Journalists welcome Fiji Times sale but question future editorial policy

The Fiji media panel at the Oceans, Islands and Skies conference in Suva: Alumeci Nakeke (from left), USP head of journalism Shailendra Singh, Dawn Gibson and Ricardo Morris. Photo: David Robie/PMC

Pacific Scoop

Report – By Pacific Media Watch in Suva

Three editors and journalists today welcomed news of the sale of the Fiji Times to a local Fiji business as good for environmental journalism reporting in the region.

But they reserved judgment on the future independence of the newspaper under future owners Motibhai.

Speaking at the global Oceans, Islands and Skies conference at the University of the South Pacific in response to an address about “iconic media environmental images of the Pacific – a challenge to corporate media” by Pacific Media Centre director David Robie, the three editors and journalists were relieved that the 141-year-old newspaper would survive the controversial media decree ultimatum.

A Fiji Times environmental campaign. A strong part of its profile. And now?
Mailife magazine editor Ricardo Morris said: “The Fiji Times has been part of our lives since I was very small.”

He said it was the one newspaper in Fiji that had the financial and reporting resources to respond to major natural disasters in the country and to report on them.

But Morris questioned whether the paper would be able to afford to continue that role when it is taken over by the Motibhai Group on September 22.


Independence ‘unclear’
“It is too early to say about the editorial independence of the paper,” he added. “That’s still unclear.”

Former Fiji Sun journalist Alumeci Nakeke, who started the newspaper’s “green page” environmental section and is currently with the Seaweb project, called for ongoing strong reporting by the Fiji Times on environmental issues.

She cited the daily coverage on climate change and environmental issues as one of the strong points of the current newspaper.

Dawn Gibson, journalism and literature student and former editor of Wansolwara, said there would not be much immediate change to the Fiji Times in light of the current censorship climate.
“But I think it will be positive change for the reporting of climate change,” she said.

She said the Fiji Times had been forced to become more focused on human interest issues, including climate change, in the post-coup environment.

The military-backed regime imposed a Media Industry Development Decree in June. This gave media companies three months to divest foreign shareholdings higher than 10 percent and to sell to local interests.

Highest circulation
The Fiji Times is the highest circulation English-language newspaper in any Pacific island state.

Murdoch’s News Ltd announced in Sydney yesterday that the Motibhai Group would buy out the newspaper but reportedly without the central city property holdings in Suva.

The Fiji Sun today reported that Motibhai chairman and chief executive officer Mahendra Patel, who had previously been a director of the Fiji Times would name the new management team on September 22 when the import company takes over the newspaper on September – six days before the decree deadline expires.

Patel told the Sun that his company had bought the “entire operations with the real estate”.

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