11:46 AM |
Title – 7056 FIJI: Outspoken Fiji Times editor steps down as 'sacrifice'
Date – 5 October 2010
Byline – Nicky Park
Origin – Pacific Media Watch
Source – The Sydney Morning Herald/AAP, 05/10/10
Copyright – SMH/AAP
Status – Unabridged
----------------------------
* Pacific Media Watch Online - check the website for archive and links:
www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz
* Post a comment on this story at PMW Right of Reply:
www.pacificmediacentre.blogspot.com
pmediawa@aut.ac.nz
* Pacific Media Centre on Twitter - http://twitter.com/pacmedcentre
FIJI TIMES GETS NEW EDITOR
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/fiji-times-gets-new-editor-20101005-165dn.html
By Nicky Park
SUVA (The Sydney Morning Herald/AAP/Pacific Media Watch): The outspoken Fiji Times editor stepped down from his post at the paper for "the good of the company", the man replacing him says.
In a move set to raise concerns about the newspaper's independence, Fiji Times publisher Dallas Swinstead said editor-in-chief Netani Rika had quit because of perceptions he was anti-government.
His replacement Fred Wesley stepped up to the helm of Fiji's oldest newspaper on Monday and confirmed Rika's resignation was voluntary.
"I think what happened is this is something that he chose," Wesley, the former editor of Fiji's Sunday Times, told AAP on Tuesday.
"I'd rather keep it at that."
Rika described his departure as "something of a sacrifice" for the good of the company, Australian-born Swinstead told the Fiji Times website on Tuesday.
"He acknowledged that while he was seen to be anti-government by some sections of the community, he had always tried to be an editor who put Fiji's future above everything else."
Wesley told AAP he planned to pick up at the Fiji Times where his predecessor left off.
"We will continue forward but we will be mutual as much as possible in covering events that matter to people in this country.
"There won't be too many changes except that we'll have to stick straight down the line.
"If you are thinking there is a suggestion that I am pro-government, I don't think so.
"I believe the newspaper can only get better."
The Australian arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp reluctantly sold the Fiji Times to Suva-based conglomerate Motibhai Group for an undisclosed sum last month.
The newspaper, established in 1869, faced closure at the end of the month if News Ltd could not find a local buyer after Fiji's interim government passed a decree ruling that all media must be 90 percent locally owned.
Under the new media law, journalists, editors and media outlets faced stiff fines and possible prison terms if they produced reports deemed to be against the national interest.
When asked about the law, Wesley said: "I'd rather reserve my comments on that one."
While he was surprised by Rika's resignation, there were others that would have seen it coming, he said.
"I think there were sceptics who saw it coming.
"I think he felt he has made a sacrifice for the good of the company.
"He has been seen as anti-government so he probably thought for the good of the company he would step down, but he had his reasons and I wouldn't be able to offer you any insights in to his reasons."
Fiji's permanent secretary for information, Sharon Smith-Johns, said the change in editor at the newspaper was a good move.
"Netani Rika has always held this government with contempt," Smith-Johns told AAP.
"How can he claim to put Fiji's future above anything else when for the past years he has refused to publish most of the government's achievements, refused to acknowledge the government, refused to acknowledge the prime minister?
"The Fiji Times consciously decided not to run government news, I hardly think this is the type of behaviour that puts Fiji's future first.
"So much has been said about media freedom, well surely the citizens of Fiji also deserve to read about progress this government is making, it's been one-sided for far too long.
"The whole issue with the Fiji Times and the government boiled down to personal agendas, and News Ltd sat back and watched this happen.
"It's not a matter of the Fiji Times being pro-government. All we want is for them to be pro-Fiji."
* Comment on this item pmediawa@aut.ac.nz
+++niuswire
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH ONLINE
www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is a media and educational resource compiled by the AUT Pacific Media Centre for the Pacific region.
(c)1996-2010 Creative Commons
http://creativecommons.org
Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit educational service. Copyright remains the property of the original producers as indicated in the header. 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 the Pacific Media Centre.
