A chill goes through Fiji's news media

Did he or didn't he? Did Fiji's controversial Attorney-General and Communications Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, threaten not to renew Fiji TV's 12-year broadcasting licence "if its newsroom continues to run stories with anti-government angles." That's what the anti-regime blog Coup 4.5 alleged on June 10. Given C4.5's reputation for wild allegations, New Zealand blogger Crosbie Walsh quickly posted what was apparently a skeptical entry, which he soon took down after the A-G promised to issue a statement. When that statement did not deny C4.5's assertion, Croz apologised in a rare climb-down for the retired political science professor. "In these cicumstances [sic.] I unreservedly withdraw my posting Disinformation #6, and the inference of disinformation against Coup4.5, and apologize to those I may have unwittingly mislead or accused." The Cook Islands-based NGO Pacific Freedom Forum quickly condemned the apparent threat to press freedom in a statement quoting PFF co-chair Titi Gabi of Papua New Guinea.

PFF condemns this demoralising and shameful action by the regime forcing journalists to ditch their ethics and professional integrity when they report for duty, and calls for its immediate retraction. . . . This episode clearly shows that the regime censors may be out of the newsrooms, but their work of keeping journalists gagged by fear for their families, intimidation and self-censorship continues.

The PFF's partner group, the International Federation of Journalists, issued a similar condemnation the same day. Then Fiji TV issued some cryptic statements to shareholders, which didn't clear up matters at all. First, to defuse concerns over its licence, company chairman Isoa Kaloumaira revealed on June 13 that Sayed-Khaiyum had already promised in writing last October that Fiji TV's licence would be renewed. Yes, Kaloumaira admitted, Fiji TV management had met with government officials regarding its licence renewal, but only to discuss such technical matters as "coverage area, number of hours of local content, hours of prime time broadcast, ethnic language based programmes," etc. That head-scratcher was followed the next day by a more fulsome confession from Kaloumaira that he had indeed met with Sayed-Khaiyum on May 25 to discuss news reporting. "Fiji TV acknowledges Government's position on the need for balanced and fair reporting," he said. "Fiji TV will ensure that it will improve its news reporting." But Kaloumaira took pains in the statement to distance Fiji TV from the allegations of political repression on the blogs.

The initial reports that have come out regarding Fiji TV in the international media and the politicization of this issue by political parties and politicians, does not have any merit. None of these reports or allegations has been verified by the Chairman or the board of Fiji TV. Accordingly, the Fiji TV board wishes to categorically state that it does not wish to be part or involved in anybody else's agenda.

Then Fiji's redoubtable Permanent Secretary for Information, Sharon Smith-Johns, went on the offensive, telling Radio Australia's Bruce Hill on June 14 that the Coup 4.5 story that was picked up by the Pacific Freedom Forum and the International Federation of Journalists was a "load of rubbish." Smith-Johns took PFF and IFJ point person Lisa Williams-Lahari to task for swallowing Coup 4.5's tale whole without so much as double checking it. "The story was not true and it’s been proven not true," insisted Smith-Johns. "It was not sourced. There was no official government statement on it." The PSI said Williams-Lahari would get a different picture if she was actually on the ground keeping track of Fiji news content.

She’s not in Fiji and she’s not reading the newspapers and watching what’s on TV. . . . There’s no self-censorship going on whatsoever. . . . The IFJ should question where it gets its information from. Getting it off a blog site is not good enough and I’m not going to reply to what’s on a blog site.

Alex Perrottet, a Master's student at Auckland University of Technology who spent a week in Fiji doing media research last month, found that a compelling argument. He repeated on AUT's Pacific Scoop the complaint by Smith-Johns that the PFF and IFJ had simply accepted as true the unverified Coup 4.5 story. Perrottet also averred that during his time in Fiji he was swayed by Smith-Johns generally. "I was surprised at the adapting attitudes of the Ministry of Information," he wrote, pointing to the raucous coverage of World Press Freedom Day noted in this blog's initial entry. "Smith-Johns is right – people should visit Fiji first and see things for themselves. If you do, you will find two things – an improving media climate, but also that all is not as clear as some in the government and the media would have it seem." That brought a response on  the PFF listserve from Williams-Lahari, who accused Perrottet of the same sin Smith-Johns accused her of – not checking.

As the [Coup 4.5] blog published, PFF was already busy doing verification work on what was happening. The statement would have come out regardless of the blog you referred to and unfortunately you are creating a perception that we rely on blog sources like this as our sole avenue for alerts, which is unfair and untrue.

Williams-Lahari declined to reveal her sources to this writer, citing concerns for their safety. And Smith-Johns IS right. The proof will be in the pudding, as they say. Watch the Fiji media carefully and see if opposition voices are heard. If not, then a chilling effect can be inferred from this episode. Sure, it's difficult to watch the Fiji news carefully if you're not in the country, but the content of both dailies, the CFL radio newscasts, and even the Fiji TV newscasts are all available online. Wait, what's that you say, Fiji Today? "No Censorship? It has been over a week since any political comment by an existing party has been published in the mainstream media."

FIJI CENSORSHIP AT ITS INSIDIOUS WORST
THERE APPEARS TO BE A NEWSPAPER AND TV BLANKET BAN ON PUBLISHING ANY STORIES WITH COMMENTS FROM ANY PARTY THAT WAS IN EXISTENCE BEFORE 2006 COUP.
IT IS NOW UNLIKELY WE WILL HAVE A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION

Well, you don't have to shout.