by the Fiji immigration after his name was found to be in a watch list.
Meanwhile, the FBCL board has come to the defence of Mr Herman who is being investigated over allegations of alleged abuse of office.
Board chairman Daniel Whippy in a paid advertisement in the local dailies "vehemently denied allegations of abuse of office" against Herman and the company.
"The allegations are mischievous, baseless and considered acrimonious campaign by a former disgruntled employee whose aims are to discredit the FBCL and Mr Francis Herman," he said.
Mr Whippy said FBCL was appalled that both the company and Mr Herman were subjected to vilification and vindictiveness by the former employee.
"External audits of the company's finances have always been carried out by reputable external auditing firms under the supervision of the Office of the Auditor-General," Mr Whippy said.
Mr Herman yesterday confirmed he had met with Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption deputy commissioner George Langman on Thursday.
He said he met Mr Langman on Thursday to clarify why his name was on the watch list.
FICAC media relations officer Loraini Seru said another meeting had been arranged with Mr Herman next week to deal with the allegations.
Immigration director Viliame Naupoto said yesterday Mr Herman's name was still on the watchlist.
T his reaction is rather predictable given that Fiji Media Council is embedded with several Fiji media personnel and any endorsements, or opposition from this cartel should be realistically viewed with extreme caution.
Frequently, any editorial positions from this cartel has been analyzed to sing a unified tune and often echoing sentiments raised from their own stove-piping information or news flow.
An overwhelming amount of evidence supports that premise of bias in the Fiji Media and the burden of guilt now weighs heavily on the conscious of well informed readers.
Unfortunately, it rather misleading to feature alone this incident of Herman's travel ban; without appraising readers of Herman's dark past of muzzling an experienced and well appreciated radio journalist, and further remind readers of this amazing twist used by the media elite in Fiji; which provides lip service to the so called ideals for "Freedom of Expression" and "Media Independence" under a so called "Democractic Elected Government". Mass produced tags that ride a cushion of half-truths, compounded by this entrenched layer of corruption.
Case in point: In March 2006, Messr Herman fired the renown radio personality, Sitiveni Ratulala for interviewing Army Commander Frank Bainimarama, regarding the military truth campaign before the 2006 elections.
It is rather unfortunate for the Fiji Media Council to defend Herman, and disappointingly choose not even raise a finger for Ratulala, let alone issue a statement denouncing it. In the eyes of Fiji Media Council, Herman has more rights of Freedom, than Ratulala. S.i.F.M denounces this hypocrisy and calls for the Fiji Media Council and Fiji Media Watch to step up to the plate call a strike, a strike and a foul, a foul.
Avoiding, Evading, Denying an even playing field in media coverage is among the classic uses of turf protection displayed by the Fiji Media Council.
It is quite simply appalling to observe this degree of selectivity employed by Fiji Media Council. Quick off the mark, to raise the issue of freedom of expression
and defend all and any ethical violations of the media elite;
yet embarrassing slow and cumbersome to even
issue any statement decrying the recent coverage of
the Interim Finance Minister, which unfolded in
a Fiji Times article,
with overtones of sensationalism.
The reporting lines of some of these "Free media" advocates are now being drawn in the sand; separating those despotic media robber barons in Fiji and those on their payroll directly or indirectly, from honest readers and observers. The same readers and observers, who now are increasingly disgusted, with the glass house belonging to the ilks of Fiji Media Council; a corporate ogre, which routinely throws stones of clique idioms like freedom of expression. But only when it suits their agenda, purchased and designed by the highest bidder.
Fiji Media Council does not represent the public, which the Fiji media are duty bound to impart factual information. Fiji Media Council has no representation from native landowners, whose concerns of their native land being abused, fitted their campaign of fear; using the ethno-nationalistic talking points that created a series of divisive political fractures in Fiji society. Fiji Media Council does not have any cohesive grassroots representation from any segment of the multi-racial fabric of Fiji; all of whom have been their silent victims of the media's calculated campaign of defamation, first seen in 1987 and magnified in 2000.
Fiji Media Council, is in fact a culpable mouthpiece and an accessory to capital crimes; for their abysmal effort in encouraging public discourse on abuses of NLTB and native land. Some Fiji media outlets have even used the status quo in native land as a solid revenue stream, rather than providing readers of Fiji with investigative articles, to solve, trace and discern these reoccurring and grave abuses of office(long complained by Fijian mataqali landowners)now being unraveled in the clean up campaign.
Freedom of Expression in Fiji is a two way street, which the media have long exploited. Freedom of the Media, as one scholar exclaimed, is restricted to those who own one. This inconvenient truth, is slowly being understood by the masses in Fiji.
S.i.F.M post titled Fiji Media and Ethical Deviations had pointed out instances of this blatantly unfair coverage that has surprising roots in the 2000 putsch.
The following is a article covering the reactions to Ratulala's dismissal from an earlier S.i.F.M post:
Druavesi warns FBCL
Fiji Broadcasting Corporation chief executive officer Francis Herman should come out publicly on who gave him the directive to sack popular Fijian talk back show host Sitiveni Raturala. Soqosoqo Ni Vakavulewa Ni Taukei Party secretary Ema Druavesi yesterday warned Mr Herman to be careful, as he had been used to fire a Fijian, who had a huge following in the Fijian community for many years.
“The Fijian community is not happy with the actions of the FBCL,” she said. “Mr Raturala’s talkback show has a huge following throughout the country and now the Fijian people are not happy. There was nothing wrong in his interview with the army commander. Actually, it was well received by the Fijian community because they now have heard straight from the horse’s mouth.
“Mr Herman should be careful not to be caught in the web because the Fijian people will see him as a villain even though he is innocent since he is acting on higher orders to safeguard his job as well.” Ms Druavesi said the Government should appreciate the fact that it was through Mr Raturala’s popularity and ways of conducting his talkback shows that had helped the FBCL stay afloat.
Mr Herman said the FBCL’s editorial policies like all other independent and credible news organisations, reiterated their strong commitment to promoting and upholding the free flow of information, the principles of democracy and respect for human rights.
“It also demands objectivity, balance, impartiality and requires that we maintain a high degree of balance, fair play and justice in all our broadcasts,” he said.
However, Ms Druavesi said Mr Herman may have his reasons but the Fijian community did not see that. “Mr Herman should come out publicly whether the directive came from the Prime Minister’s Office but if he refuses he should not blame anyone because now he has been used,” she said. Ms Druavesi said the FBCL for its survival should apologise to Mr Raturala and reinstate him before it lost its Fijian listeners.
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