The Fiji Sun won’t publish political reports- either from the interim Government or their critics - until it can do so with accuracy, balance and fairness.
Publisher/chief executive officer Peter Lomas said last night that in the current situation journalists cannot meet Fiji Media Council code of ethics requirements on this.
Censorship imposed on Saturday by the interim Government under the Public Emergency Regulations 2009 is the reason, he said.
These restrictions on freedom of expression and information made it impossible for journalists to meet the council’s code of ethics requirements.
These include:
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.
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.
Mr Lomas said when it came to reporting fairly on politics, journalists were severely restricted by the most recent directive from the interim Government.
This is that the news media are to “refrain from publishing and broadcasting any news item that is negative in nature, relating to the assumption of executive authority on 10 April 2009 by His Excellency the President and the subsequent appointment of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers.”
Under the Public Emergency Regulations 2009 invoked after the abrogation of the Constitution, Information Ministry and Police officers have been stationed in the Sun’s office.
They are enforcing the directives to the news media issued by Major Neumi Leweni, as Permanent Secretary for Information, Communications and Archives.
Major Leweni said implementing these directives is required under Section 16 (1) of the Public Emergency Regulations 2009.
This says: “Where the Permanent Secretary for Information has reason to believe that any broadcast or publication may give rise to disorder and may thereby cause undue demands to be made upon the Police or the Armed Forces or may result in a breach of the peace, or promote disaffection or public alarm or undermine the Government and the State of Fiji, he or she may by order prohibit such broadcast or publication.”
Mr Lomas said the Sun hopes to meet with Major Leweni as soon as possible to discuss the most recent directive and reach an amicable solution.
He said a directive issued on Friday not to publish “inciteful” comments was not such an issue. No responsible news media would do that anyway, he said.
But he said the second directive, issued on Saturday, was far different. It imposed severe restrictions on reporting.
Meantime, he said, Sun journalists would not report on political issues involving either the interim Government and its ministers or their critics.
