Stuck in Fiji M.U.D: Gauging Fiji Media Council's Journalism Standards. (Update)

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Gauging Fiji Media Council's Journalism Standards. (Update)

Fiji Village article describes Fiji Media Council (FMC) Forum's archaic focus on Fiji's economy and can be described as a loss of direction by an entity that, was supposedly established specifically for the discussion and discourse of the media's performance in Fiji. Nothing more or nothing less.

"However, Mr Tarte said blogs

were a scourge and were generally full of defamatory information and were inflaming an already politically-charged situation, Pacific Radio News reported".

It is highly questionable to ascertain how the media performance in Fiji has a correlation with Fiji's economy, despite overseas articles stating that, the Fiji Media Council Awards is a ceremony for
excellence in media journalism, not a forum for discussing the
financial abilities and economic performances of Fiji.
Although, bloggers in Fiji have been painted with a

broad brush by the Fiji Media Council Chairman in a

Fiji Times article.

It is rather unfair for Tarte, to "throw out the baby
with the bath water" in his dishonest view of Fiji blogs. A desperate attempt to defend the turf of the old media in Fiji. But, given the
Fiji Media Council's seemingly biased conjecture on journalistic standards in Fiji ; it is highly applaudable for Fiji blogs to fill in this vacuum, using respectable online resources like Media Law Resources Center.

This vacuum which has been long forgotten and scorned by the Fiji Media Council, Media Law Resources exceeds these limitations by FMC; by focusing on matters like Blogger legal case studies and other journalistic issues pertinent to Fiji, like:

Libel
Defamatory
Meaning
Opinion
Truth/Falsity
Fault • Republication
Privileges
Damages
Motions to Dismiss
Discovery Issues
Trial Issues
Appellate Review
Remedies for Abusive Suits
Retraction
Constitutional/Statutory Provisions
Summary Judgment

Although, the Fiji Media Council's own ethics on accuracy, balance and coverage is far beyond their industry practice and realistically unenforceable by Fiji law. The following is an excerpt of Fiji Media Council rules:

1) ACCURACY, BALANCE AND FAIRNESS

a) Newspapers and magazines, radio and television broadcasting organizations, web sites and internet newsletters, and journalists working for them, should report and interpret news and current affairs honestly. They should aim to disclose all known relevant facts and should take care not to publish material, which is inaccurate, misleading or distorted by wrong or improper emphasis or any other factor.

b) If a significant inaccuracy, misleading or distorted statement is published it must be corrected promptly with due prominence and, where appropriate, an apology.

c) Media must distinguish clearly between the news, comment, conjecture, fact and paid advertising.

d) Media organizations are free to be partisan. Each has a duty to be balanced and fair in their treatment of news and current affairs and their dealings with members of the public.

e) Editorial comment in any medium must be clearly identified as such and kept physically separate from news reports.

f) Media should report fairly the result of any legal action brought against them and have an obligation to publish/broadcast, without diluting the finding, any adjudication by the Media Council on a complaint made against them.

One factor not addressed by any ethical rules produced by Fiji Media Council, is the aspect of Incitement Standard also not covered in Fiji media laws. This particular "Incitement Standard" is an international standard in objective journalism, which was obviously breached by the Fiji Times coverage of former Fiji Vice-President, Joni Madraiwiwi's speech published in a Fiji Times article, quoting Madraiwiwi, who labeled the 2006 coup as an Indian Coup; without offering, attaching or disclaiming empirical evidence to support that outrageous claim.

Madraiwiwi's incendiary statement alluded to the racial support of the 2006 Fiji coup, and realistically was an opinion and not a fact. No disclaimer was ever satisfactory offered, published or added by the Fiji Times or the speech author ascertaining that and perhaps sums up the editorial hallmarks of 'The Fiji Times' to mislead.

UN Human Rights Index highlights certain issues of media coverage which the Fiji Media Council had conveniently sidelined.

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