For further information or joining the Pacific Media Watch listserve, visit:
http://lists.apc.org.au/listinfo.cgi/pacific_media_watch?apc.org.au
Email:
pmc@aut.ac.nz
Fax: (+649) 921 9987
SnailMail: Pacific Media Centre, School of Communication Studies, AUT
University, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Website: www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz
_______________________________________________
Pacific_media_watch mailing list
Pacific_media_watch@lists.apc.org.au
_______________________________________________
Pacific_media_watch mailing list
Pacific_media_watch@lists.apc.org.au
Date – 5 October 2010
Byline – Nicky Park
Origin – Pacific Media Watch
Source – The Sydney Morning Herald/AAP, 05/10/10
Copyright – SMH/AAP
Status – Unabridged
----------------------------
* Pacific Media Watch Online - check the website for archive and links:
www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz
* Post a comment on this story at PMW Right of Reply:
www.pacificmediacentre.blogspot.com
pmediawa@aut.ac.nz
* Pacific Media Centre on Twitter - http://twitter.com/pacmedcentre
FIJI TIMES GETS NEW EDITOR
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/fiji-times-gets-new-editor-20101005-165dn.html
By Nicky Park
SUVA (The Sydney Morning Herald/AAP/Pacific Media Watch): The outspoken Fiji Times editor stepped down from his post at the paper for "the good of the company", the man replacing him says.
In a move set to raise concerns about the newspaper's independence, Fiji Times publisher Dallas Swinstead said editor-in-chief Netani Rika had quit because of perceptions he was anti-government.
His replacement Fred Wesley stepped up to the helm of Fiji's oldest newspaper on Monday and confirmed Rika's resignation was voluntary.
"I think what happened is this is something that he chose," Wesley, the former editor of Fiji's Sunday Times, told AAP on Tuesday.
"I'd rather keep it at that."
Rika described his departure as "something of a sacrifice" for the good of the company, Australian-born Swinstead told the Fiji Times website on Tuesday.
"He acknowledged that while he was seen to be anti-government by some sections of the community, he had always tried to be an editor who put Fiji's future above everything else."
Wesley told AAP he planned to pick up at the Fiji Times where his predecessor left off.
"We will continue forward but we will be mutual as much as possible in covering events that matter to people in this country.
"There won't be too many changes except that we'll have to stick straight down the line.
"If you are thinking there is a suggestion that I am pro-government, I don't think so.
"I believe the newspaper can only get better."
The Australian arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp reluctantly sold the Fiji Times to Suva-based conglomerate Motibhai Group for an undisclosed sum last month.
The newspaper, established in 1869, faced closure at the end of the month if News Ltd could not find a local buyer after Fiji's interim government passed a decree ruling that all media must be 90 percent locally owned.
Under the new media law, journalists, editors and media outlets faced stiff fines and possible prison terms if they produced reports deemed to be against the national interest.
When asked about the law, Wesley said: "I'd rather reserve my comments on that one."
While he was surprised by Rika's resignation, there were others that would have seen it coming, he said.
"I think there were sceptics who saw it coming.
"I think he felt he has made a sacrifice for the good of the company.
"He has been seen as anti-government so he probably thought for the good of the company he would step down, but he had his reasons and I wouldn't be able to offer you any insights in to his reasons."
Fiji's permanent secretary for information, Sharon Smith-Johns, said the change in editor at the newspaper was a good move.
"Netani Rika has always held this government with contempt," Smith-Johns told AAP.
"How can he claim to put Fiji's future above anything else when for the past years he has refused to publish most of the government's achievements, refused to acknowledge the government, refused to acknowledge the prime minister?
"The Fiji Times consciously decided not to run government news, I hardly think this is the type of behaviour that puts Fiji's future first.
"So much has been said about media freedom, well surely the citizens of Fiji also deserve to read about progress this government is making, it's been one-sided for far too long.
"The whole issue with the Fiji Times and the government boiled down to personal agendas, and News Ltd sat back and watched this happen.
"It's not a matter of the Fiji Times being pro-government. All we want is for them to be pro-Fiji."
* Comment on this item pmediawa@aut.ac.nz
+++niuswire
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH ONLINE
www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is a media and educational resource compiled by the AUT Pacific Media Centre for the Pacific region.
(c)1996-2010 Creative Commons
http://creativecommons.org
Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit educational service. Copyright remains the property of the original producers as indicated in the header. 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 the Pacific Media Centre.
For further information or joining the Pacific Media Watch listserve, visit:
http://lists.apc.org.au/listinfo.cgi/pacific_media_watch?apc.org.au
Email:
pmc@aut.ac.nz
Fax: (+649) 921 9987
SnailMail: Pacific Media Centre, School of Communication Studies, AUT
University, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Website: www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz
_______________________________________________
Pacific_media_watch mailing list
Pacific_media_watch@lists.apc.org.au
_______________________________________________
Pacific_media_watch mailing list
Pacific_media_watch@lists.apc.org.au
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