Fiji Media Council Unhappy With Media Grilling

Fiji Media Council Unhappy With Media Grilling By Military

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=58481

SUVA (Pacnews/IFEX/Pacific Media Watch) - The Fiji Media Council has deplored the taking in of media personnel by the military for questioning.

Fiji Times reports the council condemned the military's threats against senior newspaper officials.

Last week, Fiji Daily Post general manager Mesake Koroi was kept overnight at the military camp in Nabua for reasons that the military regard as "inciting".

On Wednesday, Fiji TV's news director Netani Rika was summoned to the military camp in Nabua for a "short discussion".

This was in relation to the airing of a news report by the television station which stated that the military was responsible for the death of a villager in Vanua Levu.

The military has denied this and ordered the station to apologise during its news bulletin, which the station did - twice.

Council chairman Daryl Tarte said that this kind of detainment was unacceptable by any international standards of freedom of the media.

"Journalists have been intimidated by the military to the point that they do not feel safe to write and publish reports that correctly reflect the true situation," said Tarte.

"It will be noticed that in most cases bylines are now not used.

Journalists are accordingly denied the freedom that is expressly provided in the Bill of Rights."

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